eGov October 2016

OCTOBER 2016

VOLUME 12 n ISSUE 10

COVER STORY

SPECIAL FEATURES

34 TECHNOLOGY PROTECTING STAKEHOLDERS IN DBT SCHEME

36 KTR’S MISSION HYDERABAD AS INDIA’S SILICON VALLEY

Equipped with Conducive Policies Jharkhand Eyes Domestic and Foreign Investments

40 KARNATAKA OPTS FOR BIOMETRICS TO CHECK PDS LEAKAGES

RAGHUBAR DAS Chief Minister Jharkhand

RAJ BALA VERMA

SUNIL KUMAR BARNWAL

KAUSHLENDRA KUMAR SINHA

Chief Secretary Govt. of Jharkhand

Secretary-IT Govt. of Jharkhand

CEO JAP-IT

E-CITY: GUJARAT’S WAY OF CONNECTING GOVERNANCE WITH CITIZENS

LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA COPS REACHING OUT TO CITIZENS

53 UMESH PRASAD SAH Director-IT Govt. of Jharkhand

ATUL BARVE

SWAMINATHAN V

Addl Chief Secretary Department of Finance Govt. of Jharkhand

Branch Banking Head East & Executive VP HDFC Bank

Senior Executive Vice President Kotak Mahindra Bank

A SREENIVAS

AJAY DEEP SINGH

ARUN KR SINGH

Managing Director HARTRON

Managing Director UPDESCO

Principal Secretary Urban Development Govt. of Jharkhand

AMIT KHARE

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

LINKING GOVERNMENT TO CITIZENS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

PRASHANT KUMAR

DR MAHESH GUPTA

Ranchi Municipal Commissioner

Chairman Kent RO Systems Ltd

AJOY KR SINGH Secretary Higher, Technical Education Govt. of Jharkhand

EDITORIAL

eJharkhand for Digital Jharkhand

harkhand is on the growth path.

The state, situated in the eastern part of the country is on the move under the new leadership. Known for its natural resources base, Jharkhand is also striving to be the best in the country in terms of IT investment. With conducive investment climate, Jharkhand has already gained momentum in this vision. By 2020, Jharkhand aspires to be the ICTEC (Information, Communication, Technology, Electronics & Cyber) led Knowledge Hub. In line with the state government’s vision, Elets Technomedia is proud to organize 2nd eJharkhand Conference in Ranchi on 4th October 2016. The aim of this conference is to see participation of key stakeholders from various sectors such as IT, Smart City, Aadhaar, PSUs to discuss and deliberate on the future growth path of Jharkhand’s success story. A special edition of eGov, Asia & Middle East’s premier magazine on IICT for governance is launched during the conference. This issue has highlighted visionary thoughts of the key policymakers from various departments of the Jharkhand government establishment, as well as highlighted the opinion of industry leaders from across India. Apart from that, eGov’s this special issue has also tried to focus on various state government’s initiatives on the use of ICT & eGovernance for good governance. Success stories from Haryana, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh have been featured in this issue. We, through conferences, publications & knowledge portals, have been trying to spread message of good governance through eGovernance since more than a decade across India & abroad. Elets 2nd eJharkhand 2016 Conference & the special issue of eGov is another attempt to that. Hope you will like reading this edition of eGov, as much as we have liked and enjoyed working for it.

Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

Email at subscription@elets.in to get previous issues

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

OCTOBER ~ 2016 VOLUME 12 n ISSUE 10 ASIA’S FIRST MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON E-GOVERNANCE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta

CONFERENCE | AWARDS | EXPO

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Raghubar Das Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Chief Minister Government of Jharkhand

Shri C P Singh

Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Minister Urban Development, Housing & Transport Government of Jharkhand

COVER STORY

Equipped with Conducive Policies

Jharkhand Eyes Domestic and Foreign Investments Jharkhand is on the growth path. The state, situated in the eastern part of the country is on the move under the new leadership. Known for its natural resources base, Jharkhand is also striving to be the best in the country in terms of IT investment. With conducive investment climate, Jharkhand has already gained momentum in this vision. By 2020, Jharkhand aspires to be the ICTEC (Information, Communication, Technology, Electronics & Cyber) led Knowledge Hub. Writes Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN)

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

COVER STORY

he Centre has ranked Jharkhand as the number three state as far as ease of doing business is concerned. Jharkhand, now, under the leadership of Chief Minister Raghubar Das is all set to get the number one ranking in ease of doing business in India. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry has ranked Jharkhand, last year, 3rd among Indian states in business reforms implementation. With several new policies in hand, the state government has launched a massive road show across India and even abroad to woo investors to come in the state and do business. “The new policies which have been framed by our government for across sectors are the best progressive policies in the country because these have been made after benchmarking the policies of other states and a few other countries. So, I see high potential for investors in these sectors. We have already earmarked 177 acre of land for mega IT park in the capital city of Ranchi. We have also earmarked IT park in Jamsedpur. There are software technology park setup at Deoghar, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Bokaro,” said Jharkhand IT Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal. The state government has also chalked out for a massive global networking platform cum investors’ summit in February in Ranchi. The summit ‘Momentum Jharkhand-The Investment Destination” to be held in February 16-17, would invite leaders of several countries and prominent global business leaders. This is a first of its kind Summit planned in Jharkhand which will witness participation from business heads, academicians and thought leaders from around the globe.

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

l Jharkhand – holding 40% of

the country’s natural mineral reserves – is the backbone of the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ mission Jharkhand ranks 3rd among Indian states in business reforms implementation Jharkhand’s GSDP grew at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2005 to 2015 – making it Eastern India’s second fastest growing economy Digital Jharkhand: Jharkhand is the first state in India to have state wide area network (SWAN) under the National e-Governance Plan Human Resource Hub: The state is home to several premier institutes like XLRI and NIT Jamshedpur, IIM Ranchi, Indian School of Mines Dhanbad, BIT Mesra, etc.

So far the government has held fruitful road shows in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata. In Mumbai, on the sidelines of the maiden

Jharkhand Investment Promotion Board (JIPB) meet in July, the state government received 27 investment proposals worth Rs 1 lakh crore across the focus sectors, besides the critical areas of education, healthcare and skilling. Of course, from the September 20 roadshow in Mumbai, the government is expecting Rs 60-70,000 crore investment opportunities including investment in power and cement plants. “We have vast scope for mineral and mines based industries. We are all prepared to attract investors in Jharkhand. We are giving special opportunities as well as incentives for the investors. We have created land banks so that the investors don’t face any problem as far as land requirement is concerned. We are expecting that investors from Indian and across the globe would definitely come and invest in the beautiful state of Jharkhand,” said Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma. In fact, from its road shows in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi too, Jharkhand government is expecting crores of investment opportunities. During the road shows, Jharkhand Government signed some crucial agreements with global corporations like CISCO and Oracle to impart skilling to prepare for the technology leveraged future. Two MoUs were also signed with global technology major Hewlett Packard for e-healthcare and tele-education respectively, apart from a MoU with cement giant ACC Ltd. towards capacity expansion. The road shows have greatly helped in strengthening the state’s networks with Indian enterprises, especially in the MSME sector, critical to ‘Make in Jharkhand’. Interestingly, the government has launched industry friendly policies on Information Technology & IT Enabled Services (IT/ITeS), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Start-up (best startup policy among seven leading states in terms of ecosystem incentives), Electronic Systems Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), Automobile and Auto Components (best in class incentives for OEMs and ancillaries) and Textiles & Footwear. “We have given special incentives under all these policies. In startups policy we have given opportunities to the young entrepreneurs. We have given special importance on the handholding and mentoring of the young entrepreneurs,” said the Chief Secretary. Following the fact that Jharkhand is lagging behind in Higher Education and Skill & Technical sector, the government has also prepared a

COVER STORY

blueprint to overcome difficulties in these two vital sectors. As far as Textiles & Footwear sector is concerned, Jharkhand has abundant raw materials and silk along with the presence of a good number of quality handloom weavers and looms. “We have also adequate skilled manpower at real Ranked 1 st Labour reforms and

l l l

inspection related compliances in India. Leading producer of steel, coal, mica and copper in India (1 st rank in coal, 2 nd rank in Iron Ore, Apatite Rock phosphate, Cobalt, Silver Ore and 3 rd rank in Copper, Graphite). Man days lost due to industrial strife lowest in India; long history of industrial harmony. Ranked 5 th Foreign Direct Investment (FDI destination in India) Industrial Corridor connecting Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur forming a 6 lane Golden Triangle. 15 National Highways (NH) pass through the state. Setting up of Wi-Fi campuses and Digital library in all universities. Setting up of 50 mega Skill Development Centres.

Interestingly, the government has launched industry friendly policies on Information Technology & IT Enabled Services (IT/ ITeS), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Start-up, Electronic Systems Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), Automobile and Auto Components (best in class incentives for OEMs and ancillaries) and Textiles & Footwear sonable price. Several incentives under Jharkhand Industrial Park Policy 2015 are also applicable to textile sector. We have also decided to train more than 20 lakhs people in the next five years in skill sectors. We are opening new colleges and universities in our state…In the last six months only, we have opened three new private universities where Amity and Pragyan are included,” said Verma. Literally, the roadshows have also been able to attract investors towards Jharkhand. “The talk with the CM was positive. I have explored opportunities for wheel and auto hub in Jamshedpur,” said Harsh Goenka, a business tycoon who wants to invest in Jharkhand. Likewise, Hitesh Mehta, co-founder of Gameveda-Gaming Culture, is also enthusiastic to do business in Jharkhand. “It’s a good opportunity. The state has several investment friendly policies. As far as fresh entrepreneurs are concerned, the government

is also giving array of incentives,” said Mehta. The business opportunities in Jharkhand have attracted people from cross sections of the society. Renowned fashion designer and politician, Shaina NC, who made a courtesy call to Chief Minister Raghbar Das during his Mumbai roadshow programme has also been attracted towards Jharkhand. “Under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister, the state has been progressing. There are opportunities everywhere and in all sectors in Jharkhand,” said Shaina. During its roadshows abroad, the government has also decided to target the Indian Diaspora of Jharkhand and Bihar to come and explore opportunities in the state. “We will reach to the Indian Diaspora of Bihar and Jharkhand. We will appeal to them to come and invest in Jharkhand,” said IT Secretary Barnwal.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

EXCLUSIVE / RAGHUBAR DAS

Jharkhand Set to Emerge as

Investment Hub Jharkhand will organise a Global Investment Summit in February 2017 to invite investors in the state. For this 45 ambassadors of foreign embassies have been contacted to draw investment. There is an overwhelming response, said Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das in an exclusive interaction with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN)

ow would you describe Jharkhand as a fast growing State and what makes it a perfect destination for investment? Jharkhand is a land of unlimited opportunities and one of the richest states in the country. There is a huge opportunity for investment in all sectors including education, health, IT & Industries, agriculture, food processing, tourism etc. Our government has simplified all our acts and policies, and created an investorsfriendly environment in last one-and-a-half year tenure. Our economy is fast growing and offering new vistas of opportunities. Therefore, we are inviting national and international companies in our State to work in an exceptionally congenial business climate. So far, we have drafted around 10 new policies to respond to investors concerns in the last one year. For IT and Startup Policy, the efforts

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

RAGHUBAR DAS \ EXCLUSIVE

are on and recently an advisory board meeting was held in Mumbai. The policy will be ready over a period of one month. Our emphasis has been on creating policies, which keeps benefits of investors at the top priority. Information Technology is a game changer and it can bridge the gap between the government and citizens. IT implementation is one of the key focus areas for the government and we are trying to cover each department. Under Right to Service Act, 154 government services are being offered online to the citizens. The Act ensures strict timelines and follow-ups.

