eGov July 2015

egov.eletsonline.com

ASIA’S FIRST MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON E-governance ` 75 / US $10 / ISSN 0973-161X

july 2015 | VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 7

IT Connects Land of Gods

27 June 2015, Dehradun

Harish Rawat

Chief Minister, Government of Uttarakhand

Special Coverage

Goa Striving to Be Next IT Destination

Knowledge Exchange

Goa

22 - 23 May 2015, Marriott Resort, Goa

Contents

July 2015

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volume 11 n  issue 07

8 ke-goa award 2015

Digital Governance for Better Governance government

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Shri Harish Rawat

N Ravi Shankar

S Raju

Dr Sadanand Date

Deepak Kumar

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand

Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand

Assistant Inspector General of Police Govt. of Uttarakhand

Secretary-IT Government of Uttarakhand

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Nitin Singh Bhadauria DMC Commissioner

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Radhika Jha

Bhupinder Singh

Sarvesh Kaushal

C Lalhmachhuana

Raajiv Yaduvanshi

G V Rao

Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand

Minister for Information Technology, Madhya Pradesh

Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab

Secretary - Information Technology, Mizoram

Commissioner-cumSecretary, Department of Urban Development, Andaman & Nicobar

Assistant Commissioner, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation

corporate

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feature

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MEMORY for Transparency Dipankar Ghoshal

Altaf Halde

Neeraj Sahdev

Business Head-UP West & Uttarakhand, Vodafone

Managing Director- South Asia, KasperSky Lab

General Manager & Head - Wipro

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event report ke-goa 2015

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egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Akhilesh Mittal

editorial

An Uphill Task

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n the present age of Information and Communications Technology, connectivity plays a key role in every sphere of life; more so, if it is about governance and delivery of citizen-centric services. Both the Central Government and the States are working overtime to disseminate information and make delivery of services using technology at the people’s doorstep.

But, even as some states have already made substantial gains in their efforts to ensure efficient delivery of services, with transparency and accountability, some others have not been able to hit that success owing to their geographical conditions. And, the State of Uttarakhand is one of those states, where growth and expansion of technology in difficult hilly terrains has been a truly herculean task.

The Government of Uttarakhand, however, seems determined to overcome the challenges coming in the way of establishing better communication network not just to make lives of the people easier, but also to get a larger number of tourists. The need for a stronger communication mechanism was felt most during the ravaging floods of 2013, when people remain stuck in far-flung areas of the State, totally cut off from the rest of the world.

Another factor backing the government’s determination to strengthen the ICT infrastructure is its keenness to attract IT investment as well as other industries to Uttarakhand. This could also lead to generation of large-scale employment opportunities in a state, which has been primarily dependent on the Tourism business.

In addition to it, a stronger ICT infrastructure will also lead to improved delivery of services to the people in areas difficult to access. Mobility, in this context, can play a crucial role on account of its deeper penetration in the remote areas.

In recognition of the unfailing commitment of the Uttarakhand Government towards technological empowerment of the state, Elets Technomedia, in association with the Government of Uttarakhand, is organising ‘e-Uttarakhand 2015’ in Dehradun on 27th June 2015.

The primary objective of the event is to develop strategies for rapid development of IT industry in the state and better eGovernance services. The occasion will see thought leaders, visionaries, policy makers and implementation specialists come together on one platform to discuss, debate and propose the future course for the state. Besides, the stakeholders will also try to suggest the way forward for the state to transform itself into a manufacturing hub for electronic goods.

This issue of eGov magazine, dedicated to the cause of the ‘Land of Gods’, will be released at the inaugural ceremony of e-Uttarakhand event at the hands of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of the State, Shri Harish Rawat.

See you there!

ravi guptA Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

Email at subscription@elets.in to get previous issues

April 2015

May 2015

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July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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ASIA’S FIRST MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON E-governance

July 2015 volume 11 n issue 07

PRESIDENT: Dr M P Narayanan EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta EDITORIAL TEAM GOVERNANCE / BANKING & FINANCE Senior Assistant Editor: Nirmal Anshu Ranjan Assistant Editor: Kartik Sharma, Rachita Jha Senior Correspondent: Souvik Goswami Correspondent: Poulami Chakraborty, Gautam Debroy, Manish Arora Junior Correspondent: Sneha Mejari Trainee Sub-Editor: Akanki Sharma EDUCATION Senior Assistant Editor: Garima Pant Assistant Editor: Bhawna Satsangi HEALTH Senior Assistant Editor: Garima Pant Senior Correspondent: Anshuman Ojha Correspondent: Romiya Das Consultant : Nirav Soni SALES & MARKETING TEAM Programme Manager: Seema Gupta Assistant General Manager: Ragini Shrivastava, Mobile: +91-8860651650 National Sales Manager: Fahim Haq, Mobile: +91-8860651632 Sr. Manager: Arup Kumar Maiti, Mobile: +91-8860651645

Gaurav Srivastava, Mobile: +91-8527697685 SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION TEAM Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832; subscription@elets.in DESIGN TEAM Creative Head: Pramod Gupta Deputy Art Director: Om Prakash Thakur, Gopal Thakur Senior Web Designer: Shyam Kishore WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE Team Lead Web Development: Ishvinder Singh Senior Executive – ­ IT: Zuber Ahmed Executive – Information Management: Khabirul Islam EVENT TEAM Manager: Gagandeep Kapani ADMINISTRATION Head Administration: Archana Jaiswal EDITORIAL & MARKETING CORRESPONDENCE

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Editor: Dr Ravi Gupta All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic and mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without publisher’s permission.

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2015

cover Story

Digital Governance for Better Governance In line with the trend of time, the State of Uttarakhand is fast moving towards adopting eGovernance and mGovernance in toto to ensure better and fast delivery of citizen-centric services. A report on the status of digital governance in the Land of Gods

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ver the years, various state governments as well as central ministries have been introducing a number of initiatives to improve citizen-centric services with the help of technology as well as communication tools.

On the same lines, sustained efforts being made at various levels in Uttarakhand has improved the timeliness of public service delivery and simplified the process of accessing them, apart from making these transparent. eGovernance in Uttarakhand begins with computerisation of government departments, introducing websites for all government services, making services citizencentric and transparent, and bringing about accountability in delivery of those services.

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The State of Uttarakhand was formed on the 9th November 2000 when it was carved out of northern Uttar Pradesh. It is largely a hilly region with approximately 88 per cent of the geographical area being mountainous, rich in natural resources, especially water and forests, with many glaciers, rivers and mountain peaks.

The Government of Uttarakhand plans to utilise the full potential of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools for improving the quality of citizen services, bring in accelerated social and economic development, ensuring transparency in the Government decisions and accelerating IT adoption amongst various user segments.

The vision is to make the State of Uttarakhand fully high-tech, where the information flow and access across all sections

of the society, enabled through effective ICT infrastructure, would propel the economic growth of the State, leading to a high quality of life of its citizens.

An important outcome of this ICT initiative will be employment generation.

Given the fairly high literacy rate (higher than the national average), the State Government aims to reduce unemployment by encouraging IT and ITeS to establish their enterprises in Uttarakhand.

The Government of Uttarakhand uses IT in most of its departments — whether it is Treasury, Finance or Transport, it is being used everywhere. The government also aims to accelerate IT adoption amongst various user segments.

The Uttarakhand Government is engaged with the Department of Telecom of the

cover story

Message I got to know about “eGov e-Uttarakhand 2015” event being organised jointly by Elets Technomedia and the Government of Uttarakhand.

Such events help in exchanging the best practices in the Information & Communications Technology (ICT). Uttarakhand has its focus on improving the connectivity throughout the State whether it would be through optical fibre network or satellite. A better connected State would attract investors to set up their industries here. I wish Elets good luck for the event.

Rakesh Sharma Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand

eGovernance in Uttarakhand begins with computerisation of government departments, introducing websites for all government services, making services citizen-centric and transparent, and bringing about accountability in delivery of those services Government of India for the expansion of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in Uttarakhand.

The NOFN project is being funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) built with contributions from private telecom operators. However, for end-to-end services, companies will have to

set up their own infrastructure at the gram panchayat level.

Interestingly, BSNL has selected Haridwar for the NOFN implementation in the first phase. Haridwar is also important from the tourism potential angle. Besides, the Government has been focusing on improving the telecom connectivity

in-between government departments, for citizens and for tourists as well.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked officials to think about ways to strengthen communication system in the calamity-prone districts of the State, including Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi, which were among the worst hit by flood in 2013.

Recognising the need to increase mobile density in these districts, additional V-sats are going to be set up in Dharchula to cover a larger population under mobile connectivity.

The Telecom Department has also been requested to cover the deficit areas within the State through their universal service application mechanism. The way it has been done in the North-eastern states and some Naxal-affected areas, the government plans to do it for the Himalayan states, too.

Additionally, the Government of Uttarakhand has planned to make Haridwar the first place to have WiFi. “Ardh Kumbh is scheduled to happen next year and WiFi would be done before that,” said Deepak Kumar, Secretary, Department of Information Technology of the State.

In the later phases, two major tourist places in Uttarakhand—Musoorie and Ranikhet—would also get the WiFi facility, followed by similar facility in the complete State. The Government has been working on finalising the companies, which would process the WiFi project in the State.

Given the determination of the State Government to improve connectivity across the State, the days do not seem far off when the citizens of Uttarakhand will start enjoying the benefits of eGovernance and mGovernance.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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Special Interview

Shri Harish Rawat

Uttarakhand

Ready to Host IT Investors Reiterating his commitment to attract more investors, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Harish Rawat, claims that his government is making concerted efforts to give a boost to the Information Technology sector in the State. The Chief Minister, in an interview with Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN), says Uttarakhand not only provides qualified manpower to the companies operating there but also attractive incentives to those desirous of setting up industries there

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hat kind of IT initiatives have been undertaken by your government to make citizens’ lives better in Uttarakhand?

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We have opened over 150 ‘Dev Bhoomi Jan Seva Kendras’ across the State under the Government to Citizen (G2C) programme to provide all essential civic services to the people. Besides, another 1,000 such centres would be thrown open soon by the IT

Department, which implies that every Gram Panchayat would get one ‘Dev Bhoomi Jan Seva Kendra’. Citizens can pay their electricity bills, apply for birth and death certificates, caste, income and other certificates from these centres. We have also increased the bandwidth

Shri Harish Rawat

Special Interview

Chief Minister Harish Rawat with some of his party leaders at his residence.

by 2.5 times between the state headquarters and district headquarters through the State Wide Area Networks (SWAN) programme.

What incentives do you offer to entrepreneurs willing to come to Uttarakhand to set up their units and thus create employments?

Uttarakhand is the most peaceful State, which has qualified manpower and surplus electricity. We are providing cheapest power to the industries and other incentives to woo the investors to prompt them to establish their industrial units here. The State is also well connected with road and air, and from the national capital. We are contemplating to develop State’s second airport at Pantnagar, while expansion of Pithoragarh airport is underway. The State Government’s policy for large-scale/medium, small and MSME units is already in place to give a thrust to economic activities. We are leaving no stone unturned to attract investments and generate employment in the State.

There are several incentives proposed to be offered on power and land, and fast-track clearance mechanism for those interested in setting up units in Uttarakhand. The pro-active approach of the Government and ideal conditions would surely put the State on the IT map of India What other incentives you propose to offer to the companies interested in setting up their units in Uttarakhand?

There are several other incentives proposed to be offered on power and land, and fasttrack clearance mechanism, among others.

The pro-active approach of the Uttarakhand Government and ideal conditions would surely put the State on the IT map of India.

‘Ardha Kumbh Mela’ is scheduled to be held next year in Haridwar. Which IT-based

services you are going to provide to the citizens in the holy city?

We have decided to provide Wifi connectivity to all ‘Snan Ghats’ in Haridwar before Ardha Kumbh fest kicks off. Besides, Wifi facility would also be provided at the tourist destinations, like Mussoorie, Nainital and Ranikhet, for the convenience of tourists as well as common man. It would also be emulated in district and block headquarters.

The Department of IT is looking after the project and we have asked the officials to expedite the work at war-footing level.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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Face to Face

N Ravi Shankar

Connectivity for

Better Growth The Uttarakhand Government has been consistently working on improving the connectivity in the State for better citizen services and attracting investment. N Ravi Shankar, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand, in an interaction with Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN), talks about the various initiatives undertaken by him to provide better citizen services in the State

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hat are the key technology initiatives undertaken by you in the State?

The Government of Uttarakhand has been working very hard on the ‘Digital India’ Programme. We have tried to bring highspeed optical fibre connectivity of 100 mbps to Haridwar district, and it is the first place in the State to get that. I am happy to mention that one gram panchayat in Bahadarabad has already been connected under the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) programme of the Government of India.

We also intend to connect all the 330 Gram Panchayats of Haridwar under the NOFN programme. With this level of connectivity, we wish to bring more and more latest technologies to Haridwar.

Uttarakhand being one of the prominent tourism destinations of India, how has technology been employed for promotion of tourism across the State?

We are using technology in many ways for tourism promotion. We will soon have mobile services coverage in all the remote and hilly areas across Uttarakhand, so that tourists do not face the problem of connectivity in the State. We are also trying to ensure that information of weather conditions is provided to the tourists easily through mobile applications. People would be advised on weather over phones as well.

