Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government has officially approved the collection of service charges for a range of public services delivered online through the state’s e-governance platforms and Akshaya centres.

The decision follows communications from the State Planning Department, Information Kerala Mission (IKM), and the Local Self Government Department (LSGD). The aim is to streamline digital service delivery and ensure better sustainability of the platform.

Citizens accessing services such as birth and death registrations, marriage certificates, and licences online or through Akshaya centres will be required to pay a fixed service charge in addition to the applicable application fees.

Approved service charges
The newly sanctioned service charges are as follows:

• Birth registration – ₹40
• Death registration – ₹40
• Correction in birth/death records – ₹50
• Marriage registration – ₹70 + ₹3 per page for printing
• For SC/ST applicants: ₹50 (inclusive of printing)
• Correction in marriage registration – ₹60
• License application – ₹40
• License corrections – ₹40
• Filing complaints – ₹30
• Downloading certificates/notices – ₹10 per page
• Payment charges (based on transaction amount):
• ₹10 for payments up to ₹1,000
• ₹20 for payments between ₹1,001 and ₹5,000
• 0.5% for amounts above ₹5,000 (maximum ₹100)
• Ownership certificate – ₹50
• BPL certificate – ₹10
• Miscellaneous applications – ₹20

Collection procedure

• If a service is availed online, both the application fee and service charge must be paid directly through the portal.
• If the service is accessed via an Akshaya centre, the centre will collect the service charge separately along with the application fee.
• All collections must be remitted and documented properly, in accordance with official protocols.

The government has emphasised that citizen data must be handled securely during the digital delivery of services. The Information Kerala Mission and State E-Governance Agency have been tasked with monitoring the implementation and ensuring compliance with data privacy norms.