A Welcome Sanwad for Assam

Bhairab Jyoti Handique, now a Sanwad Kendra operator (SKO) of block Demow
under Sivasagar District, a post graduate in computer applications, had been
seeking a job for the last four years. To his dismay all his efforts went in
vain due to the shrinking government sector job opportunities. But with the
initiation of the Sanwad Kendra (SK), as part of the e-governance initiative of
the district administration, Bhairab and many others like him have now found a
steady income of nearly Rs 10, 000 a month.

Preceding the initiation of Sanwad, problems like inordinate delay,
corruption, unaccountability and red tapism were serious problems in the system.
People did not have an easy access to information related to programs and
schemes run by the government, they were unaware of the policies and their
implementations. The employees were de-motivated, insensitive and non-responsive
to the public. Complex processes and lengthy procedures had limited the
effectiveness, speed and quality of the service delivery; and an effective
monitoring mechanism was not in place.

The Objective

The main objective of the project was to deliver a reliable, time-bound and
transparent system with the use of ICT, that might be devoid of corruption,
inconveniences, and harassment, with the help of private kiosks at a nominal
fee. Internet facilities through kiosks were intended to open new avenues of
online business and accelerate the economic transformation of the rural economy,
and also help the administrator to check the overlapping of schemes and monitor
the implementation effectively. The Sanwad project was also implemented to help
plan better management of available resources.

Implementing Sanwad

A Sanwad Society headed by the deputy commissioner was registered under the
Registration of Society Act, and was made responsible for implementation,
monitoring, and supervision of the project. Locations were notified for opening
of SK in different parts of the district. Interested candidates with minimum
qualification of diploma or certificates in computer applications were
interviewed and selected as SKO.

The budgeted cost of setting up a SK with computers, printers, digital
cameras, etc, was estimated to be Rs 75, 000. Of which the initial investment of
SK operators was for Rs 25,000; another Rs 25,000 was provided by SBI as loan,
and the remaining amount of Rs 25,000 was provided by GAIL India as a grant to
the operators.

The project Sanwad has evolved from the grassroot level rather than having
been designed by IT firms that are generally not best placed to design suitable
solutions for local needs. Presently, fifty three kiosks located in different
parts of the district are offering various services to the citizens.

The SK offers a vast range of services viz delivery of certificates
pertaining to permanent resident, caste, senior citizen, land record, gram
panchayat-wise directory of government schemes, online public grievance
registration, online land record data, Internet services, district repository,
e-commerce, and offline services.

Hurdles in the Way

The biggest challenges faced while implementing Sanwad were: the acceptance
to change in the working environment, and the lack in computer learning attitude
of the staff of the district collector and sub-divisional officers (DC and SDO)
office. Dr KK Dwivedi, IAS, the then deputy commissioner, Sivasagar and the
person behind the movement says, The resistance against the change and the
acceptance of a new working environment by the officers and the staff were the
biggest challenge. Financial constraint, infrastructural limitation, and legal
restriction on the online delivery of the certificates were limiting the
effectiveness of the project. But our vision was to set up at least one kiosk in
every village. Such kiosks will be a knowledge center and a point of business in
the village, deploying better infrastructure, value added and extended services,
and professionally managed by experts. The other problems were related to
infrastructure and poor Internet service in the district.

To overcome these challenges the dusty, gloomy, and highly bureaucratic
office of the DC was modified to a center of excellence. Modern cubicles and
partition boards were installed, and the office ambiance was given a corporate
look. All the branches of the DCs office were computerized and all the
computers were connected through LAN. The dealing assistants and officers were
imparted training on computer application, e-governance processes and
procedures, team work, motivation etc. Hence, one can see that a strong team of
dedicated officials has been built to ensure reliable support and back up
services under the project.

Effectiveness of the Project

On visiting the Sanwad Kendra one cannot ignore the magnitude of change that
has taken place. The movement is gaining popularity as transparency and
accountability have come in the system.

Rekha Kalindi, one of the workers of the Tea Garden, says, Earlier I had to
go to the DC office to get PRC for my son; and was forced to spend Rs 100 as bus
fare, and at the same time loose my wage for the day. And even upon reaching,
most of the time, officers and staff were not to be found in the office.
Sometimes I would have to bribe the officers. Once, I spent more than Rs 300 to
get the certificate. But since the initiation of the Sanwad Kendra, I get the
same by spending only Rs 20 without loosing my livelihood and daily wages. The
smile and contentment on her face tells the story of the success of Sanwad. She
is just one many of the locals that the project has helped.

Project Sanwad is the first of its kind in the entire north-east region.
Service delivery systems have become more efficient, responsive, transparent,
and faster. Now people are not required to visit government offices, stand in
long queues, pay bribes, face harassment and bear inconveniences. The project
has become an efficient delivery channel for rural development, enriching the
social capital, empowering people and converting village population into a
vibrant economic organization.

Viewing the Future

In view of the increasing popularity and success of the project, several
teams from various districts have already visited the kiosks to study the
project for implementation in other places. The Tinsukia district has already
replicated the project. The state government of Assam, considering the projects
success, has decided to replicate this project in all the districts of Assam.

The future holds visions of kiosks connected to enhanced VSAT services and
upgraded to encompass videoconferencing, e-business and e-commerce. Every
village will have at least one kiosk with expanded and more value added
services. These kiosks will be developed as knowledge centers and business
points in the village, with better infrastructure, managed by professionals and
experts. Touch screen kiosks will be installed at different places and a
service-monitoring mechanism will be integrated with IVRS facility.

Sandeep Sharma

sandeeps@cybermedia.co.in