How important are the mobile services these days? eGovernance

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mGovernance

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are

Uttarakhand is using technology in many ways for tourism promotion.

We will soon have mobile services coverage across Uttarakhand, so that tourists do not face the problem of connectivity in the State important tools of administration. Use of technology needs to be promoted in the State, so that the information is transmitted to the right person in the right way. In order to ease the process, we have young teams who are tech-savvy. I advise them to use the technology confidently and they use all the communication tools like Whatsapp and instant messengers.

requested to cover the deficit areas within the State through their universal service application mechanism. We hope the way they are doing it in the Northeast and some Naxalaffected areas, they will do it for the Himalayan states, too.

Tell us about the mobile network connectivity in Uttarakhand.

We want small IT companies in the State, which can motivate people for entrepreneurship.

This would help the State grow its economy and also generate employment for the youth of Uttarakhand.

Frankly speaking, most of the areas in our State are deprived of mobile network connectivity.

The Telecom Department has also been

How do you attract IT companies to the State for better growth and business?

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face to face

S Raju

Technology for Transparency Implementation of technology brings about transparency in the process of governance and augments citizen services. S Raju, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand, in an interaction with Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN), enumerates the advantages of IT implementation vis-a-vis various initiatives undertaken in the State

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hat are the various initiatives undertaken by the State Government to ease the process of citizen service delivery?

We have introduced a web-based system for tracking the status of work projects, so that we can easily identify and rectify the problem

The transfer of teachers has emerged as a huge issue in the past. But now, introduction of the system of display of their marks on website brought about the much-needed transparency and helped people know as to where they stand.

So, disputes relating to the transfer of teachers have now become almost nil. Feedback from the teachers regarding transfer system has also been quite good.

Implementing court orders has always been tough for the government. How has IT helped in doing that?

We have put all the court orders on a webbased system where one can see the deadlines for their implementation. Based on these, delays in implementation of the court orders have seen a huge reduction. We are

trying regularly to improve that system in the coming days.

We have also introduced a web-based system for tracking the status of work projects. This has helped us track why one is not able to meet the deadline, and we can easily identify and rectify the problem.

What has the government been doing to reduce complaints regarding pension distribution?

Earlier, lots of people kept running around government offices for their pension and complained of delays in pension disbursements. It was due to manual and long process of releasing pensions.

The payments of pension have now been made online. We have implemented an IVRbased system, in which anyone can call and find out whether his pension has been released or not. It has helped us in easing the process of pension distribution and the people also don’t have to keep standing in office queues.

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Dr Sadanand Date

Face to Face

Cops Set Eyes on

Cyber Criminals In order to tackle rising cyber crime-related cases in Uttarakhand, the cyber crime cell of the State’s police has taken several initiatives to effectively tackle such issues with trained manpower. Dr Sadanand Date, Assistant Inspector General of Police (Police Modernisation), Government of Uttarakhand, tells Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN) about the eGovernance initiatives being undertaken by the police department

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hat are the various IT initiatives undertaken by Uttarakhand police?

We have recently opened State’s first cyber crime police station in Dehradun to register cases related to cyber crimes, which have gone up with the advancement of technology and increasing Internet penetration in Uttarakhand.

Besides, we have our Special Operations Group (SOG) for cyber crime surveillance. We are also contemplating to launch a citizens’ portal where people can lodge their complaints online so that they do not need to visit police stations.

How exactly do you manage your sole cyber crime police station and what kind of manpower it requires?

Special training is being imparted to 200 police personnel by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), based at Noida, of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) to man the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS). Currently, we have 35 personnel for CCPS, and once the training is completed, around 50 more would be added to the existing team. If everything goes well, the government may give its nod to open more CCPSs in the Kumaon region of the State. However, the existing CCPS is covering the entire State and registers cases like online lottery forgery, bank account hacking through telephones, exploitation through social networking sites like Facebook, micro blogging site Twitter and instant messaging apps like WhatsApp.

What are the future plans of Uttarakhand police related to eGovernance? Are you planning to launch a mobile app as well?

We are making concerted efforts to upgrade our Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and cyber lab. At present, we have taken help of FSLs of metros, but once our FSL is upgraded, we

hard to trace such elements. The State has four communally-sensitive districts—Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun, where these teams have to remain active to monitor social networking sites.

How do you keep police personnel updated on the latest ICT tools?

Special training is being imparted to 200 police personnel to man the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS).

Currently, we have 35 personnel for CCPS, and once the training is completed, around 50 more would be added to the existing team can effectively preserve cyber crime evidences forensically. There are plans to launch a mobile app but we would unveil an online citizen portal to help public lodge grievances. It would include online complaint registration, various services like verification of tenants, servants as well as lost and found services.

We often organise capacity building workshops to impart ICT-related training to our personnel.

Besides, the personnel are also updated about technology advancements to keep them abreast of new gadgets. If needed, more personnel would be sent to C-DAC for training.

What is the biggest challenge of district level teams of the cyber crime wing?

Do the Uttarakhand police have plans to disseminate traffic updates on Facebook or Twitter to the citizens?

Monitoring of social networking sites is one of the biggest challenges at present, as we have to rigorously keep a hawk’s eye on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Anti-social elements often try to disturb communal harmony during elections, and then we have to work really

We are working on it and if we get the approval, efforts would be initiated to make it possible on the lines of Delhi and Bangalore police. A few district police are already using social media to update public about their latest initiatives.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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Face to Face

Deepak kumar

Wifi Canopy

for Uttarakhand Starting with delivering citizen services at doorsteps to increasing telecom penetration through State Wide Area Networks (SWANs) in Uttarakhand, the Department of Information Technology is taking several innovative steps to provide better services to citizens. Deepak Kumar, Secretary-IT, Government of Uttarakhand, in conversation with Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN), explains how his department is striving to reach G2C services to the State’s people

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be provided with Wifi connectivity to help tourists and local people to remain connected with Internet. Not only this, tourist destinations like Mussoorie, Nainital and Ranikhet would also get Wifi services soon. Once it is done, other district headquarters and later on up to block headquarters would also get Wifi connectivity in near future.

hat kind of IT initiatives have been undertaken so far in

Uttarakhand?

Under the ‘Dev Bhoomi Jan Seva Kendra’ plan of the Government, we have thrown open at least 150 centres where people can get essential services under one roof such as applying for birth/death certificates, income and caste certificate among other services. We have also planned to open around 1,000 such centres across Uttarakhand to make people’s lives easier.

Besides, we have increased Internet bandwidth by 2.5 times between state and district headquarters to remove the problem of choking to enhance work efficiency. Under SWANs, we are doing horizontal connectivity with vertical connectivity in association with BSNL and have chosen 250-300 locations for this purpose. By the end of July, we will also connect at least 50 locations with horizontal connectivity.

What are the other IT-related projects in the pipeline?

Establishment of a State Data Centre (SDC) is also the top priority of the IT department for which tenders were floated in January end and pre bid was done in February. It was about to kick off but due to stopping of funds under National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Government of India, the work got delayed.

Now, we would ask the State Government to provide funds to proceed further. Currently, the State’s data is shared on cloud with the National Data Centre (NDC) for which no charge is being levied by the Centre. However, SDC is the need of the hour. The IT department is also playing an advisory role to other departments. We often

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Do you have any plans to connect important cities of Uttarakhand with National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)?

Tourist destinations like Mussoorie, Nainital and Ranikhet would get Wifi services soon. Once it is done, other district headquarters and later on block headquarters would also be provided Wifi connectivity give our advice on the equipment procurement to other government departments.

What are your IT plans for the ‘Ardha Kumb Mela’ which would be held next year in Haridwar?

All the Snan Ghats in Haridwar district would

Yes, in the first phase, 28 out of 95 blocks covering 1,763 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been planned to be connected on NOFN. All the 316 GPs of Haridwar district are being connected on NOFN which would significantly improve the connectivity. We are doing liasioning with the Centre to connect the GPs with NOFN. Many key departments like Panchayati Raj, Rural Development Department, Health, Education and Revenue Department would be largely benefitted from it. As an instance, the primary and community health centres and schools can get telemedicine and teleeducation services respectively. Many serious efforts are being made to introduce NOFN at the earliest.

How do you keep your staff updated on the latest ICT tools?

Several capacity building programmes are being organised by the IT department to impart training to its staff. Besides, I myself attend many National and State-level seminars on e-governance to get latest information on ICT developments. The State Government is helping us a lot to train our employees for swift implementation of key services.

Nitin Bhadauria

Face to Face

Online Civic Services for Doonites on Cards With the increasing population, Dehradun Municipal Corporation’s (DMC) challenges of rendering fast and effective services to Doonites have also gone up. DMC Commissioner, Nitin Singh Bhadauria, in conversation with Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN), throws light on various IT initiatives undertaken by the Corporation to roll out online services

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hat kind of IT initiatives have been taken up by DMC for citizen’s

convenience?

A Property Tax Management System is currently being implemented within the city limits of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC). A pilot Capacity Building for Urban Development (CBUD) project has been completed and tested for three wards. It is being planned for the entire city of Dehradun and we have also collaborated with IIT Roorkee to do a Geographic Information System (GIS) survey so that land information of the city can be seen online. Besides, we have also introduced Vehicle Tracking System to prevent fuel pilferage and find driver’s position through Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. For instance, if someone registers a complaint that the garbage from his/her area has not been lifted, then we send the vehicle which is closest to the locality enabling us to save fuel and time.

What are the upcoming IT projects of DMC to make citizen’s life easier?

DMC is planning to launch its first mobile app, through which people can lodge civic complaints, use the Property Tax Management System and apply for birth/death certificates and other key certificates. The app would enable officials to ensure rapid compliance rate and if any complaint remains unattended or unresolved, it would be forwarded to the Municipal Commissioner for his intervention.

Additionally, we have also started retrofitting energy-efficient LED street lights to save

electricity and slash DMC’s electricity bills.

DMC is also contemplating to install at least 100 underground bins to maintain cleanliness which will reduce operational costs and ensure more efficient removal of garbage.

The way we have been implementing various ICT initiatives, Dehradun city would get ample online services, so that Doonites need not visit the civic body office every now and then to lodge complaints or to avail services How do we see the civic body of Dehradun after three to four years? What kind of ICT advancements would be brought in?

Looking forward, the manner in which we are implementing ICT initiatives, it is pretty sure that Dehradun city would get ample online services so that Doonites need not visit the civic body office every time they want

to lodge a grievance or to get any services.

In the next three years, projects like Solid Waste Management, LED street lights, GIS survey, and Climate Change Resilience Action programmes would be implemented by using ICT. Technology will be the biggest game changer in ensuring efficient delivery of services, thereby empowering the citizen to get their rights transformed into entitlements, in sync with our vision for Dehradun.

How do you keep the DMC staff updated on the latest ICT tools?

Apart from organising capacity building workshops to impart ICT training, we also impart other trainings to our staff to help them understand latest technology advancements.

It is a priority of the DMC to impart training to civic body employees and keep them updated on ICT transformation. More and more ICT services mean requirement of more skilled manpower for which government is making efforts. We are also getting necessary support from the Uttarakhand Government to implement ICT initiatives.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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face to face

Dipankar Ghoshal

Ready to Enable mGov in U’khand Vodafone has come up with some unique mGovernance initiatives that could help citizens in Uttarakhand access government services anytime, anywhere. Dipankar Ghoshal, Business Head-UP West & Uttarakhand, Vodafone, tells Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN) about their plan to facilitate mGovernance in the State

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and Telecommunication infrastructure. A key element of the ecosystem would be ‘connected homes and workplace’ based on the Internet of Things (IoT). Vodafone in UP West and the country is a market leader in M2M technology and we are constantly working towards meeting the newer and advanced M2M needs of our customers.

There will also be high bandwidth MPLS connectivity required in network enterprises as well as solutions around enterprise mobility, unified communications, cloud-based services and hosting services. VBS is actively engaged to bring our global best practices around these products and services to the State.

hat sort of mGovernance services are being offered by Vodafone that can benefit Uttarakhand?

Vodafone’s robust, cost-effective, round-theclock, intelligent services have enabled applications and mGovernance solutions across various spheres. Some of them are as follows: l Partnering with the State to reduce infant mortality: Facilitating communication through alerts and voice calls for health activists as part of a State Government’s health initiatives; l Ensuring cleaner water supply: Help municipal corporations track and monitor water quality; and l Partnering with governments in civic initiatives: Helping municipal corporation officials upload pictures and location of potholes; M2M-based intelligent street light and smart electricity meters.

Vodafone will be an eager partner with the Uttarakhand Government in various mGovernance initiatives to deliver value to citizens and businesses in the State.

Financial inclusion is a big challenge for state governments and a critical aspect to complete the ecosystem for smart governance. How is Vodafone poised for delivering on the same?

Vodafone M-Pesa is an innovative, safe and secure mobile wallet that enables complete suite of services like money transfer, bill payments and recharge on the move from the mobile through a simple text-based approach.

The technology brings the bank to the mobile

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and addresses the issue of access to financial services. It caters to all segments of the society, from the unbanked to the under-banked, and to the net-savvy and evolved customers. Today, with a pan-India distribution of close to 90,000 agents and 7,200 in UP West, Vodafone M-Pesa is the largest banking correspondent in the country and is playing a vital role in enabling financial inclusion and m-commerce.

