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| RDD, IT Deptts ignore CM's orders | | CIC project in limbo | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Jan 5: Aimed at bridging the digital divide between the State and other parts of the country, the Community Information Centres (CIC) across the State have been rendered dysfunctional with the State's departments of Rural Development and Information Technology sleeping over the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's directions to devise a plan for utilizing their services.
According to sources, 210 operators were engaged in the 135 CICs established after being funded by the Central Government since year 2004 apart from construction of State of the art buildings equipped with latest ICT infrastructure. The Project was later taken over by the State Government in March 2009 as envisaged in the MoU between the State and Central Governments. However, amid administrative apathy, the Centres have been rendered dysfunctional apart from wastage of services of highly qualified technocrats. Moreover, the computers and other equipment have not been upgraded since their installation, thus making it obsolete with passage of time, the sourced said.
As per official records, the Chief Minister, while chairing a high level meeting in May last year, had directed the two departments to come up with a joint working model for 135 CICs established at block headquarters across the State. He had also directed the authorities to ascertain the working model of North Eastern States where reportedly, the CIC operators have been regularized by the State Governments. However, despite passage of 8 months, the departments of Rural Development and Information Technology have been sleeping over the issue, in clear disregard for the Chief Minister's directions.
Significantly, the meeting was also attended by Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar, State Chief Secretary Madhav Lal apart from top officials of the Planning, Rural Development and Information Technology departments.
Ironically, it took 3 months for the Director Rural Development Kashmir to seek inputs from various district officers which is evident from a letter shot by the officer to the concerned officials on July 4, 2012, a copy of which lies with ET.
Surprisingly, after failing to get any response from officials, the Director once again shot a letter on Dec 4 to the concerned Assistant Commissioners Development of all districts reprimanding them for failing to furnish the requisite information, which yet again failed to generate any response. Finally, the Director was compelled to convene a meeting with the operators of the Community Information Centres on Dec 31, 2012, to get requisite information on present status of the Centres apart from seeking suggestions pertaining to the future prospect of the Centres.
Pertinently, the basic idea of establishing CICs was to bring in e-governance at block levels and keep generated information available to the people for various purposes in the process of development. These Centres were also to act as data banks and digital route for filing reports and receiving information by various agencies including farmers in rural and backward areas. |
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