What are the top priorities of the Jharkhand Government? Our top priority has been Gaon, Gareeb and Kisan (villages, poor and farmers). We believe that economy of our State will grow only when we will be able to ensure basic amenities such as education, health, water, and roads for people of the State. We are making sincere efforts to ensure aforementioned facilities are available at every nook and corner of the State. We want to digitally literate at least one member of each family in the State. Therefore our government has rolled out e-Sakshar scheme. We are also planning to adopt e-Learning in the State, as there is shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities in remote areas. It will help students from far-flung areas connect with the professors of all subjects worldwide through internet. Align with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are implementing the schemes like Digital India, Smart City Mission, Standup India, Startup India, Make in India, Swachh Bharat Mission etc. in our State. The State Government has set aside fund of `25 crore for Startup India scheme to promote entrepreneurship and encourage young talent to establish their Startups with the support of Government so that they can develop their own software in home state and run business.

Elaborate on the status of School and Higher Education in Jharkhand and how does your government seek to enhance the quality of education? The use of latest technology has made education easier. In this techno-savvy era, the role of teachers has metamorphosed from guide to facilitator. Now the time has come to change the

scenario and the roots of primary or secondary education should be strengthened.

School Education The Government intends to improve the quality of education through teachers’ training and by encouraging skill-oriented education. We are doing Capacity building of over 1 lakh teachers across schools in the State. Our Literacy Rate is very close to the national average. Literacy Rate of 7+ yrs age-group students in the State is 67.6 per cent against the national average – 73 per cent while Literacy Rate of 15+ yrs age-group students in the State is 67.6 per cent against the national average – 69.3 per cent. Total Schools of Primary and Upper Primary education in the State are 43,219. However, as per national guidelines total number of schools should be 11,91,719.

approx 37.9 lakh which is expected to touch 42.6 lakh by 2022. We have total 13 Universities – 7 Private, and 6 State, and total institutions/colleges 442. Additional colleges will be required to meet the State’s GER vision and meet national density of 26 colleges per lakh population 692. Presently, we have 16 Engineering Colleges and 32 Polytechnic Institutes in the State. Additional 26 Engineering Colleges need to be opened to achieve national density of 1 per 7.7 lakh. Meanwhile, additional 80 Polytechnics Institutes will be required to achieve national density of 1 per 3 lakh. We are opening new private universities as per the notified guidelines. Recently, three private universities – Amity, AISECT and Pragyan have been given clearances to set up their institutions.

Information Technology is a game changer and it can bridge the gap between the government and citizens. IT implementation is one of the key focus areas for the government We are trying to reduce the student-teacher ratio in primary and secondary education from 53:1 to 30:1. We are also establishing more Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) schools to reduce girl dropout. The Government has opened 57 Jharkhand Balika Awasiya Vidyalayas in remote blocks keeping in mind the Quality Education in low literacy and tribal dominated blocks. For imparting quality education, the State Government has given the responsibility of running 89 government schools to DAV group and 29 tribal schools under Welfare Department to Shishu Vidya Mandir.

Higher Education The Government is making all out efforts to improve Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education track. It is currently 13.1 against the national average 23. The Government has set the target of 32 to achieve by 2022. The GER is low because there are very less number of educational institutes in the State. The population of 18-23 age-group people is

We have also initiated enabling Wi-Fi campuses for college/institutions to promote ICTbased education. In the era of global economy and education & technology, the world scenario is changing rapidly. Now students can connect worldwide with any university of repute through internet. Private universities have played a pivotal role in this metamorphosis which resulted quality enhancement of vocational education. We are inviting private partners to establish Vocational Centres within school premises for robust ICT intervention in curriculum delivery, content design, smart classes for wider audience reach. We are also setting up Language Labs for building effective communication skills amongst students.

What has been done for the Skill Development by the Government and how will it contribute to the growth of State’s economy? Skill Development is another focus of the Jharkhand Government and Government

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

EXCLUSIVE / RAGHUBAR DAS

of India. This is for the first time after independence that a Prime Minister showed his concern about providing employment to the unemployed youth of ‘under-rated’ State. Over the years, the degree holders have increased but they could not get right set of skills to get employment in the cut-throat competition age. The Government of Jharkhand has decided to impart skills and train around 20 lakh youth over a period of five years in the sectors like Agriculture & Animal Husbandry, Industry and MSME, Health, Paramedics, Infrastructure, Road and Transport, Tourism, Power and Utilities, Water and Environment and Banking and Financial services. Skilling will create a robust ecosystem which will nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship and enhance employability of learners. We are in the process of setting up of 50 Mega Skill Development Centres. We are inviting private players for partnership to build Skill Development Centres in existing academic institutions (Higher, Technical and ITI institutions).

setup Centre of Excellence (COEs) in the State. Siemens is planning to invest Rs 1,200 crore in all technical institutes and want to establish 3 COEs. The Government has to pay just 15 per cent for improving quality in Technical Education. Similarly, PTC has proposed to invest `120 crore in Skill Development and Technical Education, which will require 15 per cent state contribution.

Our top priority has been Gaon, Gareeb and Kisan (villages, poor and farmers). We believe that economy of our State will grow only when we will be able to ensure basic amenities for people of the State Besides, we have taken significant steps for Skill Development and announced in the recent budget that skill education will be incorporated in the syllabus of class 9th and 10th. Our objective is to skill the students at a tender age so that they do not face hardship in getting jobs after their professional studies. It will orient them for sell-employment and they can apply for loan under MUDRA scheme of Government to set up their establishment. Industry – Academia tie-up Recently, the State Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CISCO and Oracle as a step towards industry academia tie-up and course integration in Jharkhand. We have signed MoUs with premier institutes and global companies to impart skills to youth and for expansion of IT sector. The State Government has also received proposals from Siemens, PTC and Samsung to

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

The government is committed to provide supportive ambiance for investment in the state.

How do you plan to ensure development in Maoist-affected region of the State? Around the Maoist-affected region, we have heightened the security and are ensuring development works to create awareness among the people. We have also improved our Surrender Policy and urged the naxalites to join mainstream. As a result, hundreds of naxalites surrendered and availed benefits of the government policy. Our Government is educating the people living in such areas and carrying out development works.

How do you perceive the Good and Service Tax (GST)? Better late than never, the Good and Service Tax (GST) Bill has been recently passed by

the Rajya Sabha, which was a historic moment since independence. The dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ‘One Tax, One Nation’ has been realised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. It is in favour of the investors as well as citizens of the nation.

The Government of Jharkhand appears preparing for Global Investment Summit 2017. What is the vision and how has been the response so far? Nearly 40 per cent of the natural resources of the country are found in the state of Jharkhand. Since natural resources are for the welfare of public, the State Government is of the view that the people of not only Jharkhand but also worldwide should be benefitted with the natural resources here. We believe in the fact that ‘World is One Family’. Jharkhand’s resources are not just for the state’s development but also for shared benefits across borders. We have organised Roadshows and Investment Summits in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi and will organise in foreign cities. Jharkhand is amongst the first states to unveil 24x7 power to all roadmap. We are setting up a Power Plant in Gunda and maximum power will be supplied to Bangladesh. To eradicate poverty from India and rest of the world, we will have to grow economically. It will only lead to economic development. Keeping that in mind, we will organise a Global Investment Summit in February 2017 in Jharkhand to invite investors. We have also met 45 ambassadors of foreign embassies to attract investment. We are getting overwhelming response out of this campaign.

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SPECIAL INTERVIEW / RAJ BALA VERMA

Jharkhand Eyes Top Spot as

Investment Hub

What is your strategy for the development of Jharkhand?

We want to see Jharkhand amongst the top developed states in India. And I believe that industrial investment is a major necessity to bring such development. That is why we are trying to get more and more investors in our state. Jharkhand is rich in minerals and human resources, I believe, it is one such state that will attract investors not only from India but across the globe. Jharkhand has vast industrial and physical infrastructure.We are focused in providing a friendly business environment and necessary infrastructure for the industries to establish and expand.

Jharkhand government is working progressively on higher education and skill development sector. It’s a fact that we are lagging in these two sectors but under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister we are trying to overcome the problems. We are hopeful of progressing in higher education and skill development sector. Our government will give skill development training to more than 20 lakh people in the next five years, says Jharkhand Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma in an exclusive Tete-a-tete with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN)

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

RAJ BALA VERMA \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

You have initiated road shows called Momentum Jharkhand. How is the response? To attract investors in Jharkhand, we have done road shows in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. We are getting good responses from all the road shows. We have received several proposals. We have already signed MoU with the several private companies. Through our road show in Mumbai, we have signed four MoUs in health sector and in IT sector we have signed three MoUs. We have launched six policies as well and created good investment policies. The state government is also working in the right direction. With 40 percent mineral resources, I think, Jharkhand is prepared in the investment sectors and it is the best state as far as investment opportunities are concerned. Several forward looking policies added with state government’s attractive investment climate, offers a stable and promising platform for industries to establish and grow.

In Mumbai you have launched six policies on six different sectors.

neurs. We have given special importance on the handholding and mentoring of the young entrepreneurs. As far as Textiles & Footwear Policy is concerned, we have abundant raw materials and silk along with presence of a good number of quality handloom weavers and looms. We also have adequate skilled manpower at reasonable price. Several incentives under Jharkhand

State government will give skill development training to more than 20 lakh people in the next five years. We are opening new colleges and universities in our state. In the last six months, we have opened three new private universities What are the characteristics of these policies? In Mumbai we have launched policies on Information Technology & IT Enabled Services (IT/ ITeS), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Start-up (best start-up policy among seven leading states in terms of ecosystem incentives), Electronic Systems Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), Automobile and Auto Components (best in class incentives for OEMs and ancillaries) and Textiles & Footwear. We have given special incentives under all these six policies. In startups policy we have given opportunities to the young entrepre-

Industrial Park Policy 2015 are also applicable to textile sector.

Jharkhand is lagging behind many states in higher education and skill sector. What is your take on this? It’s true, higher education and skill are the two major sectors, and we are really concerned with. It’s a fact that we are behind in these two sectors but under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister we are trying to overcome the problems and take the state ahead in higher education and skill development sector. I am happy to inform you

that our state government will give skill development training to more than 20 lakh people in the next five years. We are opening new colleges and universities in our state. In the last six months, we have opened three new private universities which includes Amity and Pragyan.