Lots of talks are happening centering Smart Cities. How does Vodafone connect with this concept?

Vodafone Business Services (VBS), the enterprise arm of Vodafone, provides total telecommunication solutions across both mobility and wire-line platforms and enables global enterprises, national corporates, SMEs and government segments to communicate, collaborate and connect. One of our key service offerings could be partnering with the State Government for Smart Cities, which will leverage our IT

What is your observation about the smart governance model of Uttarakhand? eGovernance is transitioning into mGovernance leveraging the omnipresence of mobile devices. As with businesses, the interactions between Government and Citizens are becoming a real-time two-way street.

Definitive strides are being made by the Uttarakhand Government towards creating a better and more technologically advanced State with citizens in mind.

As a global leader in mobility and having worked with governments in many parts of the world, Vodafone understands the eGovernance and mGovernance space deeply and is adequately poised to enable the ‘Digital India’ vision. We are looking forward to playing a larger role in supporting the State through smart solutions and smart governance. We can help leverage the power of mobility platforms and can lead the transformation from eGovernance to mGovernance. Be it IoT, mobile-based payments, location-based services or managed mobility – Vodafone can support it all.

Face to Face

Radhika Jha

U’khand Seeks PPP

Push to

Education The last-mile connectivity is a major challenge in Uttarakhand, but the State Government is determined to overcome it at the earliest, so that all schools and colleges get connected through ICT. The Government wants the private sector to pitch in to make Uttarakhand an education hub, says Radhika Jha, Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand, in an interaction with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Networks (ENN)

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hat is the overall scenario of education sector in Uttarakhand?

Uttarakhand as a State is very favourably placed.

It is the State, which is actually known as the education hub of the country and has several premier educational institutions. Whether it is IAS Academy, Military Academy, Doon School or any other school, our Government is keen to leverage advantage of such institutions.

In terms of people and their temperaments, we have a lot of interest towards education. There are some great personalities, who hailed from Uttarakhand. So, our Government wants to make Uttarakhand the hub of higher and school educa-

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tion. The Gsovernment is also taking steps to encourage private institutions to invest in Uttarakhand. If the level of education is higher, the overall growth of a state follows.

What is the extent of use of ICT in the education sector of Uttarakhand?

We have not done so well in ICT, as we could have done. In schools, we have made a good start in terms of upper primary and secondary education. We have computer labs in lots of our schools.

But we there are problems regarding electricity, infrastructure, etc. There are several areas in our State which are remotely located, but our Government is very keen. Our Chief Secretary reviews the situation every fortnight, along with the Secretary-IT, Secretary-School Education and SecretaryHigher Education to explore the possibilities of taking the IT infrastructure to the remotest corner of the State.

The last-mile connectivity is, in fact, a challenge for us, but we are determined to accomplish that, so that all our schools and colleges get connected through ICT. In higher education, we have a good programme called EDUSAT. Through this system, our teachers can deliver live lectures to a number of colleges, even if no teacher is present at a particular time in a given college. The State Government is in a mood to review the EDUSAT, so that each and every college in the remotely-

Radhika Jha

located areas can avail the facility through the web-based classes.

In what other ways the PPP model can benefit the education scenario in the State?

We are focusing on the PPP model. When we talk of facilitating a private partner, we want it to come to Uttarakhand. We also want the private partners to look at our local needs in terms of employment opportunities, demand and supply, etc. We encourage them and facilitate them, because if you have good educational institutes and job opportunities in your own State, people will not migrate. Apart from ensuring development, we want to arrest migration and also want the State’s economy to grow.

How can private players help in developing the education sector of Uttarakhand?

Uttarakhand is one of the pioneering States in this sector as far as encouraging private universities to come here is concerned. We have a singlewindow clearance system available for private universities. Also, we have given lots of relaxation to the private players interested in setting up educational institutions in the hills. There is a high density of these institutions in the plain areas, but these also lack in the upper reaches per say. So, the Government is pro-actively encouraging the private players to come to the State.

In fact, we do it in a collaborative way. If any private player comes, we make them understand the vision of our Government, so that they could

Face to Face

Uttarakhand is one of the pioneering states in the education sector as far as encouraging private universities to come here is concerned. We have a singlewindow clearance system available to facilitate private universities adjust to our aspirations. We always encourage private players. However, we make sure that if a private institution comes up, it must give priority to admission of the local people.

Does Uttarakhand see a large number of students going to other states to pursue higher studies?

This is true. In fact, we have a peculiar situation; people from all across the country come to Uttarakhand to get school education, as we have some very good schools in Mussoorie, Dehradun and Nainital. But for college education, our students go to places like Delhi, Mumbai, etc. This is really a matter of concern for the Government.

We want to maintain that edge which we have in terms of school education. So, our Government has decided to set up very good universities. We have the University of Energy and Petroleum Studies, which is one of the finest universities in the energy sector in the country and has very good placements. We have Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, which is doing very good in its

domain. We need to have many more specialised universities, so that there is fewer outward movement of students.

We, in fact, want to attract people from neighbouring states and countries to our educational institutions. Uttarakhand boasts of the Doon University, which is based on the pattern of JNU. It has very good schools of language and management, along with good school of life sciences. But, we are also looking for private sector participation.

Elets Technomedia is coming to Dehradun with eUttarakhand event. What is your view on that?

I think it is an excellent initiative. Usually, I keep myself limited to the government programmes and government forums. But, it is a platform where people from both government and private sector come and share their views. So, such events present an opportunity for the government to understand the private players’ concerns better. As we share our experiences, we understand and share lot many good things. In fact, we can improve our functioning by attending these kind of events, which are very informative and interactive.

Doon University, Dehradun

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

21

Face to Face

Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram

Moving from

Office to e-Office The Mussorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) takes pride in becoming the country’s first development authority to have made building plan process completely online and is first in Uttarakhand to have introduced ERP programme to make citizens’ lives better. MDDA Vice Chairman, Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, is striving to make his office a complete e-Office so that people don’t need to turn up to MDDA every time they want services from the government. Excerpts from an interview with Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN)

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hat kind of IT initiatives have been undertaken by you in the MDDA making the life of citizens easier?

We have made the building plan approval a complete online process which enables public to apply for their plans and get it online without wasting their time over visiting MDDA. The online process has helped the MDDA staff as well. I want to make the MDDA a complete e-office in another few years to strengthen citizen-government interaction.

Earlier, my staff members were sceptical and apprehensive of handling of forged documents to get plan approvals. However, I have inculcated a sense of confidence in my subordinates and successfully rolled out the service. I am really glad to say that not even a single forged case has been surfaced in the last two years when the service was unveiled by us. Plan approvals are delivered online and the process is a boon for those living outside the State and want to apply for building plan approval.

How do you ensure that the applicants get updated about their building plan approval status?

There are a lot of stages before someone’s building plan is approved by the MDDA. The applicant is receiving SMS alerts in every stage and if there is something wrong s(he) will be updated through both the SMS and e-mail alerts.

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What are the other online projects?

The government has introduced one time settlement scheme through which those deviating from minor building bylaws can apply online for compounding fee to regularise their deviations. In this case, the applicant himself reveals his/her deviation and pay the compounding fee online according to the norms. If we find something wrong in the building plan of applicant, we take stern action against empanelled architect and even revoke his/her licence to prevent such activities.

Besides, we are also going to make Nazul government land lease process online

ALL MDDA files can’t be digitised... but we are digitising crucial building plan approval related files so that if somebody asks for his map approval documents even after hundred years, it can be made available Are you digitising government files to keep them safe in case paper-made files are destroyed in some mishap?

Do you have plan to unveil a mobile app through which people could lodge their grievances and avail other services, too?

All the files can’t be digitised because there are lakhs of files with MDDA. However, we are digitising crucial building plan approval related files so that if somebody asks for his map approval documents even after hundred years, it can be made available.

As of now, there is no plan of launching any mobile app, as our web-based ERP programme is already helping people to get online services.

We would be unveiling a mobile app soon. mGovernance services are already in place in a sense that people are getting SMS alerts about their application status.

Event

Date

Place

Vertical

July - August - September, 2015

Healthcare Summit Rajasthan

July

Jaipur

Health

Elets Port Summit

July August August

New Delhi Mumbai New Delhi

Governance Infrastructure Education

Maharashtra Cooperative Summit

August

Mumbai

BFSI

September September September

Punjab New Delhi Bhopal

Governance Governance Governance

4th Smart City

World Education Summit Knowledge Exchange

PSU Awards & Summit

Smart City Madhya Pradesh

FIPS

October - November - December, 2015

eMeghalaya Cloud Gov

Secure IT Maharashtra Knowledge Exchange eIndia

eJharkhand

World Education Summit Knowledge Exchange

School Leadership Summit eUttar Pradesh

October October October October October November November November December December December

New Delhi Shillong New Delhi Mumbai Srinagar Hyderabad Ranchi Dubai Port Blair New Delhi Lucknow

January - February - March, 2016

BFSI Leadership Summit eOdisha / Smart City eBihar

Healthcare Leaders’ Forum Secure IT

Smart City Rajasthan Knowledge Exchange

January January February February February February March

Mumbai Bhubaneswar Patna Mumbai New Delhi Jaipur Shimla

BFSI Governance Governance Governance Governance Governance Governance Education Governance Education Governance

BFSI Governance Governance Health Governance Governance Governance

Special Interview

Bhupinder Singh

MP Moves Fast on

Connectivity Highway

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet will soon pass a resolution on BharatNet and accordingly we will put it before the Government of India, says Bhupinder Singh, Minister for Information Technology, Madhya Pradesh, in an interview with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN)

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hat is the status of IT implementation in Madhya

Pradesh?

Madhya Pradesh is doing very well in the implementation of IT projects. We have already taken the decision to connect even the remotest corner of the State through IT. We will definitely connect all the villages and panchayats in Madhya Pradesh by internet to accomplish the Digital India mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by 2017.

How will you implement BharatNet in your state?

The Government of India’s initiative on BharatNet (earlier known as NOFN) is very much welcome and our State will definitely do well in its implementation. BharatNet will definitely help in implementing all projects whether it is related to health, education or to reach the remotest corner of the State with high-speed broadband connec-

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Bhupinder Singh

Gwalior and Jabalpur) to cater to the needs of the IT sector.

Apart from the State Wide Area Network (SWAN), we have the State Data Centre (SDC) for hosting and managing eGovernance applications of the State, its constituent departments and various other organisations.

We have State Service Delivery Gateway (SSDG) to fulfill the vision of providing easy and convenient services to the citizens through remote access primarily through Common Service Centres (CSCs) and enabling the State Portal by implementing the key components of the portal.

We are soon going to have two Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) schemes for Bhopal and Jabalpur, aiming at creation of

tivity. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet will soon pass a resolution on BharatNet and accordingly we will put it before the Government of India.

Through BharatNet, we will provide 100 Mbps broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats. We have a total of 23,000 panchayats across Madhya Pradesh.

What are the major initiatives of the Madhya Pradesh Government in terms of eGovernance?

There are several areas where the State has worked in terms of eGovernance. We have IT parks in four different cities (Bhopal, Indore,

Special Interview

Tell us about the Madhya Pradesh State Wide Area Network (MP-SWAN)?

In order to get financial and social benefits of IT, SWAN has been envisaged. The project is to provide bedrock of communication through voice, data and video throughout the State and is an effective tool for implementation of eGovernance projects. SWAN is to ensure the dissemination of government services and information anytime and anywhere.

It is a reliable network for vertical and horizontal connectivity throughout the State and will reduce the cost of communication between government departments at different locations.

It will also provide secure network infrastructure to enable electronic transfer of sensitive data, payments, etc., with improved capacity for

Madhya Pradesh is soon going to have two Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) schemes for Bhopal and Jabalpur, aiming at creation of world-class infrastructure for attracting investments in the Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector world-class infrastructure for attracting investments in the Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector. EMC is also one of the major pillars for achieving the vision of Digital India.

We also have MPOnline Ltd to provide citizen services at their doorstep with special emphasis on the rural community and avoid citizens’ visit to the government offices.

disaster management.

MP-SWAN is a highway of connectivity between G2G, G2C and G2B concerns providing round-the-clock connectivity of minimum 2 Mbps between 50 districts and 313 blocks/tehsils.

How do you intend to reach out to the rural areas of Madhya Pradesh?

We have around 12,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs). Our reach to the citizen is basically done in two ways: we can directly reach the citizens through internet, wherein they can use computers, laptops or tabs; and the second source is CSCs, through which we can connect to the citizens. So, in the rural areas, we have CSCs and in the urban areas we have MPOnline kiosks.

CSCs are envisaged to be a medium to improve the living standard of common man in the rural parts by enabling electronic delivery of information, knowledge, skills and services, which they need the most. CSCs are expected to reduce the time and cost involved in obtaining some of the rural services.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

25

Face to Face

Sarvesh Kaushal

Digital

Punjab at Work Punjab is in the process of developing Mobile apps for citizens to interact with the Government for availing services through their mobile phones, says Sarvesh Kaushal, Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab, in an interview with Souvik Goswami of Elets News Network (ENN)

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he Government of Punjab has been moving well towards creation of a knowledge society. What is the status of use of ICT for better delivery of government services to the citizens in the State?

