Guest Column
"NIC is our Partner for e-Governance since the creation of the State…"
Sh. J. B. Tubid
How would you describe the role played by ICT in the overall progress of the Home Department, Govt. of Jharkhand?
J.B.T. : Keeping all the information at the command level is very important. It improves decision making capability which is important in the background of law and order scenario in the state. ICT plays an important role in this.
What role do you perceive for Information Technology in the overall modernization of the Police Department, which is going on in the state?
J.B.T. : Manpower, inventory management and Flow of information. The modernization of the Police force is under progress and ICT is going to play a leading role in it. Manpower and inventory management is very crucial in this regard. Moreover with the advent of digital era the flow of information has also assumed greater significance. I hope with greater use of IT in the Police we will be able to achieve our objectives
CCTNS is a mission mode project under NeGP of Govt. of India. The project aims to make citizens friendly functioning of the police for improving the delivery of citizen centric services for effective use of ICT. How do you plan to roll out CCTNS project in the state and also what is your time frame in this regard?
J.B.T. : Time frame has been fixed for CCTNS Project. One should follow the time frame. Training of manpower is very important component of this project. Awareness of the people about the scheme will definitely help in making the Project people centric.
Prison Management System (PMS) and Visitors Management System (VMS) has been implemented in all the Jails of the state. What impact & benefit do you see after implementation of the project?
J.B.T. : PMS is basically for the officials, managing the Jails. Approx. management of 15000 plus prisoners is important. Rolling out various welfare measures, Compliance of Act and rules etc are mandatory requirement.
VMS is for the public. The system Improves transparency and checks corruption efficiently. Relatives of poor prisoners are most benefited with the implementation of the system.
Hon'ble Chief Justice, Smt. Gyan Sudha Mishra , inaugurating the VC facility at Khunti Civil Court
Govt. of Jharkhand has implemented Video Conferencing between district courts and Jails throughout the state to speed up the cases of under trials. What benefits do you perceive about the project?
J.B.T. : Time, Money and Security. The VC between district Court & Jails of the state has reduced the time with respect to prisoners presentation in courts. Thus more and more cases are taken up leading to quick disposal of cases. The security issues related to prisoners, has also been reduced greatly and the practice of physically moving the prisoners from Jail to court is almost over thus saving public money also. As per our estimation we could save approx. 100 Crores of Rupees since the inception of the project.
N.B. : The VC facility between district civil court and jail was implemented by NIC, Jharkhand on turn key basis for the state government.
Recently Govt. of Jharkhand has bagged two national level awards on use of ICT in Jails as well as connecting them with courts through VC. Are you satisfied with the achievements and how do you foresee such successful use of ICT in other sectors?
J.B.T. : Continuous efforts with clear targets always give you good results. This is one such scheme. ICT has no boundary. Explore the area and try to find solutions through ICT.
NIC has extended NICNET connectivity to Police Headquarter as well as SP offices at all districts of the state. What is your expectation from NIC/NICNET with respect to further support or cooperation?
J.B.T. : POLNET is working in the state with proved results. CCTNS is going to be installed. NICNET should integrate with the system.
In your opinion what is the overall progress towards e-governance made so far in the state? What has been NIC's contribution towards in helping the state government to meet its objectives?
J.B.T. : NIC is our partner for e-Governance since the creation of the state. NIC is helping the state government at all levels. There are many sectors where NIC should explore the possibility of improving services through ICT. NIC should more proactively take part in the project.
There has been a growing trend to go for partnership with private vendor from IT industry on the Public Private Partnership (PPP Model) for implementation of projects. Do you feel that PPP model has been beneficial for the state?
J.B.T. : PPP models are important for the implementations of the project. While holding hands with the private players one should be careful about the credibility and strength of the partner.
Relationship should be beyond project period so that one can improve upon the existing project. Good PPP projects are being implemented in the state.
You were the first Secretary of the Department of Science, Technology and IT after the formation of Jharkhand state. How do you rate the overall progress of the state with regards to adoption of ICT in various departments since then?
J.B.T. : Departments have become conscious of the importance of ICT. Good projects in areas such as Treasury, Transport, Registration, Land Records, Commercial Tax etc. have been implemented but lots more has still to be done. Feel of good governance must reflect through ICT.