Voicing Regional Concerns of Stakeholders in ICT eRajasthan Summit, 18th December, 2009, Four Points by Sheraton, Jaipur Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) along with Department of IT, Ministry of Communication and IT, Government of India, National e-Governance Plan(NeGP), Government of India, as Co-organizers, launched the e-Rajasthan Summit, in association with UN Solution Exchange, Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) as supporting partners. The spotlight was put on Rajasthan initiatives and efforts in bringing about a digitally inclusive society. It highlighted the role of ICTs playing the harbinger of a silent revolution in obscure towns and villages, of acknowledging the efforts and addressing the challenges, and of bringing all stakeholders with common concerns into one platform, the eRajasthan platform. Taking the agenda forward, the eRajasthan Summit, a first in the series of regional conferences, was one step towards this endeavour. Proceedings of the Summit: The one-day eRajasthan Summit aimed at active knowledge sharing, showcasing of existing e-Education, eHealth, eAgriculture, Telecentre, eGovernance and Municipal IT initiatives in the state, deliberated on the way forward, and sought to provide a platform to exchange ideas and promote capacity building. Inaugural address Dr Ravi Gupta, Executive Director, CSDMS and Convener, eRajasthan 2009, provided an overview of the efforts of CSDMS in bringing ICTs closer to the masses. He reiterated that the efforts of CSDMS have consistently been focused on making ICTs more valuable and have delved deeper into finding out ways and means on how ICTs can have an enriching and socially relevant role in society. After having established its reach in the major metros through eINDIA, CSDMS has now proposed to go local through the Regional Summits. Its mandate has to solidify the national efforts of entrenching the constructive use of ICTs across domains. In his inaugural address, Shri Vipin Chandra Sharma, Principal Secretary, Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan, spoke about the value and importance of ICTs in all spheres of development and governance. Economic development, he said, is propelled by the incorporation of technology and advancements and has contributed tremendously towards creating citizen friendly services. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and several other schemes have promoted social security and livelihood for the rural poor. Technology has helped upgrade the system, since the cash transactions have now been converted to bank transactions, ensuring greater transparency and avoidance of fraud dealings. In the field of education, technology enabled learning has made the education system more participatory and inclusive of the needs of the students and teacher fraternity. New innovations have helped achieve great strides in the Rajasthan education sector. eCommerce has gained immensely from technology advancements since all transactions are now made online through the use of ICTs. Land records computerization project in Rajasthan has been a commendable effort that has been implemented at the grass roots. It has proved to be a boon for the villager, citizen, and government revenue officials. The project is successfully operational in 247 Tehsils covering 42,665 villages. The copies of Records of Rights(RoR) are being issued from Tehsil Computer Centre (Apna Khata Center) and also from each District Data Centre. The prime beneficiaries under this project are all land holders whose revenue records can be viewed on a click from tehsils/cyber kiosks/Internet. Thus the State of Rajasthan has and will be using the tremendous ICT potential to move ahead in the development agenda. Dr Sanjay Tyagi, Centre Head and Additional Director, STPI, Jaipur, emphasised on the potential of smaller cities like Jaipur to use and exploit the ICT potential to transform the State of Rajasthan into a development hub. According to him, Jaipur has immense potential in the IT sector, although it has also lagged behind in several fields. In terms of exports, Rajasthan has a long way to go in contributing towards the total proportion of exports. Majority of the engineers who pass out of the Rajasthan engineering colleges are unemployable. The gap between education and technical skills may be the reason for the decline in the exports industry. Rajasthan needs to recognize its strengths and weaknesses and act on it to address key concerns. STPI has been acting as a mediator for several eGovernance projects in Rajasthan. It has brought about a revolution in the IT sector. Rajasthan has tremendous potential in eGovernance and other domains. It is for the state government to be willing to exploit these potential and achieve new heights for the state. Dr S N Ambedkar, Regional Director, Indira Gandhi National Open University Regional Centre, Rajasthan stated that the state has a literacy rate of only 60%. Some of the reasons for the same include: Rajasthan’s population density of 165/ km2 which is half that of the national average of 313/ km2; Climate conditions and lack of transport infrastructure; and girls from traditional families with cultural restrictions who are not allowed to go to college in another city/town. One of the ways to meet the needs of the people, especially women in the state of Rajasthan is distance education delivered through ICT. eGyan Kosh has been a repository of learning resources, an initiative taken up by IGNOU to store, index, preserve, distribute and share the digital learning resource for the benefit of the learner community. The facilities of eGyanKosh are now being extended with a flexi learn platform with an ‘open courses’ free of cost, with course wise registration and assessment. Learner centric quality