SRINAGAR: A widespread digital outage has paralysed several key government websites in Jammu and Kashmir due to the departments’ failure to obtain mandatory security audit certifications, according to reports. The disruption has severely impacted access to crucial online services for lakhs of residents across the Union Territory.
Government platforms such as Bill Sahuliyat, Revenue Plus, JKPaySys, EMpower, Awam Ki Awaaz, eUnnat, and Apki Zameen Apki Nigrani have been offline for over a week. The outage has brought routine administrative functions to a standstill—halting electricity bill payments, land registrations, salary disbursements, and grievance redressals.
While some officials cited backend technical issues and ongoing audits as causes for the disruption, media reports attribute the root of the problem to widespread non-compliance with cybersecurity protocols. Government rules require all departmental websites to undergo regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to ensure digital safety. However, several departments allegedly ignored repeated advisories from both the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the General Administration Department.
Notably, even the websites of the Information Technology Department and the Jammu and Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JAKEGA)—the very bodies responsible for promoting digital governance—remain offline.
According to the guidelines, departments that fail to conduct annual audits are at risk of having their platforms disabled, yet several government bodies reportedly did not adhere to these mandates, despite clear warnings. This has raised concerns about both administrative accountability and the safeguarding of citizen data.
The outages have sparked widespread public frustration. Daily users, including shopkeepers, landowners, and government employees, have reported financial losses, delayed transactions, and uncertainty. With platforms responsible for salary processing also unresponsive, internal operations within departments have been disrupted.
Meanwhile, the absence of formal advisories or public statements from many departments has only heightened anxiety. The situation reflects a larger governance failure—where digital infrastructure has outpaced institutional preparedness to protect and manage it.