The Government of Punjab is fully focused to delivery of services to its citizens in a hassle-free and time-bound manner. We have enacted the Punjab Right to Service Act, 2011, which empowers the citizens to avail the government services within the stipulated timeframe. At present, 206 services of 24 departments have been notified under this Act. These services are being delivered across the counter through ICT-enabled 161 Suvidha Centers, 500 Saanjh Kendras, 163 Fard Kendras and 22 State Transport Centers. In order to meet the strict timelines of RTS Act, backend automation of the services is very critical.

Under e-District project under the National

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e-Governance Plan (NeGP), Punjab has been in the forefront to implement electronic workflowbased service delivery for 47 high volume services of 11 departments. The State is also in the process of making these services available online through the State Portal. By the end of this year, 51 services shall be delivered with end-to-end electronic workflow and the remaining services shall be taken up in a phased manner.

What are the major eGovernance initiatives being implemented in the State of Punjab?

A new initiative is being undertaken by Punjab towards providing government services to citizens closer to their homes. By aligning the State’s vision with ‘Digital India’ programme of the Government of India, it has been decided to set up 2,174 ‘unified citizen service delivery centers’ named ‘Seva Kendras’ to deliver all government services under one roof. These ‘Sewa Kendras’ will ensure that citizens are served near their homes in a hassle-free manner with minimum waiting

time. Moreover, construction of these centers is in final stages.

In another major initiative, the State has implemented Integrated Financial management System (IFMS) project, under which all State/Districts treasuries have been made online. We have already introduced online payment transfer of pensions and scholarships directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The Department of Food and Civil Supplies has effectively used ICT tools for wheat procurement and payments to ‘arhatias’ and farmers. Under the Integrated Workflow Management System (IWDMS) project, complete functioning of the Punjab Civil Secretariat is now automated and files are being tracked electronically. For making district level functioning online, e-Office project has also been approved by the State and is currently being implemented by NIC.

What are the advantages of using Punjab State Wide Area Network (PAWAN)?

Punjab is one of the few States, where the State

Sarvesh Kaushal

Face to Face

Wide Area Network is being used extensively for the last five years. Being a dedicated state-owned network infrastructure with 193 PoPs at the State headquarters, district and block levels, it has proved a secure network for all government functioning and data sharing. PAWAN is being used as the core common ICT infrastructure of the State and has helped the State avoid creation of duplicate network infrastructure by individual departments and unnecessary financial burden on the State exchequer. Video Conferencing has now become a common practice to have day-today interactions with field offices. It is a preferred mode of communication to interact with Deputy Commissioners regularly.

e-District project envisages integrated and seamless delivery of citizen services by district administrations and participating departments. What is the status of e-District in Punjab?

1,500 offices have already been connected and training of 9,000 state officers is in progress. The entire ICT infrastructure is in final testing stage and we aim to make these services live in entire State by this year-end.

e-District project has already been successfully rolled out in two districts, i.e. Kapurthala and Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar, as part of the pilot programme. All 47 services of 11 departments

Nowadays India is witnessing a transition from eGovernance to mGovernance. What is your opinion on that and what kind of

‘The State has undertaken a new initiative for providing government services to citizens closer to their homes.

By aligning State’s vision with ‘Digital India’ programme of the Government of India, it has been decided to set up 2,174 ‘unified citizen service delivery centers’ named as ‘Sewa Kendras’ to deliver all government services under one roof are being processed electronically since 2012.

Punjab has the highest number of services in the entire country under this project. The Punjab e-District project has been awarded as the best project by Skoch Group as well as by CSI-Nihilente Governance Awards in the year 2013. Currently, the e-District project is being rolled out across the State covering. For effective implementation of the project, District e-Governance Societies (DeGS) have been formed in all the districts under the chairmanship of respective Deputy Commissioners. More than

initiatives are being implemented in Punjab with respect to mGovernance?

As already said, the State has aligned its eGovernance mission with the Digital India programme.

We have already started making full use of the Mobile Service Delivery Gateway developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Citizens are being informed about the status of their service requests through autogenerated SMSs. So far, more than 60 million messages have been sent to citizens. We are also in the

process of developing mobile apps for citizens to interact with the Government for availing services through their mobile phones. However, there will be co-existence of multiple services delivery channels across the counters in the next 10 years like, PCs/laptops and mobiles.

What is the present situation of IT industry in your State? What are your future plans to woo investors from the sector in Punjab?

Punjab has set up a Bureau of Investment Promotion acting as a single point of contact for regulatory clearances, fiscal incentives and approvals to encourage investors keen to set up IT units in the State. Some of the fiscal incentives include retention of VAT and CST by companies, and exemption of electricity duty, stamp duty and property tax.

As a key policy maker, what is your vision for Punjab in respect to delivery of government services to citizens through an effective use of ICT to improve people’s lives?

With the State moving towards a unified service delivery approach to bring about a paradigm shift in the public service delivery, I feel that without addressing end-to-end backend automation, penetration of seamless connectivity till last pillar of the government machinery and Digital empowerment of the people, true goal of e-governance cannot be achieved. Our Government has a vision to deliver all government services to its citizens in a dignified manner, for which we are committed by making best possible use of digital technology.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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Face to Face

C Lalhmachhuana

Mizoram has undertaken various projects to bring about economic growth and sustainable development in the State through adoption of ICT tools, says C Lalhmachhuana, Secretary - Information Technology, Mizoram, in an interview with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN)

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hat is the latest IT initiative in Mizoram?

We are trying to take up a project funded by the World Bank. It is worth about $10 billion and the WB has already agreed to it. We have already framed the Right to Public Service (RTPS) rules to implement the WB-aided project.

The IT Department of Mizoram has undertaken various projects since its inception to materialise the objective and vision set forth by the Government of Mizoram to bring about economic growth and sustainable development in the State through adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools.

The Department of ICT has been established as a separate Directorate from October 2008 for framing policy, planning, implementation and monitoring of Information & Communication Technologies and eGovernance projects.

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Governance Going

Digital in Mizoram What is the vision of IT Department of Mizoram?

The Government of Mizoram envisions making Mizoram the most IT-literate State in the country and a global center of excellence in IT Education and Training, Research and Development and Outsourcing Business. This vision will translate into a mission for creation of wealth, IT-led economic growth and employment generation. The State Government is committed to build citizencentric services and providing servi窶田es for the welfare and development of the society.

C Lalhmachhuana

Face to Face

The Department of Information and Communication Technology was established in the year 2008 for framing policies, planning, implementation and monitoring of ICT and eGovernance projects. The Department has a vision to use ICT to make available information and government services related to the basic needs of common people accessible to them near their locality throughout their lives through minimum procedural formalities, thereby pursuing economic development.

How did you implement NeGP projects in Mizoram?

Under the National e-Governance Plan, it was intended to bring a number of services online. We have adopted projects like eDistrict, Mizoram State Data Centre (MSDC), Mizoram State Area Wide Network (MSAWN) and State Service Delivery Gateway (SSDG).

Most of these services are provided at the district level and they serve as the primary interface between citizens and the government.

The objective is to computerise the backend workflows at the district level with appropriate Business Process Reengineering (BPR), so as to reduce the work load at the district level, ensure fast processing of cases/grievances and enable better monitoring of various government schemes.

It was also envisaged to enable efficient delivery of government services and to proactively provide a system of spreading information on the government schemes, planned developmental activities and status of current activities.

The Government of India has funded 14 states for implementing the eDistrict pilot project as the State Mission Mode Project (MMPs) under NeGP, and Mizoram is one State selected among two North-Eastern states.

Several places in Mizoram are very remotely located. How do you plan to reach out to these areas?

There are several areas in our State where there is no connectivity. But of late, with the BharatNet project, which has been initiated by the Government of India, we believe each and every corner of the State will get connected soon.

With BharatNet people could avail the broadband facility even with mobile, wifi, cable connection, etc. And I feel, in Mizoram, cable TV operators would play a major role in implementing BharatNet project.

The Government of India has funded 14 states for implementing the eDistrict pilot project as a State Mission Mode Project (MMPs) under NeGP, and Mizoram is one State selected among two North-Eastern states How will you implement BharatNet? Ironically, it’s only in Aizawl that we have proper optical fibre network connectivity of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL).

Other districts, which are connected with optical fibre, it is not reliable. Solution is very much required for Mizoram. In this backdrop, BSNL has proposed to the Mizoram Government for Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) connectivity up to the district headquarters.

We have accepted the proposal and we will sign the agreement very soon. This would be funded by the Depart of Communications (DoT).

Optical Ground Wire is a dual functioning cable. It is designed to replace the traditional static, shield and earth wires on overhead transmission lines with the added benefit of containing optical fibres, which can be used

for telecommunication purposes. OPGW is capable of withstanding the mechanical stresses applied to overhead cables by environmental factors, such as wind and ice.

This is for providing connectivity only up to the district headquarters level; for connectivity up to block headquarters, we have come to an understanding with RailTel.

What problems do you face while implementing IT projects in the State?

The main problem is capacity building and lack of awareness. Everybody can provide software, but there must be a will as well as awareness for its implementation. Citizens of the State must get the benefits of IT projects.

Then, we also face financial constraints.

And, as the NeGP has been delinked from the Centre, we don’t know what to do!

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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Corporate

Altaf Halde

the Cure for Cyber Threats With the use of Internet increasing on several devices, cyber threats are also expected to increase in the long run. Altaf Halde, Managing Director- South Asia, KasperSky Lab, in conversation with Nirmal Anshu Ranjan of Elets News Network (ENN) talks about the various solutions to get rid of these risks

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ell us something about your security solutions.

Kaspersky have been into the business of providing security for digital assets for the past 17 years. We started with the consumer security segment, and then headed towards home users, followed by small offices. After that, we stepped towards the SMB space. Having covered these three segments, now we are getting into the enterprise segment.

What mobility solutions does Kaspersky offer?

When you talk about mobile security, there are two kinds of security solutions. The first one is protection from malware for your particular mobile phone or smart phone. For instance, we have a solution which is an anti-malware on mobile and works on Android. However, from a corporate perspective, it is not only about being anti-malware. For example, if there is an employee who is getting his own personal smart phone or personal tablet, the corporate’s IT security head wants to make sure that by allowing an employee to use his personal device, he is not compromising with corporate security. That is where the mobile device management solution provides the bridge. We have a solution to address the issue of security both from malware perspective as well as mobile device management. This is a solution which can be managed to a centralised control, as it works on Android, iPhone as well as Windows.

Which are the segments you primarily cater to?

Our traditional solutions include end-point security, which talks 30

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Altaf Halde

about anti-virus in a device. So, irrespective of verticals, a virus or malware can attack any of the segments. As of now, we are quite strong in education space and are thinking of getting into the enterprise. Our focus is going to be IT/ ITeS, BFSI and government segments.

Talking about BFSI, we have specific solutions for this sector. We have seen a number of banks and financial institutions going for virtualisation. They have invested a lot of money on VMware, and we wish to protect that through our mobile device management solution. So, BFSI is the segment which we will be able to take care of with our existing solution and we are also looking at our fraud prevention solution.

Today, banks have got the best amount of security installed within the office network.

However, people also use banking on their smart phones or tablets. So, we are talking about the protection of users when they connect to banking networks. That is where our fraud prevention service comes into the picture. There are different options in which a bank or a financial institution can go, but we also have an option of having an SDK which can integrate in their existing mobile application.

It is a Software Development Kit which gets integrated into a mobile app. For instance, someone uses HSBC mobile app on his mobile phone.

The minute he connects to the internet and opens the HSBC app, Kaspersky will automatically do the scanning (if it has tied up with HSBC) before connecting him to the office network.

How has been your experience of working with the Government of India’s concerns? Do you think environment is conducive enough?

When we look at the government departments as our customer, we find it good enough.

Currently, we are into the process of getting the license from the Directorate General of Suppliers disposal to sell our product in the government domain, which is at the final stage.

We further wish to tie up with the government to provide our technical expertise. We have a MoU with Cert-In. So, whenever our researchers come across any threat that is targeted towards the Indian Government or towards the Indian portals, we share that information. Moreover, if there is anything specific with the Cert-In department, they contact us. For example, we have got a cyber security

Corporate

department where we can conduct training for the government cyber cell. We can go and tell them how to do forensics and how to look at the malware etc. In short, we are going in the right direction with the government.

Cloud is a big thing these days.

Do you offer security solutions for that as well?

Around a year ago, we did not have a Cloud solution, but now we have two of them. The first one is for the consumers, which we don’t sell them directly. We appoint a service provider for that, like Airtel or Vodafone.

These will charge subscription for end-point anti-virus security on the Cloud just as it takes charges for a ringtone on a monthly basis. We recently launched it globally. Now, we have done the first step of tying up with one service provider, who is based in Mumbai right now. The MoU is going to be released in 10-15 days time.

which comes with the maximum number of detections.

What is the next big thing at Kaspersky?

For us, protecting our users is the biggest thing.

Further, we need to sell our solutions to get

Today, there is no solution which can offer 100 per cent security.

Nonetheless, what the customer should look at is that if there is a problem, how fast the company reacts to give him a solution, and that is where we feel lies our expertise The second solution is for the SMV organisation, which says that there is no requirement to put a dedicated server or appoint a person etc.