education, skill up gradation, training and capacity building needs to be provided by making use of innovative technologies in distance education. Ashish Garg, Asia Regional Coordinator, Global eSchools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) highlighted the role of GeSCI in providing equitable access to knowledge, and the ability and capacity to create and share knowledge for society’s overall development. GeSCI’s work has been guided by the principle of knowledge building and sharing – a principle that helps developing countries build their own knowledge and innovation institutions and structures. School Education Integrated Use of ICT in Education Pedagogy: The Blended Learning Approach School Education in Rajasthan has been fraught with several challenges. Problems of teacher absenteeism and inadequate community participation have led to greater illiteracy among the girl child, school drop-out and illiteracy. In this view, the school education forum deliberated on: Ways to integrate technology in the education pedagogy to make it more inclusive and participatory for students; Methods of making ICT enabled school curriculum move towards a more democratic framework; Theoretical and practical learning...has technology enabled us to develop a framework for sustainable approach towards teaching and learning? Chair: Ashish Garg, Asia Regional Coordinator, Global eSchools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) Panelists: Dr Ravi Gupta, Director, Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies; Safeena Hussain, Executive Director, Foundation to Educate Girls; Dr Manju Gupta, Regional Director, NIOS Regional Centre, Rajasthan; Nitesh Mathur, Project Manager, Networking Academy, CISCO; M D Sivankar, Managing Director, Rajasthan Knowledge Corporation Limited. Key Discussion Outcomes: Ashish Garg opened the session by highlighting the glaring need for incorporating and addressing region specific requirements in education. Rajasthan has a history of knowledge for production. Need for inclusive education is a crucial agenda which needs to be taken up on an urgent basis. According to Ashish, use of ICTs in school learning should not just limited to computer knowledge but also include blending the use of technologies to make learning more interactive and participatory. According to Safeena Husain, reforming the existing education system to bridge the gap between the education being imparted in private schools and government schools is important. The need is to work with local governments and parents in order to promote a feeling of community ownership towards education. EGG is the catalyst that empowers parents, teachers and the local administration to move forward, together. The objective has to be to make the schools work for girls and to ensure that no school-age girl is out of school. Dr Ravi Gupta was of the opinion that the mind of the learner needs to be explored to incorporate specific needs of the target group into education. Technology in education is important but at the same time, it is important to understand the learners' mind. The Right to Education Bill is an importanat milestone, although the actualization of the objectives of the same is of great significance. Implementation of education policies in all states requires understanding of regional biases and preferences. It has to be need specific and location specific. Sharing and dissemination of knowledge requires understanding of the local ethos and customs. Manju Gupta reiterated the commendable work being done by NIOS in using technology for educating the students. The Distance Education Programme is engaged in capacity building of educational institutes in all states, such as State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) etc. with the objective of improving quality of education at the elementary level by evolving strategies for continuous training of teachers and other functionaries. Hence, the main focus has be to evolve a sustainable training system for continuous professional development. M D Shivankar explained the role of RKCL in creating a network of training centres in order to address the capacity building requirements. They have trained more than 50000 people. RKCL has been set by Government of Rajasthan along with other partners with an aim of creating an institutional mechanism which will help in developing talented and skilled youth that can be absorbed in the IT/ITES sector and for spreading digital literacy by establishing its network of IT Gyan Kendras across the state. RKCL has 10 Program Support Agencies and has a network of 1370 computer centers, named as IT Gyan Kendra (IT-GK) which are fulfilling the motive of spreading IT literacy across the state. According to Nitesh Mathur, the Internet and education are the great equalizers of the next century, creating enormous opportunities for people and countries that succeed in harnessing the power of information and knowledge. The advent of globalization, has juxtaposed the prowess in IT with strong educational system and networks for bringing about an ICT revolution. As a response to these global needs Cisco Networking Academy has taken the call to adopt capacity building programmes in Rajasthan - a highly successful alliance between Cisco, education, business, government, and communities. Some of Cisco’s other initiatives in Rajasthan include the introduction of the ‘ITE PC Hardware and Software’ Course in Hindi to reach out to the rural masses in the hinterland. Higher Education: Restructuring the Education Agenda to Make it Digitally Inclusive The Indian Higher Education segment is making great strides in integrating technology into education. The distance education mode has particularly incorporated technology into its teaching-learning patterns with the objective