Taking lessons from the 2014 floods, a number of government organizations in Kashmir are taking steps towards digitization to become ‘paperless’.While bringing the agencies in tune with the technological advancements, the digitization comes with tech-savvy facilities for the common people.
Among these organizations is State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) which is providing entrepreneurs with Android applications (apps) and SMS tickers to keep them updated with new industrial policies.
According to Amit Sharma, MD, SIDCO the organization is focusing to promote e-governance. “It takes days for the file of an entrepreneur to reach from one room to another. This could be quite frustrating for someone who intends to set up an industry. So we are trying to reduce human interference and completely digitize the records,” Sharma said.
Digitizing and automation of records at SIDCO is being undertaken on war footing, he said.
Sharma said SIDCO has a plan to transform industrial units and offices in its industrial estates into WiFi zones. “We are taking to consultants and bankers so that technology of the department and facilities for the entrepreneurs could be upgraded,” Sharma said.
Commenting on the future plans of SIDCO, Sharma said the state government is mulling to set up a global IT village at Ompura for which Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has given a go ahead.
Second such agencies is Srinagar General Post Office (GPO), which is adapting to new technological changes.
G R Parray, Senior Post Master said the Core Banking Solution (CBS) introduced in April, is helping to digitize the records leading to ‘minimum use of paper’.
“The main server of CBS is in Chennai. CBS allows a depositor of the post office to make online transactions at any post office,” Parray said.
In BSNL, the process of scanning important documents and preserving them in digital format has been in progress for last about six months.
“The billing data with the exchange is also being preserved in digital ways. Most bills are now generated through SMSes and e-mails,” an official in the corporation said.
Pertinently, BSNL lot extensive record pertaining to its customers in the floods last year.
The company in the post-flood period recollected and reconstructed the record.
Having learnt a lesson from the floods last year, J&K State Agro Industries Development Corporation at Lal Mandi here is busy digitizing all accounts data. “All records post-2000 are being fully computerized,” an official said.
He said in the second phase sales, sale bills and challans of the department would also be computerized.
Private IT firms which mostly provide tech support to government organisations are unhappy with the ‘poor payment schedule’ of the state government.
Mehraj Gulzar, Chairman, Information Communication Technology Association (ICTA) said that payments of IT firms which computerised the ration cards for CAPD are still pending.
“The initiative of government departments for digitization of records is a positive step. All low key projects for digitization must be handed over to local IT vendors with time-bound payments,” Mehraj said.