With initiatives like Digital India, cyber threats are also set to increase. How do you react to it?

Earlier, we used to sell our solutions only to Local Area Network companies. However, now people have got several devices like tablets, smart phones etc to access internet leading to the increase of threats. Today, there is no solution which can offer 100 per cent security. Nonetheless, what the customer should look at is, if there is a problem, how fast the company reacts to give him a solution, and that is where we feel lies our expertise. We have a very strong team of researchers who are looking out for threats which are coming up. Kaspersky is one of the organisations,

into this particular space putting the money back again. Kaspersky is an organisation which develops its own solutions. For instance, other leading companies in the space first acquire a company, which makes integration a huge problem. At Kaspersky, we have developed everything on our own. Our mobile device management (MDM), data encryption, virtualisation security, system management, all are developed in house. So, what we believe is that probably developing everything ourselves makes integration much easier.

We have also got a programme called Kaspersky Kids, which we run with schools to provide newsletters or do events in schools and to talk about how to be safe with Internet. We believe in educating the users. These involve not only the corporates but also the children, who are going to be the next generation internet users.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

31

Face to Face

Raajiv Yaduvanshi

Port Blair Aspires to be a Smart City Port Blair has been proposed by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to the Government of India to be picked up for developing into a Smart City, says Raajiv Yaduvanshi, Commissionercum-Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, in conversation with Souvik Goswami of Elets News Network (ENN)

32

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Raajiv Yaduvanshi

W

hat is the mandate of the Urban Development Department in Andaman & Nicobar Administration?

The overall mandate of the Urban Development Department in A&N Administration is to deal with the activities of the sole urban local body – Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC). The Council has 18 wards at present, which is now to be extended to 24. The area of the council will increase from 17.74 Sq.Km to 41.26 Sq.Km. The delimitation exercise commenced in February 2015 and was completed on 3rd April 2015.

The Urban Development Department provides budgetary support to the Municipal Council and in turn PBMC provides basic civic amenities, such as water supply, street light, cleaning and sanitation, including management and disposal of municipal solid waste. The Council is also regulating the construction of buildings

to the Central Government. Programme and its implementation will commence shortly.

For the upgradation of slums under the centrally-sponsored schemes, the consultant carried out the survey work, and it is expected that at the ground level, work will begin after three months under the Rajiv Awas Yojana.

As per 2011 census, there are 65 persons, who are listed as homeless persons in the towns of entire UT. Recently, we have conducted a fresh survey to ascertain the exclusive details of the urban homeless in Port Blair city for planning and to construct shelter for them with basic services.

At present, there is no sewage disposal system.

A sewage disposal scheme for Port Blair town and its adjoining area has been prepared recently and we have proposed for sanction and funding to the Ministry of Urban Development.

The Andaman & Nicobar islands have a high literacy rate. In addition to this, the environment is clean and green.

With the proposed undersea cable laying, connecting mainland to the islands, Port Blair is ready for growth in the IT sector as per building by-laws and the Master Plan. The Department facilitates Municipal Council to implement centrally-funded schemes as well.

What are the various new initiatives being undertaken by the Urban Development Department?

As part of the recent initiatives, Port Blair has been proposed by the A&N Administration to the Government of India to be picked up as a Smart City. It is a Port City since British times and recently tourism has been laid emphasis on; so, it is required that a new look is given to the city. The overall impression of the tourist when they arrive is that ‘Port Blair is a Clean City, and that it should be kept up’. Under the Swachh Bharat Campaign, more community toilets are being built besides initiatives for scientific disposal of solid waste. Projects proposals worth `3.5 crore have been submitted

What according to you is the scope to create a Smart City out of Andaman & Nicobar region?

The A&N islands have a high literacy rate. In addition to this, the environment is clean and green. With the proposed undersea cable laying, connecting mainland to the islands, Port Blair is ready for growth in the IT sector. Being a tourist destination, there is tremendous scope for Port Blair to develop as a Smart City.

As one of the key policymakers, what is your vision for building smart cities in India or upgrading existing cities into smart cities?

Smart cities are an opportunity for growth of individuals and infrastructure as well as for businesses.

For building a Smart City, we have to move from micro to macro. We have to identify the ‘core competence’ of groups of people and bring them around

Face to Face

an ‘activity’ by identifying their natural intelligence and talent. It should provide ease in working, decent earnings, affordable housing and reduced time and cost of travel between home and work place.

We can build a Smart City as an extension of the existing city or building on a green field area. Existing cities can also be refurbished or re-modelled, but it is a costly option. Building a Smart City involves huge funds and the State Government cannot fund this exercise entirely.

The private sector participation is also required not only for investment, but also to build communities for a decent standard of living.

Do you see any challenge in creating smart cities?

Challenges are in terms of funding, infrastructure, physical connectivity and e-connectivity, finding market for produce/services and identifying one or more ‘core competence’ and ‘activity’, along with building from ‘micro’ to ‘macro’.

What are your thoughts with regard to bringing about more and more eGovernance in delivery of government services to the citizens?

In today’s world, living without a computer or a mobile phone is unthinkable; in fact, the mobile phone has almost become a part of the human body. An increasing number of computer applications will also come on mobile phone. In fact, many of these functions are now already available on the mobile and its usage will increase in future. That’s why, its speed, memory and battery capacity as challenges are being addressed to by the industry at a fast pace. With the available information, people are becoming more aware and conscious of their rights, leading to a rise in the expectation level of citizens from the Government in terms of quality, speed of delivery, ease of interaction and reduced cost of delivery.

As time passes by, more and more Government services are expected to be dispensed online for easy access of the citizens. With the presence of mobile and RTI Act, the citizens are expecting the services of the Government in a much faster manner. The Government will have to meet this expectation proactively through eGovernance.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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face to face

Neeraj Sahdev

Enabling Digital Initiatives

T

ell us something about your security solutions.

Kaspersky has been into the business of providing security for digital assets for the past 17 years. We started with the consumer security segment, then headed towards home users, followed by small offices. After that, we stepped towards the SMB space. Having covered these three segments, now we are getting into the enterprise segment.

What mobility solutions do you offer?

When you talk about mobile security, there are two kinds of security solutions. The first one is protection from malware for your particular mobile phone or smart phone. For instance, we have a solution which is an anti-malware on mobile and works on Android. However, from a corporate perspective, it is not only about being anti-malware. For example, if there is an employee who is getting his own personal smart phone or personal tablet, the corporate’s IT security head wants to make sure that by allowing an employee to use his personal device, he is not compromising with corporate security. That is where the mobile device management solution provides the bridge. We have a solution to address the issue of security both from malware perspective as well as mobile device management. This is a solution which can be managed to a centralised control, as it works on Android, iPhone as well as Windows.

Which are the segments you primarily cater to?

Our traditional solutions include end-point security, which talks about anti-virus in a device. So, irrespective of verticals, a virus or malware can attack any of the segments. As of now, we are quite strong in education space and are thinking of getting into the enterprise. Our focus is going to be IT/ITeS, BFSI and government segments.

Talking about BFSI, we have specific solutions for this sector.

We have seen a number of banks and financial institutions going for virtualisation. They have invested a lot of money on Vmware,

36

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Ever since the new government has taken charge, various digital initiatives have been in the limelight, roping in private players as the facilitators for implemention of these programmes. Neeraj Sahdev, General Manager & Head Wipro, tells Souvik Goswami of Elets News Network (ENN) how the corporate world, along with the government, is helping India grow digitally

Neeraj Sahdev

face to face

With initiatives like Digital India, cyber threats are also set to increase. How do you react to it?

and we wish to protect that through our mobile device management solution. So, BFSI is the segment which we will be able to take care of with our existing solution and we are also looking at our fraud prevention solution.

Today, banks have got the best amount of security installed within the office network. However, people also use banking on their smart phones or tablets. So, we are talking about the protection of users when they connect to banking networks.

That is where our fraud prevention service comes into the picture. There are different options in which a bank or a financial institution can go, but we also have an option of having an SDK which can integrate in their existing mobile application.

It is a Software Development Kit which gets integrated into a mobile app. For instance, if someone uses HSBC mobile app on his mobile phone, the minute he connects to the Internet and opens the HSBC app, KasperSky will automatically do the scanning (if it has tied up with HSBC) before connecting him to the office network.

How has been your experience of working with the Government of India’s concerns? Do you think environment is conducive enough? Would you like to suggest some regulatory changes to facilitate an MNC like you?

When we look at the government department as our customer, we find it good enough. Currently, we are into the process of getting the license from the Directorate General of Suppliers disposal to sell our product in the government domain, which is at the final stage.

We further wish to tie up with the government to provide our technical expertise. We have an MoU with Cert-n. So, whereby if our researchers come across any threat that is targetted towards the Indian government or towards

the Indian portals, we share that information.

Moreover, if there is anythig specific with the Cert-In department, they contact us. Although, there is scope for improvement. For example, we have got a cyber security department where we can conduct training for the government cyber cell. We can go and tell them how to do forensics and how to look at the malware etc. In short, we are going in the right direction with the government.

Cloud is a big thing these days.

Do you offer security solutions for that as well?

Around a year ago, we did not have a Cloud

Earlier, we used to sell our solutions only to Local Area Network companies. However, now people have got several devices like tablets, smart phones etc to access internet leading to the increase of threats. Today, there is no solution which can offer 100 per cent security.

Nonetheless, what the customer should look at is, if there is a problem, how fast the the company reacts to give him a solution, and that is where we feel lies our expertise. We have a very strong team of researchers who are looking out for threats which are coming up. KasperSky is one of the orgnaisations which comes with the maximum number of detections.

What is the next big thing at KasperSky? For us, protecting our users is the biggest thing. Further, we need to sell our solutions to get into this particular space putting the money back again. KasperSky is an organisation which develops its own solutions. For instance, if you look at Symantec, it acquires a company and thus integration becomes a huge problem. In KasperSky, we have developed

We are trying to work with the government in terms of easing things, to ensure building capacity and improvise terms and conditions while providing a conducive environment to corporates and private players to help execute the programmes solution, but now we have two of them. The first one is for the consumers, which we don’t sell them directly. We appoint a service provider for that, like Airtel or Vodafone. These will charge subscription for end point anti-virus security on the Cloud just like it takes charges for a ringtone on a monthly basis. We had recently launched it globally. Now, we have done the first step of tying up wih one service provider who is based in Mumbai right now. The MoU is going to be released in 10-15 days time.

The second solution is for the SMV organisation, which says that there is no requirement to put a dedicated server or appoint a person etc.

everything. Our mobile device management (MDM), data encryption, virtualisation security, system management, all are developed now. So, what we believe in is that we are probably developing everything ourselvses making integration much easier.

We have also got a programme called KasperSky Kids, which we run with schools to provide newsletters or do events in schools and to talk about how to be safe with Internet. We believe in educating the users. These involve not only the corporates but also the children, who are going to be the next generation Internet users.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

37

SUMMIT RAJASTHAN CONFERENCE, AWARDS & EXPO

Face to Face

G V Rao

Navi Mumbai Civic Body Goes Hi-Tech Smart Cities will make the country more technology-oriented. Keeping this thought in mind, G V Rao, Assistant Commissioner, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, in an interview with Poulami Chakraborty of Elets News Network (ENN), talks about how NMMC is planning to come up with various new IT initiatives for development

T

echnology has always played a major role in change. How has it been adopted by the NMMC ecosystem?

The Government of India has formulated the National Mission Mode Programme (NMMP) for eGovernance in Municipalities, through which the NMMC has implemented an inte-

40

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

grated eGovernance solution. We are aiming to improve operational efficiencies within the urban local bodies (ULBs) using the technology and create a better interface between citizens and the government. Also, we are able to improve our service delivery mechanism in order to achieve better information management and transparency and ensure citizen involvement in governance.

One of the best developmental activities undertaken is the introduction and implementation of Geographic Information System (GIS) for data maintenance and preservation and proper monitoring of the municipal administration. GIS is a technology adopted

by NMMC to introduce an automated service in our system. While introducing it, NMMC

got some of its staff members trained on using the new GIS-integrated platform. Currently, we are taking advantage of GIS to identify and link up with property and water tax systems.

At NMMC, 90 per cent of the ULB functions are technology-aided, not just for day-to-day transaction processing of citizen services, but majorly for higher-level analytic and diagnostic purposes. The NMMC eGovernance application is based on open standard and open source technologies built with latest technology.

With the recent announcement of Smart City projects across the country by the Prime Minister, what major projects have been taken up or are in the pipeline of NMMC? In the urban planning field, smartness in smart growth is treated as a normative claim and ideological dimension. Being smarter entails

G V Rao

strategic directions. Governments and public agencies at all levels are embracing the notion of smartness to distinguish their new policies, strategies and programmes for targeting sustainable development, sound economic growth and better quality of life for their citizens.

There are some initiatives undertaken/ proposed by NMMC like CCTV surveillance system for crime detection and traffic control, geo-referencing survey of tree census and cloud-based road traffic automation solution, among others. NMMC is also planning to develop a cloud-based application that processes traffic-relevant data. The solution will analyse the sensor data transmitted by traffic guidance systems at intersecting roads and makes them available in almost real time.

How has technology been exploited by NMMC to ensure better safety and security within its jurisdiction?

