Ranchi deputy commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey on Wednesday said the administration had distributed 87,000 birth, death, residential, income and caste certificates in the last six months through common service centres, inching the district closer to the best performers in the country.

Choubey said in the next fiscal, the district would also link tasks such as land mutation, public grievance redress and direct cash transfer with the centres, popularly known as Pragya Kendras.

On Wednesday, he sent off the mobile Pragya Kendra-e-governance publicity van that had been flagged off by chief secretary S.K. Choudhary a day earlier. The van left for Biskhatanga village of Mandar block and Mesra (Kanke).

On Thursday, it will visit three villages — Hundru, Baru and Satkanadu in Kanke — before moving to Ramgarh on Friday.

“Out of 303 panchayats in the district, we have been able to link 212 panchayats with Pragya Kendras after the system was launched in the district. We have also reached out to more than 75 per cent of the population. If we manage to extend the same to the rest of the population in the remaining 81 panchayats, we will be among the top districts in e-governance,” Choubey said.

The Centre had launched the e-governance plan across the nation in 41 select districts, including Ranchi, in March 2008. Under the system, Pragya Kendras were set up to cater online to villagers who previously had to visit block offices for various works.

At present, people can apply for government jobs, various certificates, e-filing of income tax and commercial taxes, payments under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and also book train tickets.

“Come April, Pragya Kendras will get micro-ATMs. They will act as banking correspondents. Beneficiaries possessing Aadhaar numbers will be able to draw direct cash transfers at the Pragya Kendra itself,” said Choubey.

The publicity will tour five districts — Ranchi, Ramgarh, Bokaro, Girdih and Deoghar.