New Delhi: The

of services has brought governance right to the drawing rooms of people.

The mobile sahayaks appointed by VFS Global, the agency hired by Delhi government to help people fill up application forms and submit documents to get 40 services offered by nine departments, wade through mud and water in narrow lanes looking for houses of applicants, sometimes with incomplete addresses, to deliver services at their doorsteps.

On Saturday, Vinayak Gautam, a

, struggled with Google maps due to poor internet connectivity, knocked on several doors in the absence of proper numbering of houses before finally reaching the house of Umesh Kumar Chauhan, a contractual peon, in east Delhi’s Chilla village. “I am from Delhi government. I have come to help you apply for your caste certificate,” Vinayak told Chauhan.

For the next two hours, Vinayak filled up Chauhan’s form on his tablet, uploaded documents and submitted the application fee amid flickering internet connectivity. “I had never imagined that a government functionary would come to my house to deliver services. Two years ago, I had to pay Rs 4,500 to a tout to get my driving licence,” said Chauhan.

Since September 10, the doorstep delivery helpline has got 23,801 service requests from people. While the agency has processed about 6,500-odd applications with the help of about 200 mobile sahayaks, 8,808 requests would be attended to in the next few days.

The executives returned empty handed in 8,411 cases. In some cases, the address was fake, in a few instances the person said he was not interested, while many applicants failed to produce the required documents.

Naveen Noudiyal, a 20-year-old mobile sahayak, has come across several applicants who have refused to meet him at the appointed time. On Friday, two applicants refused to meet him.

But that didn’t deter him from doing his job. He enthusiastically went about completing the application process and answered every query of Darpreet Singh Kalsi, a young commerce student living in Bala Sahib Gurudwara Hospital complex near Sarai Kale Khan, who was applying for learner’s licence, and his father.

“I feel really proud doing this job. People appreciate the scheme and look forward to get their documents without having to make several rounds to government offices,” said Naveen before rushing to meet his next client near Hari Nagar Ashram.