Thursday, September 29, 2011

Visit to e-Gram Kendra in Mehsana District

Visited  an e-Grama Kendra of Government of Guajarat in Mehsana District. e-Gram kendras are the Common Service Centres established in Gujarat though the model is different. 

The e-grama kendra was located in a village about 44 kms north of Gandhinagar in Mehsana District. There is a computer, a laser printer , a dot matrix printer and a web cam installed in the e-Gram kendra. The connectivity is provided through a Airtel VSAT connection.  The entire equipment at the e-gram centre is provided by the State Government. The e-gram centre  is run by a village entrepreneur who earns his income through providing services through the e-Gram centre. The Village entrepreneur is selected by the Village Panchayat to run the e-gram kendra.

Currently only land record copies and electricity bill payment services are available through the e-Gram kendra. The e-Gram kendra earns about 700 Rs. through electricity bill collections - about Rs. 5/- per bill which is generated bi monthly and about Rs. 700 through providing copies of land records. 

The entrepreneur earns additional income of Rs. 2000/- or so through providing other services like submitting job applications through the Gujarat Government site ojas.guj.nic.in.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Seetaram Yechuri quotes Electronic Delivery of Services Bill during lokpal debate in Parliament

Seetaram Yechuri - Now, I come to the question of Citizens’ Charter.   Again, we are, actually, talking of it as though this is something new that we have brought about.   There are Right to Services  Act that have been passed by five States in our country already.  They are Bihar, J & K, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.   They  are proposed in  Jharkhand, Kerala and Rajasthan.   I was surprised to see, Sir, -- the hon. Chairman of the relevant  Committee is not here at this moment –the other day, on the Internet,  the  draft Electronics Services Delivery Bill.  It was also written that citizens may send their responses to Abhishek80.gov.in by 4 th  of May, 2011.  It is in the public domain.  In public domain, there is a Bill of 2011 called  Electronic Services Delivery Bill.  The scope of the Bill, actually, says, that  every competent authority of the appropriate Government shall publish (i)all the public services of the Department/Agencies or Body  which have to be delivered through electronic mode – that is the mode that all of us, surely, should move to; this applies to all; then, (ii) the date by which these services shall be made available;  (iii) the manner of delivery of such services and their service levels and this is most important (iv) the grievance redressal mechanism available to  any person  aggrieved about the outcome  of any request made by him for such service...   This is there.   Your Bill is in public domain.  You are discussing it.  I do not know why the Government is not even referring to the fact that this mechanism has already been proposed by this very Government.   You already have a mechanism that you have proposed.  It is there in the public domain.  Either the left hand of the Government does not know what the right hand is doing, or, the Government  itself is not realizing that  what it is, actually, doing.  So, such a mechanism  has already been suggested  by it.   So, if it can be brought into the framework of the Lokpal saying that such a mechanism is there,  very good.  You can bring it. But the point is  that such a mechanism is, absolutely, necessary.