Mhada to integrate AI for efficient document management and service delivery

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) is set to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) to streamline its operations, improve service delivery, and enhance governance. The housing authority, which manages affordable housing and urban development in Maharashtra, currently struggles with a vast repository of physical documents that are largely undigitised, making file retrieval a cumbersome process.

Recognising the need for modernisation, Mhada has floated a bid to onboard a vendor to design, deploy, and provide AI-driven solutions. This initiative aims to automate document generation, introduce AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants for citizen interactions, and classify large volumes of records for efficient access.

“There is increasing expectation from citizens to modernise our services. We want to leverage AI to enhance operational efficiency and make governance more responsive and transparent,” a senior Mhada official told Hindustan Times. “Internal workflows can also be optimised to improve administrative capabilities.”

As part of this digital transformation, Mhada’s website will soon feature an AI chatbot. In its initial phase, the chatbot will function in English, with Marathi integration to follow, ensuring accessibility for citizens across Maharashtra. For complex legal or complaint-related queries, human intervention will still be available.

One of the key applications of AI will be in document tagging and retrieval. Scanned lease documents will be systematically tagged and indexed, allowing for quicker and more efficient searches. Currently, citizens often face long wait times or repeated visits to Mhada offices due to the difficulty in locating physical files. AI-driven automation is expected to significantly reduce these delays, saving time for both citizens and staff.

The AI integration will be implemented in four phases over 12 months, with full deployment expected by the second half of 2026.