ITDA – Information Technology Development Agency
Uttarakhand, from its very inception, understood the importance of Information Technology and took the necessary initiatives, including setting up of the IT Park in Dehradun. Since then, the state has been working hard to find its niche in this new age technology. The various domains are being sought to be covered so that every opportunity can be investigated as it emerges. Here is a brief glimpse of the ongoing efforts.
By PARUL SINGHAL
Project Manager, ITDA
Who we are: The ITDA is an independent and autonomous body to guide and monitor various projects and provide expert inputs, monitor, evaluate and execute State’s IT initiatives and projects under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
What we do: ITDA oversees the existing and future technologies in government departments and its delivery of online services to the public. It has responsibilities of Information Technology strategic planning, policy formulation, projects completions and supervision.
ITDA proudly owns a state-of-the-art Data Centre serving all the IT requirements of government departments of Uttarakhand.
What matters to us: ITDA encourages the use of IT in the Government not only as a tool for management and decision support systems but also to re-engineer the processes of the government to provide a more efficient, transparent, accountable and responsive government to its citizens and also attempts to upgrade the quality of life of citizens of the State by facilitating easy access to consumer applications of IT. ITDA encourages IT as GDP driver by promoting IT industry in the State, developing the State as an attractive IT destination with a view to generating employment for youth in this sector thereby raising their earning capacity and simultaneously realizing the export as well as domestic revenue potential in this sector.
Our vision is to have the State of Uttarakhand fully digitized – a networked society where information flow and access across all sections of the society, enabled through effective ICT infrastructure, would propel the economic growth of the State, leading to a very high quality of life of its citizens.
Our Mission is to ensure that critical government services and IT infrastructure are available in remote areas of Uttarakhand and also to assist the citizens in overcoming educational, technological and economic challenges associated with availing government services.
How we do it:
Below is the list of projects undertaken by ITDA:-
SWAN (State Wide Area Network): The main purpose of this network is to create a dedicated Closed User Group (CUG) network and provide a secured and very high-speed connectivity for Government functioning and connecting State Headquarters, Block Headquarters, District Headquarters.
DARC (Drone Application and Research Centre): DARC provides a platform where experts in drone technology can share their knowledge and skill on design, utilization and applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).Its objective is to help government officials, on field officers, individuals and organizations understand the revolutionary benefits of UAS technology, and gain the skills to implement drone (UAV) technology safely and effectively in their workplaces and wider enterprises.
E- District: It is a Mission Mode Project for the state of Uttarakhand funded by Government of India. The scheme aims at providing online citizen centric services to the grass root level.
CM Helpline: This is a State Government Portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform for redressal of their grievances. It also welcomes suggestions and demands raised by the citizen and is capable of providing schemes related information to our citizens and encourage them to avail the service depending upon the eligibility.
State Data Center: Uttarakhand State Data Centre (UKSDC) is set up under theNational e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for the state to consolidate services, applications and infrastructure to provide efficient electronic delivery of G2G, G2C and G2B services.The 3-tier State Data Centre has been developed on the Green Concept to reduce the use of electricity and increase efficiency. It is the first of its kind data-centre in the country; with 100 per centsoftware define Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) Technology.
E-Waste: E-waste management is a holistic approach and the founding pillar of cutting down waste from our mother earth. ITDA has come with a unique idea of using certain artifacts in order to re-use the e-waste materials. Artists upcycle electronic waste into attractive art pieces which is not only eco-friendly but a unique talent as well.
Cyber Security: Cyber security means protecting data, networks, programs and other information from unauthorized or unattended access, destruction or change. In this era where the use of computers has become commonplace, cyber security is a major concern.
E-Office: E-Office is one of the key IT projects which aimed at improving internal efficiencies in an organization through electronic administration leading to informed and quicker decision making, which in turn results in better public service delivery.
UIDAI (Aadhar): The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (termed “Aadhaar”) to all the residents of India. The number is linked to the resident’s basic demographic and biometric information such as a photograph, ten fingerprints and two iris scans, which are stored in a centralized database.
CSC (Common Service Centre): CSCs intends to provide services related Govt, personal and social area from start to end to the rural population. Common service Centre works as Kiosk comprising of basic structure as PC, Scanner, UPS and internet connectivity, with a support of which the services are to be provided to the rural population.
E-Gate Pass: Uttarakhand e-Gate Pass facility enables the citizens to have a smooth and simple process of making a hassle-free appointment and eliminating all the cumbersome and tedious procedure of making a request for an appointment and then visiting the premises. This is a cloud-based application software developed by ITDA with an easy to use graphical interface and embedded with comprehensive security features. It’s a unified and centralized application and can be easily implemented in any Uttarakhand Government offices with minimum customization efforts. It assists in maintaining all-relevant information about the visitor, which is automatically saved in the database.