In February, you are doing Investors Summit at Ranchi. What are your expectations from such Summit? We are all prepared to attract investors in Jharkhand. As I have told you earlier, we are giving special opportunities as well as incentives for the investors. We have created land banks so that the investors don’t face any problem as far as land requirement is concerned. We are expecting that investors from Indian and across the globe would definitely come and invest in the beautiful state of Jharkhand. We have vast scope for mineral and mines based industries. In fact, we have already started getting good response in these two sectors. As far as Mumbai road show is concerned, we are expecting `60-70,000 crore investment opportunities including investment in power and cement plants.

What according to you at present is the biggest challenge for Jharkhand? Getting investors in itself is a very big challenge. But we are prepared with proper strategy and planning. We believe that with the support of everybody we can overcome this challenge. To attract new investments, it is crucial for a state to communicate to the business fraternity.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / SUNIL KUMAR BARNWAL

Jharkhand Set to be

the New IT Hub Growth of Information Technology and industrial advancement are the two key factors essential for the development of Jharkhand. Government of Jharkhand is keen to amalgamate with domestic and international investors and the above mentioned factors will help us in doing that, says Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Secretary, Department Information Technology & eGovernance, Government of Jharkhand, in conversation with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Network (ENN)

ou have commenced various road shows across India and abroad. What are your expectations from these road shows?

We have started a massive road show programme highlighting Jharkhand. We have conducted road shows in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. We have been getting good response from such road shows .We also getting participations from foreign embassies. We have plans to visit USA, South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand for commencing road shows.The objective behind taking the road shows abroad is getting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for Jharkhand. FDI’s can pan across various sectors like minerals, steel, power, automobile and IT-ITeS sectors. We will also approach Indian diaspora of Jharkhand and Bihar and invite them to our global investors’ summit scheduled to be held at Ranchi on 16-17 February. Frankly speaking, the entire investment for promotion of the road shows is supported by strong policy framework. We have launched six industry and investment friendly policies at the Mumbai road show. These policies with their strong implementation guidelines are going to create huge positive environment. It is known to all that Jharkhand as a state is very apt for

egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

SUNIL KUMAR BARNWAL \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

doing business. Jharkhand has been ranked 3rd in ease of doing business in the country. Like our earlier performances, in 2016 also we have escalated a lot in terms of business.

What response you have received as of now? Responses are very much enthusiastic and positive. I am sure these domestic as well as international road shows are going to create a good and positive ambience in the state.This will attract more and more investors to come and invest in Jharkhand. Road shows will act as a strong catalyst in the development of State and improving the condition of people in Jharkhand. We believe industrial advancement and inflow of various labour intensive industries like textile, IT-ITes, will create huge employment opportunities. There has been a pretty good response on skill development and we have signed up MoUs with some of the reputed companies. This will help the populace of Jharkhand in sharpening their skill set and get jobs in the State itself.

What are your plans on organizing road shows abroad?

sicso, we will go to New York where our Chief Minister will address the diaspora of Bihar and Jharkhand. In the month of October starting from 22-28 this year, we will be in China, Korea, and Japan. There also we will be focusing on infrastructure sector, mineral based industries and automobile industries. In Japan we will also look at many other sectors like medium industries and food pro-

We believe industrial advancement and inflow of various labour intensive industries like textile, IT-ITeS, will create huge employment opportunities. There has been a pretty good response on skill development We have started foreign road shows from September 26, 2016 with tour to USA. A delegation is under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand and we will be attending International mine expo in Las Vegas. In this meeting we will interact with mines equipment manufacturers following the fact that Jharkhand is a major customer for most of the mining equipments. Similarly in San Fransicso, we will meet many of the IT-ITeS companies, where we are expecting the presence of a lot of participants from the Indian origin. These participants from Indian origin can look at Jharkhand from the perspective of setting up startups and IT-ITes companies’ .Then from San Fran-

cessing industries. We will go to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. We are also planning a tour to Middle East before the global investors’ summit in February this year.

of Ranchi. We have also allocated an IT park in Jamshedpur. There are software technology parks setup at Deoghar, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Bokaro. The new polices will also give huge incentives for the IT companies if they operate from Jharkhand. The new BPO policy also gives an opportunity to set up BPOs or expand BPos in the State.

With such a huge task ahead, no doubt you will face many challenges. How will you deal with those challenges? The biggest challenge was resolving the issues within the government. And I tell you in the last 20-months under the leadership of the Hon’ble Chief Minister we have removed a large number of issues. This is how we got third rank in ease of doing businesses. On problems like immediate availability of land, costs of land, forestry clearances, our government has been working for the last few months and we have been able to resolve some of them very effectively.

Why is Jharkhand concerned about IT and Industry sector?

What will be your take from 2nd e-Jharkhand conference scheduled to be held on October 4 at Ranchi?

For the IT and ITeS sector there is a huge potential in Jharkhand. The new polices which have been launched by our government for the IT sector are the best progressive policies in the country. These policies are framed after benchmarking the policies of various states and nations. So, I see high potential for investors in these sectors. We have already earmarked 177 acre of land for mega IT Park in the capital city

Through 2nd e-Jharkhand event, we are targeting to take advantage of our policies. We would like to invite companies from ESDM, IT-ITeS as well as BPO industries. We are trying to create a startup eco system in the state through this summit. e- Jharkand is one such platform where government and industry leaders can meet and share ideas very affectively.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / K K SINHA

JAP-IT Paving Way

in Jharkhand Transformation Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of Information Technology, the nodal agency and prime mover to propel IT growth and implement IT and e-Governance projects in the State, has been established to accelerate growth of IT and implement the State Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies in the IT sector, explains Kaushlendra Kumar Sinha, Chief Executive Officer, Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of IT (JAP-IT) in conversation with Shivani Tyagi of Elets News Network (ENN)

hat was the drive behind establishing JAP-IT and what objectives it is mandated to achieve?

JAP-IT was established according to the guidelines of Government of India by the Department of IT & e-Governance, Government of Jharkhand. It was established as society registered under the Societies Registration Act 21, 1860 on 29th March 2004. The primary objective of JAP-IT is to administer implementation of e-Governance projects for overall benefit of citizens, public and government. Some of its other objectives include providing IT inputs to government departments/ agencies and assisting them in computerisation and networking and assisting government department in introducing e-Governance in their operations.It is also expected to co-ordinate with investors and industry, trade organisations

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K K SINHA \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

and financial institutions in public and private sector so as to promote growth in the IT sector. Facilitating Human Resource Development in the field of IT in the Government and use of Hindi language in IT-related projects besides undertaking any other function(s) as may be assigned by the State Government are also some other objectives JAP-IT is expected to meet.

Share with us the basic functioning of this organisation. The business of the organisation as per its aims and objectives are managed and carried out by the Board of Directors. The Board of directors comprise Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Raghubar Das as Chairman, Government of Jharkhand’s Minister in charge of Information Technology as Vice Chairman, Chief Secretary, Secretary, Department of Information Technology and e-Gov, Secretary, Department of Finance, Secretary, Department of Industries, Director/Joint Secretary, Department of Information Technology are its members. The list of members also include three members of the Society, elected by the General Body, who are known for their contributions in the fields of IT, Industry Human Resource and Social/ Infrastructure Department and Chief Executive Officer, JAP-IT and Chief Executive Officer, JAP-IT. Since 2013 JAP-IT has become a selfsustaining organisation.

How does JAP- IT initiate government projects? Government projects are initiated by JAP-IT in two different ways. Firstly, Department/ offices themselves approach JAP-IT to assist in IT enablement of process or function in their department/office being the nodal agency for implementation of IT and IT enabled services. Secondly, JAP IT also contacts various departments/offices to identify the scope of IT in the functional domain of the Department. Thereafter the proposal is submitted by JAP IT to respective department/offices and thus the projects are initiated.

How do you view IT Sector’s significance in influencing the Jharkhand government’s endeavour to transform it The Government of Jharkhand is committed to provide Simple, Moral, Accountable, Efficient and Transparent (SMART) Governance.

CM Dashboard’s (approved by Cabinet) objectives include: l Provide advisory Services to CM Secretariat l Design, Develop and prepare a State vision plan document for industrial and physical infrastructure, incorporating all the sectors being identified and selected by GOJ as key sector l Provide vision implementation assistance and develop monitoring systems l Design and implementation of CM dashboard management system.

e-Office: (Approved by Cabinet) Government of Jharkhand envisaged integrated e-Office project to develop integrated next generation IT platform to enhance office productivity and streamlining internal processes associated with service delivery to end-users. Major Government Process Re-engineering project based on GoGreen concept.

Digital Live Smart Class The DLSC is a comprehensive project for enhanced learning experience for students by the use of ICT. The main

objective of the project is to cross geographical barriers and provide education/ training to different locations at same time for it to be beneficial for poor and downtrodden students in remote areas of Jharkhand.

e-Vidhan Government of Jharkhand envisaged to integrate e-Vidhan project to develop integrated next generation IT platform to enhance productivity and streamlining internal processes associated with service delivery to end-users and Vidhan Sabha Members.

Unified Data Repository (UDR) Unified Data Repository is envisioned to be Government repository of schemes and department related data with specific focus on beneficiaries and citizen receiving government benefits across the State. UDR will serve as an integrated storage and analytical data platform for each and every department, thereby presenting a holistic service delivery mechanism. Data analytics will be an important service atop UDR and will present a comprehensive reporting engine for flexible detailed and user defined reports.

The Government of Jharkhand, recognising the impressive growth of the IT sector in the country, has resolved to make Jharkhand an IT powerhouse and a front-runner in the information revolution. The government considers IT as an agent of transformation of every facet of human life, which will bring about knowledgebased society. The State is leveraging IT to uplift people’s lives.The focus will also be to transform Jharkhand into “Digital Jharkhand”.

implemented many infrastructure projects and various MMPs of other departments. Comprehensive labour management system developed by JAP-IT incorporating labour reforms by Government of Jharkhand was rated No. 1 among Indian states in assessment carried out by DIPP and world bank in 2015. This enabled the state of Jharkhand to secure third rank in ease of doing business among Indian states in a review carried out by DIPP and World Bank.

How would you describe JAPIT’s contributions in IT projects of other state government departments?

Can you share a brief account of some of the key projects?

Jharkhand Agency for promotion of Information Technology (JAP-IT) is the nodal agency for implementing the IT projects of other departments in Jharkhand. In the span of ten years (since the inception) JAP-IT has

Some of the key projects which have impacted in promoting e governance in the state can be understood as State wide area Network (SWAN), Jharkhand State Data Center, Modern Record Room, Pragya Kendra (CSC-Common service centre), Commercial Tax, e-Nibhandhan, and e-District.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / UMESH PRASAD SAH

Digital Jharkhand on Fast Track He has been assigned by the Government of Jharkhand to implement IT projects at the grass root level. Umesh Prasad Sah, Director- DoIT, Government of Jharkhand, in a candid interview with Gautam Debroy of Elets News Networks (ENN) disclosed some of the major strategies of the department of IT for connecting urban and rural Jharkhand through e-way

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UMESH PRASAD SAH \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

the potential of investments in Jharkhand. We are at the learning stage, so I believe this type of road shows will create understandings amongst all the stake holders.