NMMC has provided city surveillance system for the safety and security of citizens. Under the project, 27 signal locations are provided with four fixed and one PTZ camera. This has given an extra eye to police for crime detection and traffic control.

All busy locations like railway station, market places and bus stops are provided with sufficient number of cameras to monitor minute-to-minute activity at all places. All seven entry/exit points to Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation area are provided with required number of cameras. At Vashi Entry Point, we have provided Number Plate Recognition Software in all cameras. City surveillance constitutes of 268 cameras with feeds terminating at the Police Commissioner’s office, where these are recorded and monitored. We have also provided a storage capacity of 30 days for all cameras. Police departments have videofeed related to more than 500 crimes, of which 300 have been resolved.

What have been the challenges while implementing IT in its project for Tier II and Tier III cities?

Several ULBs lack the basic framework required for smart governance. Fortunately, NMMC has crossed this benchmark long ago. As part of our eGov Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation, most of the limiting factors have been addressed. Given the varied nature

Face to Face

What according to you are the benchmarks for Smart city under NMMC?

of civic functions handled by the local bodies and non-availability of acceptable level of prerequisites, such as good connectivity (both digital & physical), poor IT infrastructure, nonadherence to best processes, non-compliance to reform measures, absence of skilled man-power, the Smart City concept may take a longer time to fructify in Tier II and Tier III cities.

Are there any upcoming projects which will contribute to PM’s mandate for Smart Cities in Maharashtra?

NMMC has been the forerunner in adapting innovative solutions for urban governance.

Building of Smart Cities is a process rather than a static outcome. Increased citizen engagement, hard infrastructure, social capital and digital technologies make cities more livable, resilient and respond better to challenges.

While many cities have big ideas, a few of these have the big resources needed to make them reality. NMMC is fortunate to have these resources to undertake new initiatives, both financially and technologically aided by the mandate of the management team.

Even as normal and structured data is not yet collected for benchmarking, NMMC plans to benchmark its activities vis-à-vis others in critical performance indicator such as public safety, energy conservation, technology investments, crime control, social infrastructure management. NMMC has already taken performance-based measures to keep tabs on its projects. It has recently invested in Business Intelligence Software realising that analytics is one of the digital underpinnings of a smart city.

Another aspect that we cannot miss

There are a number of initiatives undertaken/ proposed by NMMC like CCTV surveillance system for crime detection and traffic control, georeferencing survey of tree census and cloud-based road traffic automation solution, among others Many of the key features of PM’s 100 Smart City projects have already been implemented. These include data centre, smart street lighting system, automatic traffic signal, better public transport facility, mobile and quick accident relief, etc. The extensive use of GIS-based software applications has streamlined key civic functions. Now, NMMC is embarking on next-level smart functions such as intelligent transport management, IP-based city surveillance, GIS-based asset management, smart phone-based citizen delivery systems, EMRI, digital public library, GIS-based election voter ID systems, facial identity management for public safety and nabbing criminals.

is citizen engagement platform as a vital benchmark for smart governance. It is essential to recruit assistance and input from all stakeholder groups before, during and after smart city initiatives. Be it the council members, corporators, bureaucrats, line personnel or the back-end support team, very soon all stakeholders led by citizens will have app-driven mode of engagement with NMMC. As an initial beginning, android tablets have been distributed to key stakeholders and new plans are being made for developing smart app for citizens for numerous delivery services.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

41

feature

Akhilesh Mittal

MEMORY for

Transparency In one of its kind e-initiative endeavours, the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has launched MEMORY-My Exam My Online Review, which enables students take a review of the exams they appear at from the comfort of their homes, writes Akhilesh Mittal

MEMORY — My Exam My Online Review — software has been designed and developed in such a manner that after completion of the online exam, candidates can view start-to-end automatic action replay of their exam

I

n order to safeguard the interests of the citizens of the State, the main objective of every recruitment authority of the government is to adopt transparency for each and every process at each level.

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has been taking e-initiatives since 2011 and regularly upgrading itself with latest technology and innovations, so that demands for services and solutions can be made available to all, with transparency.

Unlike in online exams, candidate of offline examinations have the advantage to take home the question paper and carbon copy of OMR sheet. In online exams, candidates feel lack of transparency as neither question paper nor OMR copy is in their hands, leaving them with lots of questions and doubts. For example, candidates could have doubts, like why negative marking was done when they didn’t even attempt those specific questions, or some questions were out of syllabus, etc.

For the last few years, RPSC had been trying to find some innovative solutions for such

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egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

problems for online examination, so that candidates can see the answers they give. Finally, the Commission has come up with a system, developed by an Associate Online Examination Consultant that takes care of the candidates’ concerns.

MEMORY — My Exam My Online Review — software has been designed and developed

in such a manner that after completion of online examinations, candidates can view start-to-end automatic action replay of their examinations on the RPSC website.

The software runs on windows platforms, with the size of software being less than 150kb only in unzipped form. In addition to that, this software has ensured highest security and 24x7 availability across geographies. The Commission has kept simultaneous login limits for three candidates. They can log in with the allotted roll numbers and OTP as a password, which would be received on the candidate’s registered mobile number.

The MEMORY will take candidates through all actions and activities executed by them during the examination period and the time spent on the examination screen. With this innovative move, RPSC has taken online examinations to the next level.

(The author is Joint Director - System Analyst, Department of Information Technology, Govt of Rajasthan, Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Ajmer.)

Presented By:

ke-goa 2015

21st - 23rd May, 2015

Goa Calling...

They came, they saw and they returned convinced. This precisely is the outcome of the ‘Elets Knowledge Exchange-Goa 2015 Summit’, which saw a large number of prospective IT investors coming to explore possibilities in the State and the benefits the Government of Goa has to offer them. A re-look at the KE-Goa event

G

oa – the tourism destination of India – was witness to a different kind of pageant last month. In its pursuit to transform the State into an IT hub, the Information Technology Department, Government of Goa, in association with Elets Technomedia, organised “Elets Knowledge Exchange-Goa 2015 Summit” on May 22-23, 2015.

An august gathering of nearly 500 distinguished guests, including top lawmakers, government officials from within and outside Goa, industry captains and other stakeholders from the IT domain, along with a large number of delegates, added grace to the occasion.

The event served well to highlight why present-day Goa has an edge over most other states in terms of a peaceful and business-conducive atmosphere and availability of trained manpower. It also turned out to be the right platform for exchange of views and experiences by key stakeholders active in the fields of Governance and Urban Development – with special focus on Smart Cities, Education, Health and BFSI. The State Government also chose the occasion to release its Draft IT Policy, which was unveiled by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa,

44

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Shri Laxmikant Parsekar. The Chief Minister recounted the advantages of setting up businesses in the State and the huge incentives his Government intends to offer to those setting up their units there. He went on to add that Goa will be the next IT hub that India will talk about.

Outlining the achievements in the field of IT, Chief Minister Parsekar said Goa has successfully accomplished broadband connectivity in all village panchayats, schools and other local services. “We have promoted IT in education and students are being provided with tablets and other high-tech devices,” he added.

The event was also graced by the Hon’ble Union Railway Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu, who called for making Goa the new type of CIT (Communication Information Technology) industry. The Railway Minister in his valedictory speech called upon the IT sector to make Goa the investment destination of the country. “The State has been known for Tourism, but now it should also be known as an IT hub,” he said. He also added that Goa is the right place to make investments.

Hailing the Draft IT Policy, the Railways Minister appreciated the efforts being made by the Goa Government to promote IT sector, which would create jobs for youth and growth

for people of the State in general. “The IT sector needs to grow further to match the global standards. The Indian students and workforce are rated much better than those of other parts of the world,” Prabhu underlined.

The two-day meet was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Goa Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Francis D’souza, and the Chief Secretary of Goa, Shri R K Srivastava. The Chief Secretary opined that the State has moved past the first phase of IT development and it is now moving towards the next phase.

“The Government has already announced several incentives for the IT sector and it is the time for IT industry to come forward and invest in Goa,” he said, adding that the State will also focus on creation of smart communities along with Smart Cities.

The Principal Secretary - IT, Government of Goa, Shri Arun Goyal, reiterated in his welcome address that Goa is the first State in the country to provide internet to all village panchayats and local bodies.

The Hon’ble Governor of Goa, Smt. Mridula Sinha, graced the award distribution ceremony that recognised various eGovernance initiatives across the country. The conference also dwelt at length on the issues of Financial Inclusion, Smart City and e-Health.

ke-goa 2015

Let’s raise a CIT pe of new ty nication u (Comm Technology) as n o i t a ate h Inform Goa. The St , but n yi rism industr nown for Tou known as been k ould also be place to ht sh now it b and the rig ts. u en an IT h ake investm m ilway nion Ra U e l b ’ — Hon Minister, abhu resh Pr u S i r h S

We have ully d essf roadban e c c u s illag r ed b plish y in all v nd othe o m o acc ectivit ools a plan t ia. h conn yats, sc Now, we n of Ind a tio se … h panc services destina s to tho re. e T l e loca oa the I incentiv stries h a, r G u e d Go e f mak e will of their in ister of W ng up f Min ekar i sett ble Chie nt Pars n’ ika — Ho ri Laxm Sh

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Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar, arrives at the ‘Elets Goa Knowledge Exchange 2015’ venue.

The Chief Minister shares the dais with other dignitaries before formally launching the Draft IT Investment Policy of the State.

Key speakers pose for a group photograph at the start of the session.

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R K Srivastava, Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary-IT, Government of Goa

A view of the delegates all ears to the key speakers.

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A group photo of the speakers for ‘Innovations in Healthcare’ session.

Arun Goyal, Principal Secretary-IT, Government of Goa

Raajiv Yaduvanshi, Commissioner-cumSecretary, Department of Urban Development, Andaman & Nicobar Administration

Speakers pose for a photograph at the end of the session.

Speakers of the ‘Importance of PSUs in Nation Building and Role of IT in PSUs’ session stand up for a photograph.

Shri Rajendra Arlekar, Hon’ble Speaker, Goa Legislative Assembly

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Key speakers take the dais to start the first session of ‘Elets Goa Knowledge Exchange 2015’.

Subhash Phal Dessai, Chairman, Info Tech Corporation Goa Ltd

Key speakers sit on the dais ahead of the session ‘Financial Inclusion and Role of Technology for Delivery of Banking and Financial Services.’

Speakers take the dais ahead of the session ‘eGovernance in India: Best & Next Practices and Importance of Capacity Building.

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Anand Bhagvatula, Head-Sales, State Government, Sify Technologies Ltd

Rajeev Vaishnav, Vice President, NASSCOM

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Speakers pose for a group photograph with their mementoes.

Mr Sathpathy addresses the gathering.

Speakers sit on the dais during the session ‘An era of mGovernance’.

Shilpa Shinde, Secretary/Director IT, Government of Goa

Distinguished guests get photographed after receiving mementos.

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Excellence Welcomed!

Chief Minister of Goa Shri Laxmikant Y Parsekar presents a memento to Hon’ble Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu.

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1. Deepak Srivastava, CVO with MCL Vigilance Secretariat, receives the award for IT Security Implementation by a PSU. 2. Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education bagged the award for Government Initiatives in ICT in Education. Radha Chary of Learning Links Foundation and Bani Dhawan of Education Outreach Program, Google India received the award.

Government Initiative in Healthcare for his organisation.

4. Dr R N Behera, Sr Technical Director of NIC, Odisha, receives the award for G2G Project of the Year from Governor Mridula Sinha.

5. Anand Bhagavatula and Jaiprakash Pherwani of Sify Technologies Ltd receive the award for G2B Project of the Year from Goa Governor Ms Mridula Sinha.

6. Mridula Sinha, Governor of Goa

3. Haryana NIC Scientist Rahul Jain receives the award for

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When The World Talks Education...

21 - 22

August 2015, New Delhi

Come, be a part of 5th World Education Summit to

Meet, Discuss and Disseminate Knowledge World Education Summit 2015 organised by digitalLearning magazine aims to build a strong community around all the stakeholders of education, providing various business and networking opportunities for clients, partners and education leaders of both school and higher education. With rapidly changing dynamics of education, WES provides an ideal platform to all the stakeholders to come together and deliberate, discuss and explore the horizon.

World Education Conference: The conference would be a unique platform for sharing of

knowledge, challenges, ideas and best practices among the stakeholders in the domain of education. Bureaucrats, tecnocrats, academicians, industry personnel and civil society members along with education experts, senior leaders and management teams of various schools, foreign education representatives , practitioners, business leaders would all benefit through the thought provoking sessions, workshops and round table discussions etc. The conference would have three parallel tracks:

School Education Track

Higher Education Track

Skills & Vocational Education Track

World Education Awards 2015 Rewards the best practices and projects in School Education Higher Education Government Sector Initiatives Private Sector Initiatives Start-up Award Non-Government Sector Initiative in Education Skills And Vocational Education For more details on categories: http://wes.eletsonline.com/2015/award-categories/

World Education Expo The two day Exhibition will attract more than 200 stakeholders from government bodies, private sector, NGO’s and educational institutions. The Exhibition would put the spotlight on education sector. WES 2015 will have ample space for Edupreneurs– global or national to showcase their education technologies, new ideas & innovation and best teaching learning practices..

