Maharashtras ‘Aaple Sarkar portal’ set for restart after four-day shutdown

Widely used across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas, the platform is also accessed through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras. After being offline for four days due to technical snags, the Maharashtra government’s ‘Aaple Sarkar’ web portal used by citizens to access a range of public services—is expected to return to normal operations by Saturday morning. The portal has been closed since the night of April 27, disrupting access to essential services such as caste, domicile, and income certificates, scholarship applications, and registrations for competitive examinations, including those conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).Widely used across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas, the platform is also accessed through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras. A high-level review meeting was held on Friday by Ashish Shelar, Minister for Electronics, Information Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, along with senior IT department officials to assess the situation. A special committee comprising IT experts, technology leads, and engineers has been formed to identify the root cause and implement a long-term solution. “The committee has completed its preliminary inspection, and measures are being implemented after diagnosing the technical glitches. Necessary upgrades are also being made during this process to make the portal more secure, stable, and faster. Additionally, technical guidance is being sought through coordination with the Indian heads of international technology companies such as Microsoft, Dell, and Commvault,” said an IT department official. Shelar said all relevant systems and expert teams are working round the clock to restore services. “Aaple Sarkar is a vital digital platform that serves as a focal point for service delivery to the citizens of the state. To overcome the current technical difficulties, all concerned technical agencies are working on a war footing. Special emphasis is being placed on making the system more efficient, secure, and capable of providing uninterrupted service. Explicit instructions have been issued to restore the portal at the earliest to provide citizens with more efficient, fast, and seamless services,” he said. Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues. Expertise Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai. Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands'). Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including: State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana). Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides). Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits. Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology