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Journalism of Courage
For a change it8217;s not crime and corruption that8217;s making headlines in Uttar Pradesh. This time it8217;s good news in the form of e-governance.
Many in the government too are unaware of the state8217;s IT achievements. Consider this: UP won the distinction of being the first state across the nation to have the most sophisticated video conferencing setup. Inaugurated on October 2, 2001, the system connects all the districts, the Governor House, CM office/residence. Second, it is one of the few first states in the country to have prepared a fully computerised state budget.
Seventeen departments of the state government dealing directly or indirectly with the public have either completed or are completing their websites. The state8217;s Udyog Bandhu a unit of industries department has come up with its easy to operate website 8212; it has complete information on possibilities of industrial investments, government policies and industries.
8216;8216;With more than 10,000 hits during its trial run of about last two months, the site already has submitted and disposed off over 1,000 applications by investors,8217;8217; says Director Udyog Bandhu Narendra Bhushan.
Next to log on will be Awas Bandhu a unit of Housing Development department, which will connect all 22 Development Authorities to its site, giving residential land details in any of its cities. The website will provide the consumer with accurate land details all over the state. Soon people investing in land in UP, would be able to spot on their computer screens, the exact location of the plots they have bought in any of the residential areas anywhere in the state.
Executing its Information Technology Policy 2004, the UP government has designated National Informatics Center NIC as the prime implementation agency for State-Wide-Area-Networking. The central government has approved a budget of Rs 168.72 crore for it. In April this year government agency UPDESCO signed an MoU with Microsoft at UP Info.com 8212; the first ever IT fair. Under this MoU a 8216;Centre for Excellence8217; has been set up at the UPDESCO with expert consultants.
8220;These consultants will design software and support the government in its e-governance initiatives by extending guidance, advice and technical support,8217;8217; says Zohra Chatterjee, the Principal Secretary Information Technology and Electronics Department.
Many hits
LOKVANI
Bureaucrat Amod Kumar brought Lokvani to the state. 8216;8217;I was impressed with this computerised railway reservation inquiry and wanted to implement the similar service at the village level in other fields as well,8217;8217; he says. Kumar studied similar programmes Janmitra and Gyandoot being run in Jhalawad district of Rajasthan and Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. Lokvani 8211; working as a web-based grievance redressal system in Sitapur 8211; was an instant hit 8211; and not just in the district or state. It received international acclaim as well, winning the National Golden Icon Award and qualifying as an international finalist for the prestigious Stockholar Award.
Encouraged by the success of Lokvani, the government decided to constitute its centres in each district. It8217;s now functional in 40 districts. An apex body Lokvani Uttar Pradesh has also been set up at the state level under the headship of Chief Secretary. And now Managing Director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation IRCTC 8211; PK Goel has shown the Corporation8217;s willingness to use the Lokvani centers for booking of railway tickets.
Even the Public Supply Department PDS is ready to issue a government order to put online all food grain details being supplied to Fair Price Shops, in the Lokvani system. The government is now working on modalities to ensure maximum usage of Lokvanis during the Ardh Kumbh. 8216;8216;This will give important information to tourists,8217;8217; says Chatterjee.
E-GOVERNANCE AT THE CM OFFICE
CM8217;s grievance monitoring system 8211; to ensure timely reminders besides keeping a track of file movement and action taken on public grievances. CM8217;s announcement system 8211; to monitor progress of CM8217;s announcements relating to welfare and developmental schemes.
E-SUVIDHA
After Lokvani, e-Suvidha is the second major computerised citizen-centric service. It8217;s a one-stop destination for service and information of departments and agencies of both the central and the state government in an efficient and transparent way through a chain of computerised Integrated Citizen Service Centers ICSC or e-Suvidha centers and also through electronic kiosks, mobile phones and internet. At e-Suvidha centers, among other things, you can pay electricity and water bills, house tax online.