Generate tremendous business leads Drive brand promotions Network with third party vendors, partners & channel Maximize brand visibility For Programme details contact: Seema Gupta, seema@elets.in, 08860651643 For Sponsorship/ Expo details contact: Fahim Haq, fahim@elets.in, 08860651632

Organisers

Powered by

Partner Publications

SPoNSorS@WES 2015

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1. Awardees at the ‘Elets Knowledge Exchange-Goa 2015 Summit’ pose for a group photograph with the Governor of Goa, Ms Mridula Sinha.

2. S Saboora Beevi, District Coordinator of Akshaya, Kerala, receives the award for Usage of ICT in Rural Development.

3. Sidhesh Parab, Deputy Director, Department of IT, Government

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of Goa, receives the award for Governance Project in Goa. 4. Chetan Mehta of Food & Drugs Control Administration (Gujarat) receives the award for Innovation in Governance.

5. Parag Kachhawa, ACP (Dy Director), DoIT&C, and Shilpi Patni Project Officer, NeGD under DoIT&C, Rajasthan receive the award for G2C Project of the Year.

6. Telangana Consumer Affairs, Food & Civil Supplies Dept Commissioner Dr Rajat Kumar gets the award for G2C Project of the Year.

7. ICICI Bank Ltd was awarded for Most Innovative ICT Implementation. Ashish Saxena of the Bank receives the award.

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1. Dr Manish J Fancy, Chief District Health Officer, and Dr Raj B Sutariya, Medical Officer, Sabarkantha District, receive the award for Government Initiative in Healthcare.

2. Md Tarik, Zonal Manager - North, and Rajiv Matharu, Enterprise Sales Manager - West, of GI Technology Pvt Ltd receive the award for Best Prepaid Card Programme.

3. Prof Sudulai Muthu, Asst Professor - School of Computing Sciences of Hindustan University, receives the award for Private Sector Initiatives in Education.

4. Kaustubh Dhavse, OSD to Maharashtra Chief Minister, receives the award for e-Governance Initiative of the Year from the Goa Governor.

5. MPOnline Ltd COO Satnam Singh Sethi and Business Analyst Rameez Khan received the award for e-Governance Initiative of the Year.

6. IDBI Bank Ltd was awarded for Financial Inclusion Initiative of the Year. DGM of the Bank Dhirendra Kumar receives award from the Governor.

7. Munish Chandan, Sr ConsultantSEMT Technology Management, DoIT of J&K Government, receives award for Best Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Initiative.

8. Md Akbar Wani, CEO, J&K eGovernance Agency, receives the award for Usage of ICT in Urban Development.

9. –Shilpa Apte of Nextenders (India) Pvt Ltd receives the award for G2B Project of the Year.

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1. Rajasthan NIC scientists I D Variyani and Shekhar Shukla receive the award for G2C Project of the Year.

2. Utpal Das, Chief Manager, Union Bank of India – Goa, receives award for the organisation for Multi-Channel Payments Solution from the Goa Governor.

3. Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary & Commissioner of Industries, Government of Telangana, receives the award for G2G Project of the Year.

3. Manoj M Mani of UST Global receives the award for Best Use of Mobile Technology from the Governor.

4. K P Pariselvan, NIC Technical Director (Tamil Nadu), receives the award for Innovation in Governance from the Governor.

5. NPCI’s Product & Brand Manager - Sales and Marketing Aseem Chaturvedi and Manager Rajesh Dangwani receive the award for Access to Banking and Financial Services.

6. Dr Harsha Parikh, Medical Director of SAL Hospital, receives award for Best Multi-Speciality Hospital of the Year from the Goa Governor.

7. Branch Operation Manager of Dhanlaxmi Bank Rahul Kalegore receives the award for Best Use of IT in Retail Banking from Goa Governor Ms Mridula Sinha.

8. Malagari Govardhan Reddy receives award on behalf of Aarogyasri Health Care Trust for Government Initiative in Healthcare.

9. Anand Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor N C Patel receives the award for G2C Project of the Year from the Governor.

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Pro-Industry IT Policy Laxmikant Y Parsekar, Chief Minister, Goa

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e have rolled out the Draft IT Policy and it will be open for discussions and suggestions.

We plan to come out with the final IT policy in a month’s time. Having checked up IT policies of various states, we have tried to give maximum benefits to the investors.

Goa is a State that is modern and forward looking. It invites investments and offers opportunities for IT and ITeS. It is a modern state with highly impressive achievements in socio-economic and information technology.

The Government of Goa is deeply concerned about effective utilisation of Information Technology for promoting good governance, facilitating service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in decision making, and making the

governance system people-friendly, transparent and accountable.

The Government is unveiling its IT investment policy with a special focus on

setting up a strong base of IT/ITeS and EMC hub in Goa. It is an ideal destination for IT investment owing to its non-polluting nature.

Attractive policy, along with excellent rail, air and road connectivity, would be a great help to the IT sector. The Government of Goa also plans to make the State mostpreferred destination for investors, which would lead to further growth of the IT sector.

We are determined to create a world-class IT infrastructure in the State.

The Government is looking to promote the Animation, Visual Effects, Games and Comics (AVGC) industry, as it is a potential sector to attract IT/ITeS. We are looking to promote a modern, clean and Green Goa. We believe that investment would also create huge employment opportunities in the State.

‘CIT’ Transforming Lives Suresh Prabhu, Union Railway Minister

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ne of the major initiatives that the Government of India has taken up is ‘Digital India’. This is going to transform our society. Just imagine that every person in India has a digital identity, everyone with a unique identity would have a different type of a system, through which he could operate using its digital capabilities. Imagine what would happen in the country in next few years time!

Therefore, ‘Digital India’ is a great idea in itself. IT could play a significant role in changing the way we live, the way we do business and our lifestyle, thus completely transforming our thinking itself.

Probably, it is not just about IT, rather I would like to call it a CIT (Communication and Information Technology) event, as nowadays integration of communication technology and information technology is so very necessary. So, today, when we talk about transformation, we should try to see how we can use CIT in an effective way.

We even talk about geospatial technology, wherein CIT plays a very significant role.

Goa has to be the right destination for the

next generation of IT development. Globally, spending in IT industry happens two times: one, when economy is growing because one has to invest into IT to get its advantages, and second, when economy is going down, because one has to do cost cutting. But today, bottoming

up of the economy is happening so much that companies have to cut not only the cost, but also in IT expenditure. I am sure biggest market for IT in the next few years will be India, which will also push the other sectors to a great extent.

So, let’s invest into IT lavishly.

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Business-friendly Environment Rajendra Arlekar Speaker-Goa Legislative Assembly

Goa Awaits IT Investment Subhash Phal Dessai MLA & Chairman, Info Tech Corporation of Goa Ltd

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here were some obstacles in the State for last few years that hampered development of industries. But now, I am sure that the new government has created an environment, which is most conducive for the growth of industry. Today, many industrialists want to set up their businesses in the State of Goa. We assure that the State will offer an environment that would be highly congenial for the growth of IT and ITeS sector, if they set up their base in Goa. We are in the process of making Goa Assembly paperless, and I proudly underline the fact that our Chief Minister is determined to bring investment and IT business to Goa.

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t is a matter of great pleasure for us that an investor’s forum is taking place in Goa. This is a tiny and beautiful State, and we have scarcity of land. However, even then we can produce around 2,000 IT passouts. Most of the IT-trained youths have to move out of the State for getting jobs despite the fact that Goa has an immense IT potential and creativity.

Every government office of Goa is connected with high-speed connectivity and each and every village has such an infrastructure, which helps citizens access information and services.

If any investor is desirous of investing and setting up his business in Goa, the Goans will always welcome him. We are now looking for good investors and better investments in the State, and we would offer all the incentives that they can avail in any other state in the country.

Goa in Forefront of IT Adoption Arun Goyal Principal Secretary-IT, Government of Goa

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e feel proud to host ‘Elets Knowledge Exchange-Goa 2015’ summit in association with Elets Technomedia, that has earlier hosted a number of such events, focusing on IT, ICT and use of technology across sectors in the country. I feel that the timing of the event is apt, when the whole nation is focusing on Digital India programme, launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to transform India into a digitally and socially empowered economy.

Goa has always been in the forefront in adoption of IT across all verticals. It is the first State to have provided broadband connectivity to all village panchayats and local bodies. More than 500 schools and colleges already have broadband connectivity. IT sector in Goa has been given the further push under leadership of Hon’ble CM of Goa. We are strengthening our IT infrastructure by providing video conferencing facilities at various

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levels and more IT-enabled services with focus on digitisation. We want to promote investments in all industries.

The draft IT investment policy has been formulated under the guidance of Hon’ble CM Shri Laxmikant Y Parsekhar, and we hope that Goa will emerge as an IT investment destination in the coming days..

Power

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Panjim – A Potential Smart City R K Srivastava, Chief Secretary, Government of Goa

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t’s a thought to ponder over that about six million lives are lost in India every year because of insanitary conditions, poor quality of water supply and lack of hygiene. The Smart City concept we are talking about is very easy to develop in a green field situation, which creates, if not world-class, at least satisfactory level of infrastructure. Roads, transportation, water supply, sewerage system - everything should become smart. But, what do we mean by smart? If there is a power supply, it should be available 24*7 and must be quality power. When we say that the water should be 24*7 available, it means it should be potable. And when we talk of bills, these should be paid online.

In a green field situation, we can develop smart cities, but the challenges are mostly

unforeseen. We cannot even fathom the problems that the citizens are facing. There is immigration, creation of illegal colonies, unauthorised clubs, lack of sewerage facility, roads and social infrastructure and much more.

We have proposed Panjim city to the

Government of India to be taken up as a Smart City in the first phase, because in any case it will qualify, as it is the State’s capital, a city on the coastline and a city of tourism importance. We are aiming to get some of the projects on PPP mode or on viability gap funding. The Ministry of Urban Development has already drafted a guideline, which is available on their website and will be finalised shortly. It will pave way for picking up the projects. The municipalities and cities will have to compete at the national level, as far as projects are concerned. And, once the project is finalised by the government, they will decide the mode of funding these.

We hope that the challenges which are faced by all of us in urban management are addressed, and the IT solutions will come to help solve many problems..

‘Aadhaar’, Foundation of Digital India Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Deputy Director General, UIDAI, Mumbai

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adhar’ is set to evolve into the ‘Aadhaar’ of Digital India. The idea behind bringing in Aadhaar card for citizens, even when they have plethora of other ID cards like Pan Card, Voter ID Card, Ration Card etc, is to establish a centralised authenticated ID proof for any individual, which is crucial for him/her for migrating to another state for job or livelihood. When one fails to establish his authenticated identity, he gets excluded from his entitlements and rights, thus dividing the community into two different worlds - one, those with ID, and the other without ID. Bringing in the right scenario, only few months back till our Hon’ble Prime Minister announced the Jan-Dhan Yojana, only 40 per cent of the total population of the nation had bank accounts, because there was hardly any demand for it, as people did not have a valid ID proof.

Through allocation of Aadhaar ID proof to the residents of the country, we also de-duplicate individual ID components of an individual,

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guaranteeing that there is no match found of one individual. UIDAI in a way provides a onetime nationally verifiable unique identification number to all residents of the country. Aadhaar in a way cleans up the database with its

uniqueness, assuring of no duplicates and no fakes. For example, it is proven and clear to all of us that the number of ration card holders in any state is more than the population of that state, implying evidences of fake and duplication.

Moreover, Adhaar ID proof is one ID document which ensures an individual’s genetic code in form of a 12-digit number, unlike other ID cards like PAN which is linked to the Income Tax account, or any other, which ensures any form of entitlement.

Today, the number of Aadhaar cards issued in the country is more than 85 crore, which is far more than the population of North America and entire Europe. It’s a matter of pride that we have the largest biometric database in the world, with the second largest biometric database with FBI, the USA with only 10 crore biometric database.

Also, we daily enrol over 15 lakh people in our database and then match these database with the database of existing 85 crore people within 24 hours, which is itself a robust amount of task done on daily basis.

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Industry Seeks Govt Clarity Anand Ramamoorthy, Director, Consumption Sales, Intel India

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he concept Digital India has two distinct flavours, of which one is a continuous acceleration, amplification of ongoing expansion plans. When the PM announced umbrella ‘Digital India’

programme last year, it gave an extra impetus to direction and vision. The second flavour, which is distinctly interesting for industry partners, is the idea of very specific, well-defined, improved substantial transformation projects like ‘Smart City’.

When we talk about smart cities specific to verticals like water management, waste management, etc., it renders a clear idea about the project, because the industry needs clarity.

If you give the industry a problem statement, unless you define it well, it becomes very difficult for them to execute.

One of the biggest challenges or opportunities is the nine pillars of Digital India — the nine broad areas that the Government of India plans to digitise, budgetise and expand in the coming five years. My experience, when I meet secretaries and chief ministers of states, has been that of lack of clarity on who is going to put fronts together.

For example, recently, Intel worked closely

with the Chhattisgarh Government’s nodal agencies, where we have done some distribution of devices that helps in giving instruction and education. I believe that there should be some sort of tracking in case of these devices; not with the intent of privacy intuition, but with the idea of tracking how these whole devices are used.

We worked with some of the key mobile device software solution partners and were happy to find that these devices had some good quality content and are extremely price competitive, given the fact that governments and states have very limited budget. After the intense ground research on these devices, we are given this feedback that the students are able to grow their skills, they are now employable.

Another major hint by the industry is the ecosystem management, because the government conceives any policy with a lot of good intent behind it, but it gets critical unless it is determined on how it gets the policy executed.

Heading Towards Cloud Anand Bhagvatula, Head-Sales, State Government, Sify Technologies Ltd

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ify is the original Internet pioneer and one of the leading Indian providers of cloud and SaaS services in the country. We have long been partners in the technology infrastructure of the government and have done substantial work in various government departments across different states.

Sify cloud platform has a variety of services for the government departments, and now, we have launched a new version of our cloud services for the state data centres. We have designed this platform indigenously. We are the first cloud service providers to have received the SSAE 16 SOC 2 accreditation.

Sify has bagged projects in five states that include MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Meghalaya. We have the public and private cloud models, and hybrid cloud, and now we are moving towards the cloud federation.

In addition to the cloud service, we are also offering Unified IT as a service to the different government departments. We simplify the IT provisioning and management, ensure centralised and consolidated IT infrastructure for various government departments, improve the infrastructure utilisation and faster and dynamic scalability of applications. Recently, we partnered with a state data center’s cloud-based platform and now we have 23 department applications in Madhya Pradesh, which is especially for education, health, police and other areas of government applications by the state. We also have e-procurement solutions, along with a robust application to execute the same for any state. We have successfully deployed it in Maharashtra and have 67 departments on board. These are some of the new areas of focus at Sify in the government.

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Cyber Attacks - Threat to Mankind Sanjay Sahay, Additional Director General, Karnataka Police

C Need to Spread IT Awareness MVV Prasada Rao Director, CBSE

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ost of us know that IT has revolutionised every aspect of life these days, especially the field of education, where it is playing a very significant role. Right from classroom teaching to the examination system, information technology is playing a very important role, but we should also discuss the negative aspects of IT. There are both positive as well as negative aspects of implementing the information technology. Unfortunately, most of the children seem more inclined towards its negative side. So, it needs to be checked before we move any further. There must be some kind of training for the teachers and also the stakeholders, including the students, on how IT can be effectively used in their learning and teaching processes.

As for CBSE, lots of IT initiatives have been undertaken in almost all the fields right from the schools up to the examination level.

For instance, recently we introduced the onscreen marking scheme also, i.e. evaluation of papers is done on the screen itself by the teachers. Then, we have vocational education and especially skill education very much linked to IT, because the learning of the skill education through IT becomes very easy.

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yber security space will be the first public-private-partnership enterprise where the technology, expertise, policies and standards have to complement each other. Cyber security remains the biggest emerging threat to mankind. Even as we have found innumerable ways and means to get over threats, in the digital world we are now facing newer threats.

We have had three phases of intrusive, disruptive and destructive attacks. The elements of cyber security includes internal security, external security, rogue state, cyber security, money laundering and beyond that we have the state and non-state stake players.

We have neither done any gap analysis nor a resource analysis or a detailed project report.

But we hope that we will resolve most of our problems through partnership.

In Karnataka, we have software in the police department and we have our own ERP, networking and data centre. We are moving towards a world where information cannot be hidden and there will be people, who will rip open all the confidentiality and privacy that

the government enjoys across the globe. So, it’s time we took up the challenge and faced it head-on. Cloud is also creating security challenges and the government should be aware of the end-to-end architecture of the cloud to ensure required measures.

More than 80 per cent of the cyber security instances occur due to human error. The other challenges include end-users not thinking before clicking, weak password, patch management and a huge network of growing cyber underworld in each country that needs to be under surveillance.

Scaling New Heights with IT Ranjan Choudhury, Principal, Programme Development, National Skill Development Corporation

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he challenge of developing skills among 150 million people across the country is our mandate. The only way to do it is to make extensive use of technology - Digital and Information Technology. We are looking at IT enablement in terms of assessment. A lot of trainings are happening through simulators and we also have a specific vertical within the NSDC, which caters to innovations. There are more than 10 projects that we have when it comes to innovations and most of it are using IT. We are working with an organisation called AVR Edge that is at the moment working

on a digital employment exchange based on artificial intelligence.

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IT Driving Himachal Education Balbir Tegta, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education

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imachal Pradesh has won several IT-related awards at the national level. It is an IT-savvy State, and probably one of the few states in the country, which is in a big way deploying IT applications with respect to e-governance and education sector, among others.

In the School Education Board, we have introduced several IT initiatives for the last two years. We have introduced online applications for registration of students for

entrance interviews and exams. We have also digitised old records to provide facility to pass-outs who want to take their registration, certificate and other records from the Board.

We want to introduce more transparency and bring efficiency, since IT as a tool helps in increasing efficiency, bringing more transparency and providing better services.

Himachal Pradesh has 17,000 educational institutions, around 90 colleges and five universities. For a population of 65 lakh in

IT, a Tool to Effect Changes

‘e’ in eGovernance Under Debate

B N Satapathy Senior Advisor, NITI Ayog, Government of India

Kaustubh Dhavse, Officer on Special Duty, Chief Minister’s Office, Government of Maharashtra

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nformation technology pervades all sectors of economy in the 12th Five Year Plan period following adequate emphasis of IT. At NITI Ayog, we are trying to evolve various models where IT could impact economy, society and make transformational changes.

We have been implementing the UID scheme, which is one of the mega schemes of the government. In addition to that, in the Union Budget 2015-16, two new schemes have been announced: Atal Innovation Mission, and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation Scheme. Both plans have IT as the lever and they will bring about, as the name of NITI suggests, transformation in the way innovation is done, in a way self employment is created in this country. Apart from that, the Government of India has already announced a mega initiative in the ‘Digital India’ programme. There are nine pillars of this initiative, with one of the most important pillar being the initiative taken for good governance using the applications of IT.

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the State, we have around 16,000 villages and for every village we have a school.

That’s a tremendous growth and expansion that has taken place in the sector of education in the State.

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f one benchmarks us globally considering the vibrancy of our nation, differences in languages and non-standardisation across states that exist, given the fact that we are the youngest nation on this planet, we have been fairly successful. There is a lot that we have to achieve. We are at an important turn of the history.

The ‘e’ in eGovernance is constantly being debated as to whether it is ‘eliminated’ or ‘electronic’. When the Prime Minister talks about minimum government, maximum governance, there is an absolute way across administrative heads in the states in order to curb, curtail and reduce the difficulty in the services that we offer and the practices and the policies that we employ.

However, there are some key challenges that constantly compare us with other sectors, especially when it comes to scale and reliability. eGovernance is not just about converting manual processes by just placing computers, it’s a fundamental transformation, internal change, discipline, reorganisation and a basic strategic framework formulation.

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Digital Payment Services for All Shashank M Joshi, Managing Director, MoneyOnMobile

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here is a strong penetration of IT in India. Technology is one such thing which brings disruption, and disruptions are taking place in India. However, this will take the country forward in terms of payments, financial services, financial inclusion and the likes. Technology will surely make a huge difference in the lives of people.

MoneyOnMobile is essentially a mobile payment company offering mobile wallets to the consumer. Looking at the Indian consumers, there is a trend that we are moving from feature phones to smart phones. However, there is still 60 per cent of country’s population that uses the feature phones and we have done innovations on technology using SMS, so that the common man can have the convenience and solve their problems. Recently, we have enabled a service called Mobile Money Order, which is an instant

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Banks can’t Do without IT Kamlesh Sevak, Assistant General Manager-CISO, Risk Management Department, Bank of India

T transfer of money to beneficiary’s bank account on a single SMS and that is the latest change we have brought in.

Financial inclusion is one of the subjects that is close to our heart and we have been participating in it since the time of Financial Inclusion & Payment Services (FIPS) 2013.

Elets is growing and is widening its footprint.

It has done a great job and should continue doing the same.

he banking sector is moving very fast and India holds fifth rank in terms of banking operations.

It is expected that this sector will come to the third rank in 2020. Since it is a rapidly increasing industry, IT companies can do many things without banks, but banks cannot do without IT.

e-Transaction is the Future Ashish Saxena, CMS Product Head, ICICI Bank

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owadays, eGovernance is a vast project and we specialise in making electronic collections or electronic payment modules, along with e-banking or e-trending solutions. There are a few small corporations that do not have a system of their own. So, to migrate towards the electronic solutions is a real challenge for them.

In such a situation, we offer solutions like EasyPay, where the entire database can be ported in our portal and users can access it.

Be they customer of any bank, they can make payments of bills, water tax, property tax, etc. We have offered the payment gateway

products, along with aggregator models, in which net banking models of various banks are incorporated. It is a ready-to-use platform where the data can be uploaded, and a user of any particular organisation can use it to make payments and update records.

Further, we figured out that though the trending solution had gone live online, the banking part remained manual in nature.

People were still coming to the banks to deposit DDs or storing those, which could hamper the confidentiality factor. So, three years back, we also started e-trending as a solution.

We do the refund processing also through payment gateway as well as RTGS and NEFT, and ensure that there is no need for a client to come on a bank portal, further offering ease to their work. The good part is that we are live in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana, and some of the major corporations like Pune Municipal Corporation, Nasik Municipal Corporation and Nuclear Power Corporation. We also ensure that the solution is flexible to incorporate the underlying need of a corporation.

The Bank of India has a number of products to cater to the needs of the entire segment. We have also taken care of the fact that comfort of the customer has not lost its sight while developing these products. In addition, we are observing that most of the security areas are also taken care of from both bank’s side as well as customer’s side, so that the latter do not find themselves in troubled spot. They should not suffer losing their hard-earned money just because of a few security flaws.

Elets Technomedia’s activities are very noble and people from a large number of domains are associated with it. Many IT companies are also taking part actively as various government departments are also involved, including various sponsors, hosts, etc. So, this is a good initiative, which will create visibility and offer an opportunity for knowledge sharing among all the communities that are interested in this area.

July 2015 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

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event report

ke goa 2015

Time for Tech-Aided Exams Nagendran Sunderarajan, Executive Vice President, Merit Trac

I

ndia is one of the fastest growing Internet populations in the world with 190 million users, out of which 40 million Indians are online every day. The country is embarking into the technology world connecting most of the villages. Moreover, there are huge e-Governance initiatives coming in from various states and the central government.

Accordingly, we require recruitment of right resources for e-Governance. The exams that are held for recruitments face various issues. For instance, printed question papers get leaked and impersonations take place during the exam. The result processing is also one of the areas where technology has to penetrate. A large number of

organisations have adopted technologies like online applications, bringing in transparency and accountability. Computer-based tests and biometric authentication of the candidate while he/she is writing an exam are also different ways technology is being used to avoid forgeries. But there are challenges to overcome.

We should think of the ways how technology can optimise and improvise the ways exams are conducted and how there is no need to move the paper-pen process into the computer-based mode. Further, candidates’ convenience is one of the priorities all over the world. So, one can adopt multiple-batch exams, which is followed worldwide and can bring in security and ensure accuracy as

well. Technology is a tool and if we can use it effectively, there are going to be a lot of benefits and the departments would be having lot more opportunities to use it better.

CCTVs Monitoring a Must IT’s Here, Gautam Garodia, Chief Executive Officer, Com-Sur IT’s There

C

CTV is just the beginning.

People generally think that deploying CCTVs solves all the problems, but are they aware whether the camera is working or not? Keeping the analytics in mind, people generally spend a lot of money, but these are not much useful. A CCTV comprises of two things one is real time surveillance and the other is post-facto surveillance. In real time surveillance, it is difficult to see things at a small place, and most importantly, even in commanding control centres, there is video blindness. In about 19-20 minutes, a person becomes 45 per cent video blind and in less than 44 minutes, he becomes 90 per cent video blind.

However, with our technology, we suggest that we make it easy to do the post-facto surveillance. The data collected in the last 24 hours can be given in two hours via an efficient fast forward. The only necessary thing about putting up a CCTV is that one should not forget it after installation.

Currently, in one of the cases that took place in the Petroleum Ministry,

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egov / egov.eletsonline.com / July 2015

Rajeev Vaishnav, Vice President, Nasscomm

P the person taking care of the CCTV was himself involved in the crime. So, whenever the thieves used to enter, he would switch off the camera. If there had been someone to check the same as a standard operating procedure, then the reason behind switching off the camera would have been found out. Hence, review is also extremely important. If observed carefully, it will be found that whenever a theft takes place, the trend is that the thieves steal even the recorder and the hard disk. Now, how can one get the video to solve the crime? So, of course CCTV is a must, but along with that steps required after its installation are also needed to be executed.

reviously, manufacturing was looked upon as a separate vertical without any strong association with technology. But now any vertical we talk about - be it healthcare, education, entertainment, automobile, manufacturing or any other - IT is playing an amazing role in terms of improving efficiency and productivity. So, the role of technology has improved a lot over the last couple of years.

Technology space is very dynamic and it is expected that every 18 months, there will be a new technology knocking at the door. So, we have to be very agile in our approach and therefore it’s an opportunity as well as a challenge.

N o w , companies are gearing up to bring change into their delivery models and the ways to make sure that they remain relevant.

So, something very unique is happening and this phase has seen the kind of shift which is very defining for the industry.