Newtons First Law of Motion is most applicable in the government

Nagaland is mired in administrative and political upheaval, resulting in
Presidents Rule. However, the state secretary to the Governor and secretary IT
and technical education, Abhishek Singh, is not only hopeful but is sure that
the state is well on its way to become a SMART state, climbing the ladder of
development and IT growth. In this interview, he talks at length about why
Nagaland falls short of being an IT destination despite favorable factors like a
good English-speaking population, and how, over the years, the state has worked
diligently to become an e-ready state, putting in place an extensive
infrastructure and inviting IT investors to the upcoming IT park. Excerpts

One of the goals of the state IT policy of Nagaland says, "All government
departments shall be encouraged to implement at least one citizen-oriented IT
enabled service by the year 2005". To what extent has this been achieved?

I must say that it has been partially addressed. Most government departments
with public interface have their own websites. The videoconferencing project was
the first project taken up by the department of IT on its inception and
commissioned in record time in 2004. Under this project, a videoconference
facility has been provided to all the eleven district headquarters, including
the CMs residential office and office of the Resident Commissioner, Nagaland
House, New Delhi. The department has taken up another project to provide VSAT/VoIP
connectivity to all ADC/SDO headquarters not covered by the CIC facility to
provide data and voice communication to facilitate efficient administration in
the state. Under this program, Seyochung, Tuli, Chizami, ATI, Kohima, ICIT
Mokokchung, Kheloshe Polytechnic, Atoizu, and Aboi have been provided with VSAT
connectivity.

In addition to the above mentioned state-funded project, we have also
provided connectivity to thirty-eight sub-divisions through VSAT and LAN
network. With the basic infrastructure in place and projects like SWAN, CSC, the
state data center coming up along with the network of CICs and NIC centers, we
are well placed to offer services for the citizens.

Abhishek Singh, state secretary to the Governor and secretary IT & Technical Education, Government of Nagaland

What is the state governments vision for e-governance, and what are the
major targets the state government has set for the coming five years?

The e-governance vision of the state government, basically, translates to
offering services to the citizens by using the ICT tools, thereby bridging the
distance and remoteness of the state. With the infrastructure in place, we plan
to offer financial services like banking and insurance through our CSCs and
kiosks. Our objective is to not only offer government services but also make the
IT industry sustainable, and target to employ at least 2,500 youth in the next
five years in this sector.

Nagaland shares an international border and has the advantage of a large
section of its population being fluent in English, not to mention a literacy
rate of 67.11%factors that can encourage IT investors into the state. Why has
Nagaland not been able to capitalize on this yet, in a major way?

The basic bottleneck has been infrastructure. We are still in the process of
building the state IT infrastructure. The second issue is that since we have a
poor state of industrialization and agriculture is the main occupation, we do
not have the services sector which can lead to the creation of well-trained
manpower or have companies that can invest in IT and IT enabled services or BPOs.
We have a good English-speaking youth population but lack of investment by IT
companies and inability of local entrepreneurs due to financial constraints have
been hurdles in the growth of the IT industry in Nagaland. Another issue has
been the remoteness of the state from the mainland and the general impression
that people have with regard to the insurgency problem in the state, in spite of
the fact that Nagaland is one of the most peaceful states in the entire nation;
has been for the last ten years.

How would you like to see technology overcome some of the hurdles in
administration and governance, and socio-political differences of the people of
the state?

Technology has to play a key role in overcoming hurdles in administration
and governance. Access to information anywhere and anytime is a major
requirement in the governance and administration, and IT enables that through
the Internet, LAN, and WAN. At IIT, I learnt that the foundation stone of
technology is Newtons First Law of Motion, which states that a physical body
will remain at rest, or continue to move as a constant velocity, unless an
external force acts upon it. And in my service, I realized that this law is
applicable the most in administration and government, where anything and
everything remains in a State of Inertia or Motion till a Force is applied on
it.

How SMART is the state of Nagaland as of now (On a scale of 10)?

SMART in government, for me, is to be Simple, Moral, Accountable,
Responsive, and Transparent. With our present level of e-governance readiness,
we stand rather poorly. However, with new initiatives being planned, we stand to
climb up the ladder fast. I would rate us at 5.

How much of IT investments are you expecting this fiscal in the state?

Major investments in the state will be in the form of NeGP projects like
SWAN, CSC, state data center, e-district, etc. We also have plans of a 100-acre
IT park, where special concessions will be given to IT and BPO companies. If
this plan comes through, we expect quite a lot of investments in view of the
fact that we have an improved and peaceful law and order situation, cool and
green surroundings, good English-speaking educated youthful population and a
very transparent and simple system of functioning. Quantum of investments will
depend on the interest shown by IT companies. We would also like IT companies
that have benefited from policy level concessions given by the Government of
India in the last ten years to have some Universal Service Obligations toward
people of Nagaland and the North East in general.

Shikha Das