Aiming for a paperless office, the Punjab state government is geared to introduce a change in the way that services are delivered. B Purushartha, Special Secretary & Director, Department of Governance Reforms, Punjab, talked about his mission and vision for Punjab with Pupul Dutta
How far has the state of Punjab come in terms of e-governance projects?
Currently, Punjab has adopted two e-districts on a pilot basis at Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar where we have started one service and have about five to six services in the pipeline. In a month, all the services are expected to go live.
Some of our initiatives include issuing learning licenses and certificates online and in a decentralized manner in the transport department. Similarly, in the excise department, the operations have been computerized and put online. The treasury and sub-treasuries, which are over 70, are all online. Every transaction of the treasury including budget preparations are put online.
We have also started an ambitious project of 100% computerization of all the secretariat work for all departments. Although this project will take some time, everything has been put in place and we have started working towards a paperless office. With this, every file will move online and all the correspondence will be online as well.
In the meantime, we have set up a temporary data center. However, we will also build a permanent facility in Mohali by the end of 2012.
Another first from Punjab, is the clubbing of e-governance with governance reforms. We have created a new department of governance reform that will deal with all matters pertaining to reform as well as e-governance. We are taking e-governance initiatives to the village level and, of the 2,200 odd CSCs that are to be established, we have already set up 1,300.
Of the services that have been identified, how many have been brought under the purview of e-governance?
A total of 47 services have been identified to be provided under the e-districts project. We are already running a Suvidha Kendra, which is a single window service delivery model for both application and delivery of services.
Is Punjab well placed when it comes to connectivity?
Punjab has been fortunate when it comes to connectivity. We have two kinds of connectivity, one is the SWAN, which we call the Punjab Wide Area Network or PWAN. This network connects all the government offices from the state level to districts and blocks in a hierarchical system. However, for last mile connectivity and in areas where the PWAN is not present, we have used broadband.
Are you attempting to make CSCs profitable and self sustaining?
CSC is a business model and, therefore, it is imperative that they be competitive not only in terms of delivering government services but also to be able to sustain themselves by coming up with innovative business models. We are allowing CSCs to provide both G2C as well as B2C services. There are a lot of business services including billing for telephone and power etc for which citizens can make payments at these centers.
We understand the issue about CSCs having to be economically viable for the success of this entire initiative. Hence, we are supporting their cause and well being.
Tell us about the roadblocks in the path of e-governance in the state of Punjab.
E-governance is not just about providing computers, it is about changing people’s mindsets, procedures and the way in which the government functions. The mindset is a vital thing that needs to be changed as people are used to working in a particular fashion and now they are being asked to dump their pen and paper and switch to computers. This shift will take some time. You have to take care of the long term development of the program. It’s about long term sustainability.
Can you chart the various e-governance initiatives and your vision for the future?
The Punjab government has enacted the RTI Act wherein timelines for each project have been provided. We have also constituted a second Punjab reform government commission to propose additional reforms.
We are keen on these two issues. We have to make governance more citizen-friendly and effective. Secondly, the root of governance reform is e-governance and, hence, the creation of this new department.
As of the moment, 67 services have been identified under the e-governance plan. In terms of the future, within the next five years, the majority of services will be provided online, more services will be covered under the ambit of the RTI Act and will be provided in a time bound manner. Lastly, we will move from a paper-based workflow to a paperless environment in all of our offices.