Share with us some of the significant projects being implemented by the IT department.

hat is your take on the road shows being initiated by your government?

Actually the main intention of all these road shows is to understand the investors and also try to get them understood the huge resources and potentials present in Jharkhand. We are also trying to take the investors along with us in the road towards development. These road shows are a curtain raiser for the Global Investors Summit scheduled to take place in the month of February at Ranchi. Assemble of all domestic and foreign investors under one platform will also give us the opportunity to get them understood

There are several important projects which have been implemented by the IT department. We are also in a process to computerize all the departmental works. Government budget is Rs 40,000 crore and out of which Rs 20,000 crore is being invested on roads, drinking water and all other necessary things. As of now, the whole process of tendering, work orders etc are being done manually, so there is no proper tracking. In this process, the work has not been tracked and on the other side the contractor has also not been paid on time. So, within a very short span of time, we are going to computerize all the departmental works. More so, every payment will be made through GIS. So, as soon as the work is generated, the tender will be raised and the contractor will be given the assignment and their payment will also be done quickly. In this way all the stake holders will be benefited and all delay in the work process and even any wrong intention could be prevented.

Jharkhand is going paperless. What is your take on it?

We are trying to do our work paperless. In fact, tender has already been raised in this connection. Within next six to nine months every departments will be paperless. We are not going into legacy data, we are going to work paperless in the way of e-office. Side by side all the data will be computerized and it will be uploaded in the system.

What are your major challenges? Frankly speaking, there are three to four major challenges. One of them is connectivity. If we want to implement all the work seamlessly in Jharkhand, you need connectivity. Second is power. To implement eGovernance projects in schools even in the rural areas, we need power. The third major challenge is skill or the digital knowledge. So, the government is working on all these three issues differently. The department of IT is implementing fibrebroadband connectivity upto to the village panchayat level. Power department is working on electricity. Well, the IT department is also working on digital literacy. Not only to the users, we are also trying to give training to our staffs on digital literacy.

Internet connectivity in city areas too of Jharkhand is not up to the mark. What is your opinion on that? Yes it is true to some extent. It is majorly due to the widening of roads. In the process of placing culverts, making better drainage system, the optical fiber of the concerned network is getting damaged. So, government of Jharkhand has discussed with TRAI and very soon we are coming with a common doc policy. In this, government will prepare doc for the optical fibre at a very high depth and all the operators will run their optical fibre through that process.

How will you connect the villages and rural Jharkhand digitally? Under the bharat net project, we are going to implement optical fibre network upto the gram panchayat level and from gram panchayats to the government offices. And in the village, we are also planning rural wifi system. The government of Jharkhand has already selected two districts Bokaro and Ramgarh for rural wifi. This rural wifi will be very cost affective. And this will help the rural people to get properly connected.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

AMIT KHARE \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

Technology for Financial Management

Jharkhand’s Integrated

Plan in Place

Considering the complex nature of various schemes and need to reach out to the last person, the state government has computerised the entire operation. We have to introduce an integrated financial management system and also the Government of India’s sponsored public financial management system, says Amit Khare, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Finance, Government of Jharkhand, in an interview with Shivani Tyagi of Elets News Network (ENN)

ive us an overview of the operations of Jharkhand government’s finance department. Jharkhand is one of those states that have merged their planning and finance department. Since last year we have the department of planningcum-finance. We are trying to root it more as corporate strategy department which focuses on Vision 2030, prepares strategy for next seven years and then an Action Plan for three years. Finance, of course, is an integral part. Since planning and finance go together, it’s more of a strategic operation.

Could you share how the ICT is being used in the Jharkhand government’s finance department? Given the complex nature of various schemes and the

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OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / AMIT KHARE

need to reach out to the last person, the entire operation has to be computerised. We have to introduce an integrated financial management system and also the Government of India’s sponsored public financial management system. What has been done so far is that of all treasuries 32 of them are totally computerised. On a day-today basis, we remain aware about receipts and payments. But the next step is to ensure that the funds flow from these treasuries to the beneficiaries smoothly. That is also being put on an electronic platform. Same is the case with the central government schemes. PFMS (Public Financial Management System) will come into operation till December 2016, which is the deadline given by the Government of India. But we are planning to ensure it gets operational by October 2016. The work of mapping has been completed in Jharkhand; all the central schemes are mapped on the PFMS. The next stage is to register all the implementing agencies that work is going on. So an integrated system is being put into place where at every level, we know how much fund is flowing. Its benefit will be that fund releases would be possible just in time. So we need not borrow excessively. And, on the other hand, the department should not feel suffocated due to funds not flowing in time. That will be the objective of computerisation in all agencies. Third, of course, is for the employees. Their various contributions to provident fund to the pension scheme, pay slips-good part is that it’s all computerised now. But we are also planning to computerise the pension payment by this year-end. And the third part is the cyber treasury. The new Jharkhand treasury code has provided for cyber treasury and become functional. We are trying to ensure links with the banks so that online payment and receipt through cyber treasury becomes easy.

What are your plans of m-governance for various transactions and reporting system? Integrated management system and PFMS will help not only us, but also the departments in knowing how the funds are flowing

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and which level there is a flow of funds or delay and on the other side where funds are required. In the absence of a computerised system what happens is that many a times while releases are being made by the State Government at the headquarter-level, there is mismatch at the district- level. Like the districts getting funds are those not in the urgent need of it but the districts actually requiring it immediately are found wanting. Same things happen from district to subdistrict level and then at block-level. This is what we will improve through the computerised system so that at every level we know

department is doing is to have a vision document for 15 years, we are calling it Vision 2030, and then prepare a strategy for next seven years and action plan for next three years, that will be cutting across all departments. Departments have their departmental plan but what we are trying to change is from a departmental mode to a mission mode.

How technology is playing an important role in Direct Benefit Transfer? Jharkhand has done quite well in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). We are quite excited about it. Jharkhand is one of the pioneers in the usage

Jharkhand has done quite well in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). We are quite excited about it. Jharkhand is one of the pioneers in the usage of Aadhaar. And we are building on the Aadhaar platform so that wherever government subsidies are involved, they reach the intended beneficiaries which entity requires funds as of now and how it can be augmented.

What do you think about GST Bill? We have already agreed on GST. Although we are a traditional state but the fact remains that GST will bring overall prosperity in the country, boosting investment and improving economic condition. So, as a producer state, let’s say the national loss may be there that will be compensated by the growth in the service sector because under the GST we will get the share of services. That’s one big area for Jharkhand, other than mines and minerals. Service sector is growing at a very high rate of about 14%-16% where we get compensated.

What new plans are on the anvil? What the integrated planning and finance

of Aadhaar. And we are building on the Aadhaar platform so that wherever government subsidies are involved, they reach the intended beneficiaries. So both are important - one is the intended beneficiaries, once they are clearly identified through Aadhaar, there will be no chance of duplication. So the government saves money i.e. one part, that there will be saving because if we plug the leakages so that help us in savings. But there is other side which is more important that is by using this electronic platform by DBT with integrated financial system and PFMS (Public Financial Management System), we can immediately transfer funds without delay to the beneficiary. So the beneficiary also gains. All genuine beneficiaries, like those who are availing social security pension, they get it immediately in their bank accounts without delay at the integral level. So that’s how DBT is proving helpful to the beneficiaries and gets savings for the government.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW / ATUL BARVE

Empower more and more People with Banking Service: HDFC Bank HDFC Bank has been working towards reaching to the last mile of the country. Not only in urban and semi urban areas but also HDFC has made its presence across many rural areas of Jharkhand. In an interview with Manish Arora of Elets News Network, Atul Barve, Branch Banking Head: East and Executive Vice President of HDFC Bank tells us about various tech initiatives taken by HDFC Bank across Jharkhand

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ATUL BARVE \ INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

hat kinds of services do HDFC Bank offers in the state of Jharkhand?

HDFC Bank is focusing on cutting edge technologies on digital front and has come out with Payzapp, RM connect, Chillr, 10 Sec loan and many more such initiatives including even internal social collaboration tools to drive engagement, innovation and productivity internally. Our Payzapp and Chillr (With MobMe) fferings are very well received by both customers and merchants and has taken customer experience up by many notches. It has helped even small merchants to on board the digital wagon not to mention even rural customer greatly benefiting. Our objective is to empower more people in the state by offering them our full range of banking services including digital initiatives, even in rural areas, thus making a difference in their lives.

How HDFC bank reaches to the rural areas of Jharkhand? We have 58 branches in Jharkhand out of which 28 are rural and semi urban branches. We have ensured that digitisation reaches customers in rural markets too, by extending simple banking

customers are happy using our products and services. We will continue the momentum by adding more branches this year in the state.

Please share your vision on Smart cities? There is no greater need than communication in today’s world. Setting up communication infrastructure (through Smart Cities initiative), where people will be able to connect with each other, interact with each other and make

We have ensured that digitalisation reaches customers in rural markets too, by extending simple banking transactions through a basic phone. At national level 55% of our branches are in semi urban and rural areas transactions through a basic phone (and not necessarily a smart phone alone). At national level 55% of our branches are in semi urban and rural areas.

How has been the response of people towards services of HDFC Bank? The response has been very positive and our

use of Right, Relevant and Real-time information to make right and prudent decisions is what can uplift the entire human race and in a segmented terms people from all walks of life. Wireless Technologies which cover almost entire of India and mobile phones (both feature and smart phones) have really transformed the landscape and benefit all in life - Mandi Information, radio taxis, weather forecast on finger

tips ...the use cases just abound. Our Vision of smart cities relate to an accessible information superhighway where information, action and convenience blend seamlessly.

How important is mGovernance in Banking Sector? Mobile phones being the faster growing personal devices and the most affordable of personal devices today, can really transform governance structure where just at the tip of a finger, one gets to know all, do all and track all. Some key examples could be access to information, account opening, aadhaar integration, electronic wallets and cardless cash disbursements directly into mobile. Since all can be done on mobile, security becomes paramount and what should and what should not be done needs to be in place. Biometric advances and improving security standards are taking care of that and as more and more products and services get delivered through personal devices, a governance framework is put in place by organizations and our regulator and other statutory bodies keep defining guidelines which are followed by all service providers.

How these sort of summits helps in connecting with people of Jharkhand? These sort of summits can serve as a powerful catalyst to align leaders, develop solutions to problems, introduce new strategies, and fuel collaboration across the state.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW / V SWAMINATHAN

Banking through

Mobile Apps Customers prefer using mobile apps for banking-related needs, which offer customers all services in just a few clicks, that too with the luxury of doing it from anytime and anywhere. Shares Swaminathan V, Senior Executive Vice President, KotakÂ MahindraÂ Bank with Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN)

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V SWAMINATHAN \ INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

hat are your offerings in the state of Jharkhand as a financial knowledge partner? Please explain briefly.

At Kotak, we believe in progress for our partners by offering end-to-end banking services and customised solutions to all government departments, local and autonomous bodies in the state of Jharkhand. As an emerging city that requires effective and quick governing mechanisms, we are best positioned to solve challenges of both corporations and citizens with our digital suite. From cash management of Municipal tax collection, traffic fines, utility payments to transfer of subsidies, we can enable digital banking services to optimise resources and enhance e-governance initiatives of government bodies.

As Ranchi has been selected among the smart city list, what are your offerings to this new selected smart city? The Government’s vision to build 100 smart cities in India is gradually bringing about a change in the way cities are being managed as well as mindset of the citizens. A smart city will offer a variety of solutions to citizens, thereby enriching their lives. Technology will be used to simplify various aspects of life–transportation, communication, banking, etc. This will allow citizens to engage better with the Government and other public service-oriented bodies. One of the critical features of smart cities is

seamless anytime, anywhere banking. We stand committed to providing world-class banking solutions backed by unparalleled service.

As e-governance is integral part of digital India, please share some e-governance offerings that will help the people living in the state of Jharkhand? Mobile has become a crucial banking channel today, given its high penetration across the country. Many customers prefer using mobile apps for banking-related needs, which offer all services merely in few clicks. We are working with many local bodies across the country for municipal services-related banking transactions through Kotak mobile apps. This enables the Corporation to engage with citizens more meaningfully.

How is your offering different from other banks? Our e-suite of mobile banking applications are

We are working with many local bodies across the country to help them provide all municipal services-related banking transactions through Kotak mobile banking apps cashless and technology-driven payment solutions. We are already offering this, in addition to a variety of technology-driven products for

designed to cater to every customer anytime, anywhere. Our endeavour is to fulfil customers’ needs in the shortest possible time.

Further, with 6% interest p.a. on savings account balance of Rs. 1 lakh and above, we are competitive and best suited to meet all types of financial requirements.

How do you make your services user friendly? We have a highly experienced and dedicated team that works closely with Corporations across the country. The team identifies problems faced by Corporation and citizens while making transactions. On the basis of their feedback, we design our products and services in a way that they become user-friendly, convenient and, more importantly resolve the issues quickly. Another competency that we have enabled is customisation of services as per functionality required by the Corporation / department.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / A SREENIVAS

Laying Optical Fibre Connecting Villages Haryana is gearing up to be Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first state to have optical fibre laid across the state by 2017. It has tied up with BBNL, BSNL for fibre laying, says A Sreenivas, Managing Director, Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (HARTRON) in conversation with Priya Yadav of Elets News Network (ENN)

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A SREENIVAS \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

hat are the steps being taken to encourage start ups in Haryana?

A start-up warehouse incubation centre is all set to be made functional by the Government of Haryana which is being set up in Gurugram. This will give a fillip to a large number of startups coming up in the state. We are tying up with NASSCOM for the project. The incubator will cater to students in all seven universities in the state where passing out students will be mentored for start ups. The incubation centre is being set up on hub and spoke model where the warehouse will act as the hub and the university centres as the spokes. It is scheduled to be inaugurated on November 1 this year to mark the Swarna Jayanti celeberations of the state.

How are the rural areas being integrated in Haryana’s IT revolution? Haryana is working to be the first state in the country which will have optical fibre laid across the state by 2017. The state has tied up with BBNL BSNL for fibre laying. By November 1 this year, 100 villages would have achieved this milestone. It’s a major networking task where 6,000 villages will have optical fibre laid. Already we are in the process of having Wi-fi spots in villages and cities. Deputy Commissioners

The Swarna Jayanti celebrations will also see launch of mobile app which will facilitate people to avail at least 50 government services on their phone have been asked to identify areas which will be Wi-Fi spots – mainly schools, colleges, public parks, hang out places etc. The Swarna Jayanti celebrations will also see launch of mobile app which will facilitate people to avail at least 50 government services on their phone. This will go a long way in reducing queues at government office counters besides making life easier for the

people. Also, we are working towards e-signature integration on documents. Community Service Centres have come as a boon to people across the state. As a step further we are going to shift 500 CSCs to Panchayats in the villages. This will allow residents in the villages to be able to avail of government services at village level only.

How is Information Technology redefining the work culture in the government sector? Video conferencing has been in use for some time now to connect to officers across the state but now we are working towards software based video conferencing. This will help doing video conferences without the paraphernalia of the equipment involved. It means that you could do it on your mobile or your i-pad and do it just about anywhere. The officers in the field can be reached out to easily and facilitate better communication within the department. Haryana is also going to be a state which will be paperless soon. We are looking at e-office solutions that will see nearly 60 departments switching to digital media for work completely. Some of the other states have already done so and we will also do it in one go.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL FEATURE

Technology Protecting

Stakeholders in DBT Scheme Technology touches farmers. The recent launch of a unique software enabling farmers register online for the crop insurance scheme in Karnataka has not only simplified the process of indemnity but it’s drawing a large number of farmers, writes T Radha Krishna of Elets News Network (ENN)

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he Samrakshane (protection) software for end-toend automation of crop insurance process provides efficient, transparent and accountable system for speedy delivery of benefits and risk cover to the farming community. It will generate a unique number for each farmer to keep track of their farming activity to insure the crop against loss or damage. The system is linked to the Aadhaar database of farmers for direct payment into their bank accounts and they will be informed about the status through SMS and uploaded on the dedicated portal for their information. “This software is a combination of Karnataka Raita Suraksha Pradhana Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS),” said Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, while launching the Samrakshane, recently. The objective of the new system is to effectively use IT to cover more number of farmers under the insurance scheme and provide speedy delivery of benefits.

SPECIAL FEATURE

The Government of India launched – PMFBY and WBCIS – to provide financial support to farmers suffering from crop loss or damage arising out of unforeseen events and disasters. The Government of Karnataka announced in its Budget for 2016-17 to implement Karnataka Raitha Suraksha PMFBY to help the farmers. For this purpose, Rs 675.38 crore was earmarked as the State’s share. Though Karnataka hopes to cover 50 per cent of farmers this fiscal, it expects more will enroll for the schemes, as the premium is minimal. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) is an attempt to change the mechanism of transferring subsidies launched by Government of India on January 1, 2013. This programmeme aims to transfer subsidies directly to the people through their bank accounts. It is hoped that crediting subsidies into bank accounts will reduce leakages, delays, etc.

Advantage to Farmers “The new system has many advantages,” says Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Karnataka. Once the farmer’s proposal is entered into the system a unique number is generated. Using the unique number, farmers can track the various stages of activities of their insurance proposal, including the payouts. Crop cutting mobile application records video and transmits numbers soon after crop cutting experiment is conducted. It reduces scope for manipulation. It helps timely settlement of claim compared to earlier system, which was taking about 12-18 months. The system identifies false insurance requests so that application of reduction factor is minimised. Bhoomi is linked to spatial geo reference data. Hence, comparing satellite crop signatures with GIS map would help to detect false claims. The transaction between bank and insurance company was very opaque resulting in delay in payments to the farmers and also in some cases even delay in remittance of premium to insurance company even though farmer would have paid the premium in time at the bank. The software will not allow a non-notified crop to be insured in a given insurance unit. In manual system during yesteryears, there were instances of bank branches collecting or deducting premium for non-notified crops.

The objective of the new system is to effectively use IT to cover more number of farmers under the insurance scheme and provide speedy delivery of benefits With the new system, both the bank and insurance companies will work on the same system. All the data available in public domain, it will help in settling claims quickly. The software connects to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data and fetches weather data on daily basis. With digitised term sheets, pay out can be calculated at the end of each phase of an index and need not wait till the end of the insurance season.

Benefits to the Government At any point of time, the Government would know the coverage of farmers, which was not possible in the manual system,” says Arvind Jhadav, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka. This will connect to database of land records

(Bhoomi). De-duplication of insured land – farmers can’t cover same land more than once. It helps in Government or Insurance companies identifying the farmers not covered under Insurance. No farmer can insure more area than what he owns. In the manual system, neither Government nor Banks were able monitor the performance of the bank but with the computerised system each branch’s performance can be checked. In the old system, during the scheme implementation period, neither the Department of Horticulture nor the Department of Agriculture was aware of farmers covered or not covered under insurance. But, with the new system at any point of time, the departments have the access to live data of the crop and farmers covered under the insurance scheme. Through this software, the Government can know number of non-loanee farmers enrolled with their full details. This will help in bringing such farmers under financial institutions for agricultural credit.

Help To Bankers The software automatically calculates premium for the insured crop there by reducing the chances of wrong premium calculation and payment by farmers. Also, it helps to push individual farmer wise data to the Government of India web portal, which otherwise has to be entered manually in to the portal.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL FEATURE

Telangana IT Minister, KT Rama Rao, IT Secretary, Jayesh Ranjan and Factly Founder, Rakesh Reddy Dubudu presenting the MoU to collaborate and partner in the implementation of Open Data Policy.

KTRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mission

Hyderabad as Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Silicon Valley Telangana has already taken off. And taken off well in terms of Information Technology industry. With the dynamic and young leadership in charge of IT, state government is leaving no stone unturned to make Hyderabad as vibrant as Silicon Valley. Sudheer Goutham of Elets News Network (ENN) writes an insightful story on this.

36 egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

SPECIAL FEATURE

T Rama Rao (KTR) is on a mission. The Minister of IT of Government of Telangana wants to transform the way Information Technology is empowering people and institutions globally and make Hyderabad the country’s most sought-after destination in the Information Technology Industry. Towards this vision, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITE&C) has unveiled as many as eight official policies for allied markets within the IT industry such as – Cyber Security, Data Analytics, Data Centre and Open Data, Rural Tech Centres, Innovation, Electronics, Gaming and Animation. The Department believes that these blueprints will attract niche players in these specialised markets. “We have so far unveiled eight policies – four in April and an equal number in September this year. Two more -- Internet of Things and Smart Technologies and e-waste management – are offing within two months,” says KT Rama Rao, who is fondly known as KTR. Perhaps, Telangana is the first State in the country to come out with a comprehensive set of blueprints on specialised technology markets going beyond IT and ITeS Industries. “These policies highlight the vision and direction of the State Government,” the Minister says.

Telangana IT, Industries and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao addressing the gathering while unveiling the allied policies recently.

The government was good at visiting global tech hubs like Silicon Valley, etc., meeting global business leaders and projecting a probusiness attitude and showcasing Hyderabad’s innovative environment

IT Growth in Telangana The image of Hyderabad had taken a beat for a year or more in the wake of agitations for the demand of the separate statehood. The city had witnessed the peak of the movements during 2013 and 2014. Today, Hyderabad is the capital city of Telangana, one of the 29 states in India. Following the unveiling of the marketwise policies, the Department feels that it is a bounce back for Hyderabad as a technology destination. Hyderabad’s IT growth was lull for over four years prior to creation of the youngest state Telangana. However, soon after the formation of Telangana in June 2014, KTR, and his team were quick to go on a drive to set the records straight. Realising that it is not easy to beat Bengaluru, the leader of software exports in India,

the KTR and team went onto identifying newer opportunities. In the process, data analytics, cloud technology, internet of things (IoT), gaming and animation, start-ups, data centers— that other states are yet to claim on— were identified. “Telangana is the first state to rightly identify the need to move beyond traditional IT/ITeS and diversify into new and emerging technologies such as Data Centres, Open Data, Cyber Security, and Data Analytics. We are confident that these allied policies shall attract niche players from across the world and further stabilise Telangana’s position as the front-runner in IT/ ITeS and emerging technologies,” says Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITE&C), Government of Telangana.

