Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

E-governance services at people’s doorstep

LUCKNOW: In a move designed to provide e-governance services at people’s doorstep, nearly 17,909 common service centres will be established in clusters of villages across Uttar Pradesh in the next couple of years. This will be done through private service providers.

It is estimated that the common service centres would open up job opportunities for 50,000 jobless youth, particularly the rural unemployed. Information related to animal husbandry, agriculture, trade, tourism, transport and job openings would be available at the service centres.

Since information technology is not available at the block level in the State, a State-wide area network from the Capital in Lucknow to the block level called Uttar Pradesh State Wide Area Network (UPSWAN) would ensure 2 mbps bandwidth connectivity up to the block level. This would be accomplished in the next one year.

In fact, the U.P. Government has several other plans lined up for expanding the information network. According to Principal Secretary (Information Technology) V.N. Garg, the Government has decided to provide e-governance at the district level also. Elaborating, he said, there were 384 sections in the State Secretariat but only one Internet connection was available with the head of the department. Now the Government has decided in principle to provide 384 computers, which would be equipped with Internet connection, Mr. Garg added.

A pilot project, dubbed the e-district project, is also on the anvil. To be funded by the Union Government, the pilot project will cover six districts of Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Sitapur, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad and Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar). Mr. Garg said the e-district project would facilitate in providing e-governance service at the district level. Another project to be taken up with Central assistance is e-procurement , which is the other name for the computerised tendering system for government purchases. Initially, PWD, Irrigation, Medical and Health, Information Technology, Industrial Development and Printing and Stationery departments would be covered by November this year. The remaining Government departments would be covered by January 2009.

Meanwhile, 33 new websites of different Government departments were launched by the State Chief Secretary, P.K. Mishra. Thirteen other departmental websites, refurbished by the UP Development Systems Corporation and National Informatics Centre, were also launched by the Chief Secretary. The new websites have been developed by UPDESCO and NIC.

Mr. Mishra said the objective was to ensure transparency and responsiveness by making available information to the public on the net.

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