Bhairab Jyoti Handique, now a Sanwad Kendra operator (SKO) of block Demow under Sivasagar District, a post graduate in computer applications, had been seeking a job for the last four years. To his dismay all his efforts went in vain due to the shrinking government sector job opportunities. But with the initiation of the Sanwad Kendra (SK), as part of the e-governance initiative of the district administration, Bhairab and many others like him have now found a steady income of nearly Rs 10, 000 a month.

Preceding the initiation of Sanwad, problems like inordinate delay, corruption, unaccountability and red tapism were serious problems in the system. People did not have an easy access to information related to programs and schemes run by the government, they were unaware of the policies and their implementations. The employees were de-motivated, insensitive and non-responsive to the public. Complex processes and lengthy procedures had limited the effectiveness, speed and quality of the service delivery; and an effective monitoring mechanism was not in place.

The Objective
The main objective of the project was to deliver a reliable, time-bound and transparent system with the use of ICT, that might be devoid of corruption, inconveniences, and harassment, with the help of private kiosks at a nominal fee. Internet facilities through kiosks were intended to open new avenues of online business and accelerate the economic transformation of the rural economy, and also help the administrator to check the overlapping of schemes and monitor the implementation effectively. The Sanwad project was also implemented to help plan better management of available resources.

Implementing Sanwad
A Sanwad Society headed by the deputy commissioner was registered under the Registration of Society Act, and was made responsible for implementation, monitoring, and supervision of the project. Locations were notified for opening of SK in different parts of the district. Interested candidates with minimum qualification of diploma or certificates in computer applications were interviewed and selected as SKO.

The budgeted cost of setting up a SK with computers, printers, digital cameras, etc, was estimated to be Rs 75, 000. Of which the initial investment of SK operators was for Rs 25,000; another Rs 25,000 was provided by SBI as loan, and the remaining amount of Rs 25,000 was provided by GAIL India as a grant to the operators.

The project Sanwad has evolved from the grassroot level rather than having been designed by IT firms that are generally not best placed to design suitable solutions for local needs. Presently, fifty three kiosks located in different parts of the district are offering various services to the citizens.

The SK offers a vast range of services viz delivery of certificates pertaining to permanent resident, caste, senior citizen, land record, gram panchayat-wise directory of government schemes, online public grievance registration, online land record data, Internet services, district repository, e-commerce, and offline services.

Hurdles in the Way
The biggest challenges faced while implementing Sanwad were: the acceptance to change in the working environment, and the lack in computer learning attitude of the staff of the district collector and sub-divisional officers (DC and SDO) office. Dr KK Dwivedi, IAS, the then deputy commissioner, Sivasagar and the person behind the movement says, The resistance against the change and the acceptance of a new working environment by the officers and the staff were the biggest challenge. Financial constraint, infrastructural limitation, and legal restriction on the online delivery of the certificates were limiting the effectiveness of the project. But our vision was to set up at least one kiosk in every village. Such kiosks will be a knowledge center and a point of business in the village, deploying better infrastructure, value added and extended services, and professionally managed by experts. The other problems were related to infrastructure and poor Internet service in the district.

To overcome these challenges the dusty, gloomy, and highly bureaucratic office of the DC was modified to a center of excellence. Modern cubicles and partition boards were installed, and the office ambiance was given a corporate look. All the branches of the DCs office were computerized and all the computers were connected through LAN. The dealing assistants and officers were imparted training on computer application, e-governance processes and procedures, team work, motivation etc. Hence, one can see that a strong team of dedicated officials has been built to ensure reliable support and back up services under the project.

Effectiveness of the Project
On visiting the Sanwad Kendra one cannot ignore the magnitude of change that has taken place. The movement is gaining popularity as transparency and accountability have come in the system.

Rekha Kalindi, one of the workers of the Tea Garden, says, Earlier I had to go to the DC office to get PRC for my son; and was forced to spend Rs 100 as bus fare, and at the same time loose my wage for the day. And even upon reaching, most of the time, officers and staff were not to be found in the office. Sometimes I would have to bribe the officers. Once, I spent more than Rs 300 to get the certificate. But since the initiation of the Sanwad Kendra, I get the same by spending only Rs 20 without loosing my livelihood and daily wages. The smile and contentment on her face tells the story of the success of Sanwad. She is just one many of the locals that the project has helped.

Project Sanwad is the first of its kind in the entire north-east region. Service delivery systems have become more efficient, responsive, transparent, and faster. Now people are not required to visit government offices, stand in long queues, pay bribes, face harassment and bear inconveniences. The project has become an efficient delivery channel for rural development, enriching the social capital, empowering people and converting village population into a vibrant economic organization.

Viewing the Future
In view of the increasing popularity and success of the project, several teams from various districts have already visited the kiosks to study the project for implementation in other places. The Tinsukia district has already replicated the project. The state government of Assam, considering the projects success, has decided to replicate this project in all the districts of Assam.

The future holds visions of kiosks connected to enhanced VSAT services and upgraded to encompass videoconferencing, e-business and e-commerce. Every village will have at least one kiosk with expanded and more value added services. These kiosks will be developed as knowledge centers and business points in the village, with better infrastructure, managed by professionals and experts. Touch screen kiosks will be installed at different places and a service-monitoring mechanism will be integrated with IVRS facility.

Sandeep Sharma
sandeeps@cybermedia.co.in

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