Global Leaders in Hyderabad The government was good at visiting global tech hubs like Silicon Valley, etc., meeting global business leaders and projecting a pro-business attitude and showcasing Hyderabad’s innovative environment. As a result, world’s top technology companies decided to set up base in Hyderabad—choosing it over other cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai. In addition to Microsoft and Facebook, the high profile tech companies such as Google and Amazon announced that they would have their biggest campuses outside home base US, in Hyderabad. Amazon has already commenced construction of a campus, as big as three million sq.ft, which is set to open by 2019. Taxi aggregator Uber Technologies opened its first service centre in Asia in Hyderabad during February. In June, Salesforce, one of the world’s top cloud computing companies, has launched its largest engineering and customer success centre in Hyderabad. On the other hand, Apple established its first development centre in India that is in Hyderabad. One of the key factors in the success rate of Government of Telangana was projecting Hyderabad as an attractive (and cheaper) alternative destination to Bengaluru whose infrastructure was already bursting at its seams. In addition to this, Hyderabad’s biggest advantage was a readily available talent pool of engineers graduating from the likes of IIT, IIIT and BITS-Pilani, among other engineering schools around the city.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / AJAY DEEP SINGH

In an interview with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN), Ajay Deep Singh, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd. (UPDESCO) talks about the 325-seater Mega Call Centre which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on 27th September 2016 in Lucknow with a vision to get an independent feedback from the beneficiaries

Mega Call Centre: UP Shows the Way

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AJAY DEEP SINGH \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

hat is the vision of the Government behind establishing a Mega Call Centre?

The Uttar Pradesh Government has envisaged establishing a Mega Call Centre in the State Capital with a vision to get an independent feedback from the beneficiaries and other stakeholders related to various citizen centric schemes being run by different Government departments of the State. This is an outbound Call Centre only wherein calls will be made to the beneficiaries by Call Centre executives not only to get the feedback on successful running of the schemes on a predefined questionnaire but also to make them aware about the benefits of these schemes. The Mega Call Centre established at Lekhraj Dollar, Indira Nagar, Lucknow, will bring in transparency in the schemes run by the Government and empower people through technology. This will also help in generating the employment for the youth of the state.

How many government departments and schemes are covered under this initiative? In the first phase, the Mega Call Centre would be used to take feedback from beneficiaries of 20 schemes run by 13 state government departments and to further calibrate the schemes in best interests of the people. The schemes of departments like Social Welfare, Rural Development, Medical & Health, Secondary Education, Minority Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Revenue, Agriculture, Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation, Energy, Labour, Handicap Welfare etc. are presently covered in this initiative. The Mega Call Centre is established not only to sensitise the citizens about different government schemes being run for their benefits but also to remove bottlenecks, if any, for timely execution/ disbursement of the benefits, bring in required changes by way of policy amendments for smooth execution of these schemes etc. This also aims to find individual lapses, if any, during the implementation process of the schemes. Further, it will collate feedback and share with relevant stakeholders and identify opportunities for improvement in design and delivery of schemes. The idea is that the Government will go to the beneficiaries under all the schemes where benefits

Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd. (UPDESCO) has been appointed as the nodal agency for the successful implementation and execution of this Mega Call Centre project are provided to the people, the government would like to contact them, talk to them and obtain useful feedback asking them whether they are satisfied with the services and if they are not, please let the Government know how can the improvement be made in execution of these schemes.

Who are the key stakeholders in this project? The Government and beneficiaries are key stakeholders. Apart from that, the Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd. (UPDESCO) has been appointed as the nodal agency for the successful implementation and execution of this Mega Call Centre project. M/s Ernst &Young (EY) is the consulting agency for selection of System Integrator and overall monitoring of the project. M/s Karvy Data Management Services Ltd. has been selected as System Integrator for setting up of Mega Call Centre and the responsibility of running the Call Centre has been entrusted upon the company in the month of August, 2016. The services of Third Party Audit company is also to be taken to ensure the quality of the calls and feedback received from beneficiaries through the Mega Call Centre. Initially, there are 325 seats working and the number is likely to go up to 500 so that in a short span, maximum and direct feedback from people can be taken. This call centre has created

job opportunities for more than 500 youngsters of the State so far.

How has been the response so far and what are future plans? The Mega Call Centre has been live from 21st September 2016 and test calls were being made to the beneficiaries. In the span of 5 days, more than 3 lakh beneficiaries were called and feedback received on multiple schemes. In the trial of calls, heartening feedback has come from the people on many schemes including the Samajwadi Pension Scheme, 108 Ambulance, Kanya Vidya Dhan etc. As per the feedback received from beneficiaries for Samajwadi Pension scheme, 98 per cent of beneficiaries were satisfied with the scheme and 93 per cent have said that there is no issue in getting the money from the bank. For scheme like Kanya Vidya Dhan, more than 96 per cent of beneficiaries are completely satisfied with the scheme. The establishment of this â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mega Call Centreâ&#x20AC;? has been a leap forward to ensure transparency and public involvement. The beneficiary oriented schemes of other departments are also being identified and data is being collected so that they can also be analysed for the purpose of qualitative improvement. This will also help the Government in bridging the gap with the citizen of the State and establish better connection between them.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL FEATURE / PDS

Karnataka Opts for Biometrics to

Check PDS Leakages The State Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs wants to use Biometric-based Barcoded Coupon System linked to the Aadhaar database as way out for age-old problem – pilferage of foodgrains, writes T Radhakrishna of Elets News Network (ENN)

total makeover of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Karnataka is underway. The Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is all set to use Biometric-based Barcoded Coupon System, linked to the Aadhaar database as a way out for age-old problems – pilferage of foodgrains and corruption in PDS, and also to renovate Fair Price Shops (FPSs) into Convenience Stores with a variety of consumer-friendly products and services. The Department is of the view that by introducing the above system, transparency will be maintained and also pilferage will be plugged effectively. This experiment of the Department, aimed at rooting out corruption and misappropriation in the PDS, will take wings on a pilot basis in Bengaluru very soon. “Allowing FPSs to sell more consumer products under the same roof will help reduce the possibility of shopkeepers exploiting loopholes in the PDS. This is because they will be able to earn more through new products and services, instead of solely banking on selling foodgrains,” said UT Khader, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Karnataka, who is confident of a change. Complaints such as bogus cards and diversion of foodgrains into the black market have been a major concern faced by PDS, which is an Indian food security system. Established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and managed jointly with State Governments, it distributes subsidised food and non-food items to India’s BPL families.

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PDS Scenario in Karnataka At present, there are 20,000 FPSs in Karnataka. The ratio is around 800 ration cards per shop in urban and 500 per shop in rural areas respectively. These shops sell rice, wheat, sugar and oil supplied by the Department.

Customer-friendly Services Plans are on to introduce consumer-friendly services at FPSs. The Minister says the ration shops must not restrict themselves just to the selling of ration. Instead, they must begin to offer common services like booking of travel tickets (bus, train, air) and micro-financing like pigmy collection, which will benefit them financially.

New Coupon System The new coupon system is likely to begin from this very year. As per this system, a card-holder can go to a BangaloreOne centre, authenticate himself through the biometric system, obtain a barcoded eight-digit coupon to use in any ration shop. On receiving the coupon, the shop owner will get a real-time update and distribute the foodgrains. Mobile-savvy card-holders can obtain a coupon through the interactive voice response system by

dialling 1614. The card-holder has to present the OTP received on his mobile phone to the shop owner, who will get the OTP authenticated and issue foodgrains. “The coupons will be made available in BangaloreOne centres and panchayat offices of rural areas. While purchasing the coupons, one person from the family will have to authenticate bio-metrically and only then will they be given the coupons. One can go to any PDS shop and obtain ration after producing these coupons,” the minister explained. Before starting with the coupon system, the Department tested the method with the dispensation of kerosene. “When we started the experiment in April 2016, the core area of Bengaluru (prior to BBMP) had a total of 1,64,000 cards registered for kerosene. But with the implementation of coupon system, the number of cards came down to a mere 12,000 cards in July 2016, suggesting a whopping 1.5 lakh people despite LPG connection took kerosene and allowed it into the black market. There was tremendous pressure and intense lobbying from oil mafia and kerosene dealers to withdraw the system. But we did not budge. We are now trying a similar thing with foodgrains,” he added.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / ARUN KUMAR SINGH

Road Ahead for Smart City To develop Ranchi as a smart city, the state government has various plans. Arun Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Jharkhand has thrown lights on future development policies to establish the smart city as a lighthouse for other urban local bodies in an interview with Shivani Tyagi & Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN)

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ARUN KUMAR SINGH \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

hat is your vision on smart city?

Basically smart city means that we bring components of smart city, in our urban bodies, urban areas and the services which are contemplated like smart governance, water supply, 24*7 electricity, IT and e-Governance, infrastructure, transportation, education, health services so all these things are to be developed on smart cities, We have been allotted one smart city by the Government of India and we are coming up with green field. We already have 600 acres of land for that. It will totally be a new city and will act as a lighthouse for the other urban local bodies of the state, especially Ranchi. It is a part of Ranchi, but it is a version of smart city coming up and theme of the smart city will be knowledge and skills. As the deliberation held with the citizens of Ranchi town, the focus was to strengthen education and skills among the citizens of Ranchi, since the state is affected by the extremist activities and the genesis of these extremist activities is basically because of unemployment. If employment opportunities are provided to youth, then this problem can be tackled to great extend but for that youth have to have skills and the smart cities be intend to have institutions which trains in skills among the youth and then these youth get placed within the state, within the country and at the international level. We are intent to invite international skill development agencies and we are in touch with government of India and we are trying to get agencies from Germany, France, Korea, USA etc. These agencies will be skilling people in dif-

ferent sectors from electronics to automation, automobile sector, robotics, hotel management and housekeeping. Higher education institution such as universities will also envisaged their interest.

Congestion on roads is a major problem for Ranchi, what will be your plan of action to deal with this problem? We have pan city solution for existing town of Ranchi which has the transportation component as one of its major ingredient because transportation is one of the sectors where people are facing lot of problems due to congestion. So various activities to decongest and to smoothen transportation network is been

All those things are been contemplated, so that Ranchi comes up along with the services which affect the citizens like water supply services, solid waste management, electricity etc. All these things would act as an indicator to the Ranchi town and to other ULBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and other local body of the state. The local development bodies can take cue and they can take advice also on how to establish it.

How important are the people of Ranchi in smart city mission? That is most important because ultimately people will stay in smart city, will use facility of smart city and make it a way of their life because unless it is way of life, we cannot be smart. So all smarter components in our day to day life

We have pan city solution for existing town of Ranchi which has the transportation component as one of its major ingredient because transportation is one of the sectors where people are facing a lot of problems due to congestion contemplated by building roads, flyovers, better transportation system, we are coming up with metro in Ranchi as well. DPRA is already prepared, around 4200 crores of budget is allocated, currently it is around 13 km of length, it is in first phase now and later on, it will be enhanced. It will also have feeder services, which will feed the metro from various places where it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reach.

such as smart thinking, smart mentality, smart appearance and smart interactions have to be adopted by the citizens of smart cities. Everything has to be smart in these cities. In fact the DPR for the smart city shall be prepared after SPV is found. Key of smart city is skills and education, so IT sector is one of the sector which will provide lot of employment, so we have been inviting IT companies also. Although we have IT department which is contemplated to set up a IT Park and the IT PARK will provide huge opportunities for employment to the youth of the state.

What are the challenges to make smart city a reality? Mindset of the people is the biggest challenge. The mindset has to be oriented in a way that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s man behind a machine and if the man is not skilled enough, then the machine will be useless, so basically is the biggest challenge. To make people smarter, they must be acquainted with the smart components and once they are ready, the smart city automatically will thrive and sustain.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / PRASHANT KUMAR

Big Brand Corporates

in Queue for

Smarter Ranchi With big players from the corporate sectors coming to invest in Ranchi, the city is all set to implement the smart city projects and take this beautiful city at the top of Smart Cities in India. In an exclusive interview with Elets News Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shivani Tyagi and Manish Arora, Ranchi Municipal Commissioner, Prashant Kumar disclosed his strategy for achieving this goal

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PRASHANT KUMAR \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

hat is your vision for Smart City Mission?

Jharkhand has a number of reputed institutions like BIT Mesra, Birsa Munda agricultural University, Xavier’s Institute of Social Service (XISS) and many more. These institutes attract a lot of students across the globe and therefore it is a challenge for us to make Ranchi into a Smart City. People would opt for Ranchi or Jharkhand as a whole if we can provide them with good infrastructure, transport, safety and health facilities. Smart City Mission needs step by step intervention and we are making the advancements accordingly. We realize that until and unless we bring public transportation at centre stage, transport issues cannot be solved. We are planning to widen the roads and bring it high technology solutions so that higher vehicle inflow will not create a ruckus on roads. For safety on roads, we are installing CCTV and PTZ cameras. We are also launching an app called Ranchi one app, which will be a one point solution to all traffic

in Jharkhand; this will boost the tourism. Three renowned universities are also planning to set up their campuses in Jharkhand. We have already received the Letter of Intent (LOI) from the department of higher education & technical education JW Marriott Group had also approached us and showed their interest in Ranchi. They have

We are planning to develop the river front and transform it into continuous river park. We also have plans for setting up a huge amusement Park in Jharkhand; this will boost the tourism. Three renowned universities are also planning to set up their campuses in Jharkhand related queries. This will give information on chocked and the most polluted routes. Ranchi is the only one among other smart cities to opt for green fields. Ranchi has 7000 acres of unused land out of which 2000 acres of land has been taken by government of Jharkhand for developing the core capital area.

What are your plans for attracting IT companies, industries and amusement parks to Ranchi? We are planning to develop the river front and transform it into continuous river park. We also have plans for setting up a huge amusement Park

sent us a Letter of Intent (LOI), saying that we want to put up a five star hotel and are striving for a land. Tata group has also requested us for a land for setting up their corporate office in Ranchi. We have a similar request from Reliance Jio as well.

Where do you see Ranchi in next two years and what are your plans for SPV? Two years is a short span, give me five years and we will resolve all the major issues concerning to traffic. We are going to make 7 acre of Eco Park with latest facilities. This will also act as a water

harvesting source. We are taking sustainable measures in making waste water management. SPV will complete soon and we also have cabinet’s approval. All the directors have signed the memorandum and it is going to be registered in RAC in a week’s time. It’s a joint venture between State and Municipal Corporation.

What is your plan for attracting IT companies? We are planning to bring professionals from the IT sector on board. We are trying to hire one PMC or PMU. This will further help us in hiring other consultants, domain consultants, contractors. We have one big PMU with one consultant as our strategy partner and we are developing the whole thing not as a project but as modules.

What are the major initiatives taken under Swachh Bharat Mission by your organisation? We have sanctioned 30,000 individual toilets out of which 2000 have completed. We have 50 community and public toilets and orders for refurbishment of 280 community and public toilets have been given. Apart from the solid waste management we have assigned the work to Essel INfra and Hitache .These companies will start the work from 2nd October. We are investing around 77 crore rupees as capital investment to make a quantum improvement in the city. We will then go for 100% door to door collection, processing of waste, presently we are not dumping waste, we dump it in the plant, burn the waste and create energy.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL FEATURE

e-City: Gujarat’s

Way of Connecting Governance with Citizens Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has effectively implemented ‘e-City’. Through this of most of the important services are being delivered to the residents through 50 City Civic Centers (e-City Centers) located throughout the city. Writes Hemangini Rajput of Elets News Network (ENN)

ujarat is trying to redefine the working of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through eGovernance. Elements of quality and timeliness are quintessential features of Urban Governance, wherein IT-enabled services and e-Governance play a stellar role, and have significantly enhanced the citizen-friendliness of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). During his tenure as Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi said, “ In this day and age, urbanization is here to stay.However, we will never achieve anything if we see urbanisation merely as a problem. We should embrace the challenges of urbanisation, not berate them and that is when we can achieve change at the ground level” . Since then Gujarat has witnessed a phenomenal increase and rapid growth in urbanization. Census 2011 figures show that the urban population of the state is 2.57 crore, which is 42.6% of the total population. The decennial growth of urbanization in the state is a staggering 35.8%. Fully responsive to the requirements of the growing population in urban areas, and committed to sustainable development and inclusive growth, the State Government initiated a reform-driven flagship scheme, namely the Swarnim Jayanti Mukhya Mantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana. Gujarat has been one of the front-runners in the implementation of e-Infrastructure policies and projects. Independent agencies have rated Gujarat amongst the most e-prepared states in the country. The Vision of Government of Gujarat is Responsiveness, Transparency and Accountability through e-Governance.

46 egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

Mission l Provide easy access to information l Ensure speedy redressal of complaints and

grievances l Provide quality services to citizens l Eliminate discretionary human interface l Expedite the decision making processes

Adoption of e-City Approach by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is one of the highly successful Municipal Corporations which have improved the delivery of municipal services such as registration of births and deaths, approval of building plans, delivery of primary health and education, city cleanliness, water supply, sewerage, street-lights, parks and gardens, by duly facilitating the citizens through the operation of e-City Centres. AMC has effectively implemented ‘e-City’, i.e. e-Governance, to deliver most of the important services affecting the daily lives of the residents through 50 City Civic Centers (e-City Centers) located throughout the city.

Each e-City Centre houses sufficient number of nodes managed by well-trained Operators and System Managers, who promptly attend to the needs of citizens. Every node is equipped to handle all core activities, such as approval of building plan, grant of different licenses, redressal of complaints regarding civic amenities, payment of taxes, etc.

Way Forward Given the replicability of e-City initiative, the system architecture and the software available with the AMC can easily be adopted and adapted. A number of ULBs have followed suit and operationalised City Civic Centers in their cities. As on date, there are over 200 City Civic Centers in various towns and cities and a systematic effort is being made to roll them out in all the ULBs in requisite numbers. Furthermore, efforts are afoot to integrate the existing Management Information System (MIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), after making them sturdier, into a Database Project and Financial Management System (DBPFMS) for an effective Decision Support System (DSS).

INDUSTRY LEADER SPEAKS / DR MAHESH GUPTA

Purifying Water

Saving Lives

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Magic Mantra was the technology. We came out with revolutionary technology of RO+UV+UF+TDS controller which not only purifies water but also retains the essential natural minerals. This technology ensures that the water becomes not only the purest, but is healthy too, irrespective of the source of water, borewell, river, municipal tap. This technology works everywhere and provides 100% pure water to drink,â&#x20AC;? Says Dr Mahesh Gupta, Chairman, Kent RO Systems Ltd. In Conversation with Souvik Goswami of Elets News Network (ENN)

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DR MAHESH GUPTA \ INDUSTRY LEADER SPEAKS

ive us an overview of your journey you have taken since the last 15-20 years?

Twenty years back, only handful of water purifier brands were available but i was not convinced with the technology and that’s why i invented first RO purifier and then decided it to market it as well. The journey of Indian water purifier industry started with the genesis of brand Kent RO. I left my well paid job to start making water purifiers in India. If today one is able to have access to RO water purifiers equipped with multiple purification techniques, then that has been made possible only by us. We designed RO water purifier with combination of 3 technologies to make it suitable for treating every type of water irrespective of source.

What are your expansion plans? We are growing about 20 % every year and we expect to grow at a similar pace. We want to penetrate much deeper into the depth and width of the country. We want to hire more and better manufacturing facilities. So we are working in all the directions. We are at the moment in Roorkee in Uttrakhand. We have good base there. More than thousand workers are there. Next plan is to come up in Noida. We already have a plot and we are building up a factory there. We have a 100 crore investment in this plan. I think with these two destinations we will develop our capacity and that will be good enough for 3-4 years to come.

What kind of technology you are banking on in the coming years basically from outside India? Well technology needs to be updated every time and what we have begun in 1998 and what we are using today, lots of technology has changed in purifiers. And all the technology comes from us, we have a very strong R& D set up. Innovating new technologies and we keep putting them in the market. Recently we launched smart RO purifiers. First time in the world this has happenned. We always keep innovating & now we are at the threshold where we have to be the best in the world and that’s what the Kent is known for.

The Government of India has launched an ambitious project on smart cities to change the urban landscape. Being a leader and being a champion of this cause for so many years, what is your opinion on these projects i.e Swachh Bharat and Smart cities ? I think both are great initiatives but only appreciation of the policies will be a strong statement. I think none other than the PM of the country emphasising on this project says how important it is for the country. Many people may not have gone outside the country and they do not know what exists outside the country. But if people go outside in the world,

being. Its high time we realise that if you want to progress in the world, we must take care of our hygiene .Preventive things must be taken care of and then only we can move forward.

One of the components of smart city is waste and water management. So do you think that is it the right direction that the government is heading to? No second thought about it. There should be at least 20 cities where there is no waste generation and discharged water is clean. There is technology available but the world has changed and new technologies have been implemented. Process has to start from the top, go to the masses and the masses have to become aware

We are growing about 20% every year and we expect to grow at a similar pace. We want to penetrate much deeper into the depth and width of the country they will know what kind of cleanliness is there and you sometimes feel ashamed that you are not able to take care of basic needs of the human

that they need to do this because that is equally important.

Where do you see your organisation in next 10 years? I see Kent RO not only in the water space. I see it into space of purity. Not only the water we have destroyed our air also, so we are going to take care of air in your rooms. We already have come with our air purifiers and we are going to take every nook and corner of your health space.

