Technology to the rescue
- Imphal Times Editorial :: May 26 2020 -

Our state, though nestled on the far fringe of the country with unfriendly hilly terrain to welcome visitors, does not lag much behind in terms of awareness and utilization of available technological developments, and one thing which the people of the state has taken to with gusto, more out of necessity rather than convenience is the information technology or, simply put- IT.

The advent of this amazing technology has indeed changed the way the public view things.

People can now understand a broader perspective of all issues and hence, can form their own informed judgement.

The curiosity and inquisitiveness of the people has also been aroused, leading to a more scientific temper of mind that questions various beliefs.

It has also undoubtedly brought the world closer, thereby easing the frustrations of having to deal with the difficulties of overcoming physical barriers regarding communication and transport, or that inextricable feeling of being sidelined.

While IT is not the panacea to the shortcomings of the society, it is indeed a game-changing aspect, and can be utilized to even effect in our state.

Take for instance the protracted problem of distributing, and more importantly, that of collecting bills for various public facilities being provided by the Government.

How many of us have really seen a water bill in the last decade or so?

And who should we inquire about any matter relating to any Government Department in the state.

The obvious solution in this time and age is to Google, which is possible only if and when the information and details are made available by the Government.

And when online stores are successfully functioning despite the initial concerns regarding the safety of the payment methods, such fears has been proven unfounded.

The whole concept of implementing IT in Governance, as envisaged in the NeGP (National eGovernance Project) Vision, to “Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realize the basic needs of the common man” should be made functional, with additional services included as required to facilitate generation of revenue for the state.

A fully functional Common Service Centre (CSC) implemented under the NeGP formulated by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY- a full-fledged ministry since 19 July 2016, which henceforth is known as the Ministry of Electronics and Technology, bifurcating it from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology) are Information and Communication Technology enabled front end service delivery points at the village level for delivery of Government, Financial, Social and Private Sector services in the areas of Agriculture, health, education, entertainment, FMCG products, banking, insurance, pension, utility payments etc.

The big question is: are these centers functioning as required, or are they just formalities to make up the numbers in the report sheet of the Government?

What steps have the Government taken up to create awareness amongst the public so as to educate them, and ultimately enable them to access the services provided at these centers?

It is clearly evident that there need a lot to be done before such supposedly beneficial services reach the public and make their lives that little more convenient.

A concerted proactive approach to create awareness and to educate the mass on the development activities and services should be carried out to ensure that such beneficial and positive steps are not wasted, especially in the present situation when the normal functioning and social interactions are greatly restricted- a situation which is more than likely to continue in the foreseeable future.