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About US Information Technology is a very important tool in the development of Society and has become the driving force in the growth of Economy worldwide. IT initiatives have resulted in improving core infrastructure and providing better services to the citizens. IT has come a long way in changing the life of the common man at the grass-root level. It has been the endeavour of the Government to provide better services to all citizens including those citizens living in far flung areas. IT plays a pivotal role in the development of any society and in a vibrant State like Jammu and Kashmir which has a plethora of languages and diverse culture, IT assumes a greater significance. The Information Technology Department of Jammu and Kashmir which was created in the year 2002 is at present in the process of creating an independent Directorate of Information Technology with a team of technically skilled persons. This is being done keeping in mind the several projects (State as well as Central) which are in the pipe line under the IT Sector. The Information Technology Department of J&K is already executing the following Projects in the State: Community Information Centre (CIC Project): The Community Information Centre (CIC)is the combination of PC based citizen-kiosk with content enabling citizen centric services, e-Governance learning and e-Commerce. Under this project a Community Information Centre is established in every Block of the State. In Jammu and Kashmir so far 121 CIC have already been established out of the total 135 Blocks in the State . Each CIC is provided with the following infrastructure:
SmartGov means Simple Moral Accountable Responsive and Transparent Government. It is a Lotus based Software application developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is aimed at automating the process of work flow in the Secretariat. SmartGov has been customised by the TCS exclusively for working of J&K State Secretariat and has been implemented on the LAN at Jammu and Srinagar Secretariat. In addition to maintaining movement of files electronically, this project also offers mailing facilities (Intranet), Knowledge Bank of important Rules / Regulations / Government Instructions / Acts and Policies. The TCS continues to provide hand-holding support for the Project which was implemented in the year 2002. NeGP (National E Governance Plan) NeGP is a programme of the Government of India , aimed at improving the quality, accessibility and effectiveness of Government Services to citizens and businesses with the help of Information and Communication Technology. It is a national level initiative which proposes rapid development of select “Mission Mode Projects” and creation of a National IT backbone for fast , reliable, and efficient flow of Data. Further it envisages to provide citizen services through creation of Common Service Centres and also the creation of Internet Portals for accessing Government information and services. SWAN (State Wide Area Network): As part of its initiative to implement the NeGP in the State, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, proposes to setup a State Wide Area Network (SWAN). The SWAN envisages the connectivity of all Government Offices within the State on a common, High Speed Data Network. This Intra-State Network is then to be connected to the National Network. This shall enable the modernisation of Communication infrastructure with an aim to improve Administrative efficiency thus improving quality of service to the common man . Video conferencing is changing the way Government does business. It brings decision makers together face to face wherever they are across the State, country and world. Experts from remote locations can interact with each other in real time. The Information Technology Department in collaboration with the NIC Unit of J&K plans to establish Video Conferencing in all major Government offices of the State. As a step towards this the facility of Video Conferencing is being established in the Office of the District Development Commissioners in all Districts in the State. 6 out of the existing 14 Districts in the State have already been covered and in the next phase eight remaining Districts are being taken up. In addition Video Conferencing is also being established in the Offices of Hon’ble Chief Minister in the Secretariat and in the Raj Bhavan at Jammu and Srinagar. Other Projects: In addition to the above mentioned projects, the IT Department is also executing the following Projects in the State:
Infrastructure and Manpower The Information Technology Department is presently housed in Secretariat premises wherein at Jammu a separate IT Enclave has been constructed and at Srinagar a similar IT Enclave is proposed to be constructed shortly.
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