What kind of expectation do you have from the government in terms of policies to work as a catalyst for the growth of this sector? Government should be practical. If there is a difficulty and a situation which is existing the government should acknowledge and let know the public that this is what is it. I am talking in terms of the quality of water quality. Government needs to educate people for the need of the clean water.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL FEATURE

Importance of social media can’t be ignored in today’s world, addressing its importance, ‘Twitter Seva’ Project has been launched in the Uttar Pradesh Police department. It’s objective is to provide quick, efficient and real time grievance redressal system to the citizens of State, writes Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN)

50 egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

Leveraging Social Media

Cops Reaching Out to Citizens

SPECIAL FEATURE

UP Police is aiming to utilize Twitter’s platform for live, public conversations to drive efficient and effective customer service for millions of UP citizens. It is also expected that in coming days, this service would be integrated with the ‘Dial-100’ project

P Police is aiming to utilise Twitter’s platform for live, public conversations to drive efficient and effective customer service for millions of UP citizens. It is also expected that in coming days, this service would be integrated with the ‘Dial-100’ project. Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine the world without internet or online services. Computers or laptops with internet are part of every office and homes. Even governments are using internet as a tool to provide their citizens better governance. Understanding the needs of

mass, Uttar Pradesh Police has launched the country’s first Twitter-based platform attend public complaints in a better way. UP Police has launched its ambitious ‘Twitter Seva’ project with the help of Twitter India. Under this project 122 Twitter handles have gone live at one-go in the State capital. The world’s largest police organisation of India’s most populous State, UP Police, serves almost 200 million people. The police department has deployed Twitter’s live customer service resolution ‘Twitter Seva’ in the whole police department.

The complaints can be recorded at ‘Twitter Seva’ platform by tweeting to tagging with the UP police’s twitter handle @UPPolice. Citizens can simply tweet with their query to the police account. To enable better monitoring, all complaints tweeted to different district police handles will also be diverted to the main UP police’s handle. Each tweeted complaint will be allotted a docket number after which it will be forwarded to the concerned district police for resolution. With the help of docket number, status of the complaint can also be checked which will be ‘open’ when the case is unresolved, ‘in process’ when the police responds and begins inquiry, and ‘closed’ when an FIR is lodged or action is taken. The status will be indicated with changing colour codes. Twitter Seva will also be used as a performance-monitoring system in form of analytics to monitor the performance of the district police. Website of Twitter Seva is configured with the Twitter handles of all 8 IGs (zone), 18 DIGs and 75 district police. Director General of UP Police Javeed Ahmad has launched ‘Twitter Seva’ with the objective of improving overall civil safety and enhanced law and order by providing realtime service delivery and citizen interaction. The UP police so far had just a Twitter handle which was activated a few months back and has some 46,000 followers. UP Police is aiming to utilize Twitter’s platform for live, public conversations to drive efficient and effective customer service for millions of UP citizens. It is also expected that in coming days, this service would be integrated with the ‘Dial-100’ project. Fast, efficient and real time response to complaints and SoS’s will strengthen the relationship of 220 plus million population of the State with the UP Police. This service will definitely help the government in achieving all its objectives along with a peaceful state. It is the next level of public engagement wherein we have facilities like time stamping so that the whole process is not only transparent but also accountable. Before UP Police, various Central ministries like Ministry of Railways, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Telecom, Corporate Affairs Ministry and the telecom industry also using the similar platforms for addressing customer grievances and for providing better services.

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

POWER

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INDUSTRY VIEW

Amit Chowdhry CEO, PeopleLink

Taking step towards the realisation of Digital India, Central Government and the State Governments are adopting technological advancements. PeopleLink is ensuring virtual gear up to the government at the centre and helping the digital dream come true. A sneak peek into that.

G Linking Government to Citizens through

Technology

overnments across the states are transforming their governance practices and making it more technology centric. It is imperative that governance in India becomes more efficient and responsive. The Initiatives of current Government has given a big boost to adopting newer technologies for ensuring full efficiency of their policies and efforts. One major project of the Government being PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) which bundles three latest technologies, namely; Digital Data Management, Video Conference and Geo-Spatial technologies. PeopleLink being a pioneer and the leading Video Conference player is offering its visual capabilities to the Government for integrating with their state / central public programs to make them more effective. Various Institutions are also using the platforms for review of projects and to measure the reach of their public policies and schemes.

PeopleLinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest deployment of Video Connectivity for Smarter Governance PeopleLink is presently deploying, which can be called as the largest deployment of

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

INDUSTRY VIEW

18,000 port video collaboration platform for the Government of Rajasthan. The solution shall spread over 32 districts of Rajasthan covering the entire state to be virtually connected. This ambitious 5 Year project aims at the criticality of adopting visual collaboration by the government for an efficient people reach out strategy and for effective governance. These projects help empower the people and get them closer to the government for efficacious grievance management, while the government uses the platform for making its departments more agile and connected for an inclusive growth of the state.

Video enabling of Public services to be the new normal PeopleLink has been providing its technological edge to various departments engaged in public service, empowerment, grievance redressal and their farthest ‘reach out’ to ensure a sustainable mode of communication with the Government. There are various schemes being run by the Government which need a channel to reach the remotest of villages for an Inclusive growth. Our solutions are capable of providing the platform custom suited for various departments to employ their own branded video enabled services important for nation building.

54 egov / egov.eletsonline.com / OCTOBER 2016

The company is working on a very ambitious project of e-mulakat, one of the largest and most comprehensive video conference project which shall be entirely customized and based on the needs of the department. The project outlines Government platforms which shall be implemented at different Pragya Kendras (CSC) Video enabling the Education & Healthcare platforms as the primary responsibility After a thorough evaluation of different needs

of the above verticals, PeopleLink initiated a comprehensive platform for Education and Healthcare respectively. The solutions are video enabled to ensure expert availability at all times. Video integration to its Healthcare portal “PeopleCare” and the Education platform “Video enabled LMS” is now taking turns to revolutionizing the way collaboration was ever achieved. These platforms have the potential to defy distances and ensure best practice availability to all. PeopleLink recently implemented one of the largest Video deployments for IIT Gandhinagar with around 800 Port connectivity. The Institutions of Higher Education have been making use of these visual capabilities for conducting much engaging learning sessions virtually. “Digitization has indeed become a necessity for achieving a holistic growth for any Institution, State or Country. Various Governments are adopting this technological edge to bring transparency, effectiveness of their Institution and a strong communication medium to connect with their people more seamlessly. There is an upward trend of customization to have right fit and Intuitive solutions addressing the needs of people from different wakes of life.” said Abhishek Pratap Singh, Head Marketing at PeopleLink. (Views and opinions expressed in this article are of the company. eGov is not responsible for its authenticity)

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / AJOY KUMAR SINGH

Ajoy Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Higher, Technical Education & Skill Development shares state government’s plans to improve the technical and higher education scenario of Jharkhand. In conversation with Harshal Yashwant Desai & Gautam Debroy of Elets News Networks (ENN)

Changing Higher Education Scenario

in Jharkhand

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AJOY KUMAR SINGH \ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

he Government of Jharkhand has taken several initiatives in the areas of skill development and higher & technical education. Will you please elaborate on this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially the challenges?

The major challenge for the state, at this moment, is the access to higher and technical education. Against the national average of 23 Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), we have only 13 GER in the state. In terms of deficit of number of colleges in higher education, we have college population index of 8 viz-a- viz national average of 26. So, in order to match the national average, we require 692 national colleges. Similarly, we require 80 polytechnic colleges and 26 engineering colleges to match the national average. It clearly indicates that there is a large deficit of national colleges in the state and in order to address this crucial issue, the government has planned to construct and open about 100 new

Technology is a greatest enabler. It provides e-learning platform in higher and technical education. We have taken initiative of making all our campuses Wi-Fi enabled engineering, degree and polytechnic colleges in near future. We are also encouraging private institutions as government alone canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fulfill this gap. So, we have notified model guidelines for setting private universities. Due to our effort, recently three new universities namely, Amity, Pragya and ISEC have opened their academic session this year. So, in the last 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 months, we have open three new private universities. We have also open Raksha Shakti University which is a government institution. We are also trying to increase the access of higher education by running second shift in several colleges.

What about the quality of education? What are the new

changes the government will be bringing about in near future? Technology is a greatest enabler. It provides e-learning platform in higher and technical education. We have taken initiative of making all our campuses Wi-Fi enabled. The project has already been initiated by the department of higher education and skill development. In the first phase, we are going to enable about 5 varsity and 30 colleges in the state. We are also planning to upload video and audio lectures on websites. Further, we are also in the process of building e-library. There is a huge gap between industry requirements and what we are teaching in colleges. Students who have passed are not getting jobs. In

OCTOBER 2016 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov

SPECIAL INTERVIEW / AJOY KUMAR SINGH

OPPORTUNITIES IN JHARKHAND FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION l Opening and Management of New Engineering / Polytechnic colleges on PPP mode l Industry – Academia tie-up l MOUs to develop COEs and t-SDIs for Skill Development / Improving Quality in Technical Education l State has received proposals from Siemens, PTC, Samsung to setup COEs l State to provide grant to existing Private engineering colleges to improve infrastructure

order to address this issue, we are changing the course curriculum. We have instructed varsities to change the curriculum so that we can bridge the gap between industry and academic. We are also encouraging tie-ups between universities and industries. We have already signed MoU with Cisco, Oracle and Tata and we are soon going to sign MoU with Siemens. These companies will be bringing new software, technology and solutions to provide better education to our students. It will enable students to get immediate jobs for the students. We are also incorporating skill development certificate courses in our colleges for all. These courses will get integrated in our education systems so that students study-

ing in regular courses can get relevant handson experience to help them while working in industry. The role of private institutions is certainly important. What the incentive the government is offering to these institutions? We will be offering the land to such institutions on the government cost. For engineering and polytechnic colleges, government will construct the infrastructure and hand them over to private players to run the colleges. There are plans for some other incentives for private institutions – these will be revealed in due time. Education and skill development is a major thrust area and it is certainly the major focus area for the government. Through our road shows, we have received several proposals – from big corporate sector to improve the education level in the state. As mentioned earlier, we have already signed MoU with private technology players.

OPPORTUNITIES IN JHARKHAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION l Opening New Private Universities as per notified guidelines (recent ones – Amity, AISECT and Pragyan l Industry – Academia tie-up: COE Incubation centres l State has initiated enabling Wi-Fi campuses for college/ institutions l Partnering with state govt. for skill courses in colleges l Establishing campuses of Foreign universities/technical institutions

Will you also comment on foreign investment in education in Jharkhand? We know some local players are planning to bring foreign investment in education and skill development areas, but nothing concrete has come to us so far.

What are the major challenges for improving higher and technical education in the state? Access, Equity and Excellence – are the three major features for higher and technical education. However, for us – at this point – the greatest challenge is to increase the GER. It is 13 and we need to take it to 32 by 2022. Further, improving the employability is another area which needs to be focused on. We need to produce students which can directly be deployed by the industries.

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