New Delhi, 05 Jun 2006
Uttaranchal is ready to pole vault ahead of other Indian states by embarking on an ambitious statewide e-governance project, with a little help from Singapore.
In a surprise decision, the Himalayan state has awarded a Singapore-based IT solutions firm Rs 8-crore-contract to build a Citizen data Vault to store statistical and biometric data of its eight million citizens. Sources said it overlooked Indian IT firms due to the proven track record of the firm CrimsonLogic which has successfully executed several e-gov projects in Singapore.
CrimsonLogic will design, develop and implement the Vault and develop a statewide public key infrastructure (PKI) for the secure delivery of e-governance services to Uttaranchal’s citizens and its businesses.
The Vault will serve as Uttaranchal’s central data hub and the single source of citizen data for all its 109 government departments. It will help standardize the way citizen information is recorded and presented, as well as give the state government better management and control over this centralised data.
This is the largest IT project undertaken by Uttaranchal government with private help and will be implemented by the end of the year on a fast track basis.
In the first phase, a state-wide survey of Uttaranchal’s citizens would be undertaken through a multi-purpose household survey, followed by the establishment of the Citizen Data Vault in the next and the distribution of PKI-enabled smart cards to the citizens in the third phase. These smart cards would be used to access e-governance services via Internet or public kiosks.
According to company executives, a household survey has already commenced in the two municipal corporations of Rishikesh and Almora. It involves recording of such statistical information as address and number of dependents living in a single household as well as biometric data such as an individual’s photograph and fingerprints which are recorded digitally before the information is uploaded on the Citizen Data Vault.
When fully implemented by next year, the Vault is expected to reduce service processing and delivery time from months to a matter of days. The electronic processes are expected to significantly cut down paperwork and bureaucratic procedures, catapulting Uttaranchal among frontline states that are busy e-enabling themselves.
In the pilot phase, a group of citizen will be issued PKI-enabled smart cards for accessing select government services. Over a period, all state applications (government-to-citizen and government-to-business) for permits and government schemes and grants, tax payment, and even job registration could be made online using these cards.
“By improving work efficiency and minimizing data discrepancies, this strategic initiative will result in more transparent and effective decision-making processes in government departments. CrimsonLogic is honoured to be a partner of the Uttaranchal government in its journey to transform public services and empower its citizens,” said CrimsonLogic CEO Leong Peng Kiong.
“The Vault will provide one of the key prerequisites of citizen-centric e-governance services – the sharing of information across agencies. This will in turn enable the deep integration of government processes so that e-services can be designed around the lives and needs of citizens. It is envisioned that citizens will enjoy greatly reduced processing times, significantly less paperwork and bureaucracy, and much improved standards of service,” added the company’s director consulting Tan Sian Lip.
CrimsonLogic had earlier in January this year secured a 10-year contract from the Singapore government to develop and operate a new national IT platform for trade and logistics for the city state. Known as TradeXchange, the system is expected to go live in October 2007, and will support an estimated 90,000 registered traders in Singapore
News Source: http://infotech.indiatimes.com
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