of reaching out to a diverse range of student population. This has been particularly useful for the student population living in the far and difficult terrains of Rajasthan. The Higher Education session mulled on issues including: The new practices that can be assimilated to ensure that students get better and affordable access to higher education; The parameters to ensure quality content dissemination; The international and national models that can be adopted and replicated to meet the technical and vocational needs of employability. Chair: Dr S N Ambedkar, Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Rajasthan Panelists: A M Thimmiya, Member of Academic Senate, DDE, Sikkim Manipal University; Prof. Nutan Bharti, Educational Technology Department, NIIT University, Rajasthan; Dr Sharad Sinha, RIE, NCERT, Ajmer, Rajasthan; RC Chhipa, Coordinator, Doctoral Guidance Committee,SGVU, Jaipur; Anand Mani Shandilya, Manager, Morarka Foundation Key Discussion Outcomes: Dr Ambedkar highlighted that the national agenda seeks to increase the present situation of enrollment into higher education to 11%. Access to higher education and quality content is important. Open courses have a huge potential of serving those who are not being served through the existing higher educational institutions. They provide an effective platform for learners, especially in states like Rajasthan, where the geographical terrain is a major impeding factor. Inclusion as a concept goes beyond just providing access to distance learning. It takes into account the need to interface with the conventional system, use innovative technologies and to optimize the access to physical facilities, intellectual and knowledge resources in institutions to achieve its goals. Dr Sinha highlighted that the regional centres at Ajmer have courses for capacity building and teacher education. The National Curriculum framework recommendations have been well integrated into the education system. Several teacher training programmes have provided for capacity building of teachers. Sufficient infrastructure has to be made available. The CII Macinkesy report has said that only 65% of the Indian graduates are employable. Skills training is the need of the hour. R C Chippa highlighted that by leveraging on ICT, it is possible to teach better to a wider audience, thereby breaking the geographical barriers. Anand Mani Shandilya stated that the Morarka Foundation seeks to provide seamless, hassle free and low cost communication between the producers and consumers through an integrated IT-ICT platform has been developed, with great amount of cooperation and assistance from IT Service Providers. It has set up a Knowledge Management Centre utilizing almost every means of communication to deliver information services to the farmers through Helpline. Knowledge Management Centre at Morarka Foundation also known as Contact Centre is currently also providing communication services between the field resources, as well as with experts and managers at the Headquarter. A M Thimmiya highlighted the EduNxt initiative launched by Sikkim Manipal University’s Directorate of Distance Education which aims to provide students with a plethora of resources not possible in the existing physical mode so they learn through collaboration. This has been particularly useful in Rajasthan that has only 20 universities and is not able to cater to all prospective students. Moreover, due to low population density, the Universities may not be able to set up physical campuses across the state. SMU-DE has set up 29 learning centers across the state of Rajasthan. EduNxt is designed to further augment the reach and satisfy the needs of the students According to Prof Nutan Bharti, there has always been a need to integrate technology into education. Synchronous Learning Technology allows students to be connected face-to-face with faculty from across the world. The NIIT University offers a large eLearning library on diverse range of topics with extensive computing facilities, thereby ensuring vast reservoirs of latest knowledge available right at student’s fingertips. The Mtech IT programme is important and is exclusively being carried on in Rajasthan. In this module, all those who are employed are also provided with additional skills. The blended learning approach is used where networks are deployed at different regions. Global students and learners learn while on the job. Stipulated amount of face-to-face teaching takes place and therefore, skills are imparted while on the job. Research is done in such a way that it is usable. Seamless networks are created. Information pedagogy is used and it is put to good use. IT is used to ad cognition and skills addition. Industry linkages are also established to create alliances for student employment. eHealth Session Transforming Healthcare Services through ICT Transforming health care through technology has reached a new era of promise. Through prompt and more accurate diagnosis, less invasive procedures and better treatment options, medical technology is rapidly altering the face of health care. The ultimate benefit that can be achieved from ehealth is a safer and more sustainable health system that is equipped to better respond to the emerging pressures and demands of the health sector. Ensuring prompt availability of patient information to all concerned health authorities will bridge gaps of communication that currently exist in the health ecosystem. Broad use of ehealth will improve healthcare quality and outcomes, increase administrative efficiencies, and decrease paperwork. Once hospital interoperability is delivered, ehealth will not only improve individual patient care, it will also bring many public health benefits including improved tracking of chronic diseases. Speakers: Group Cat. (Dr) Sanjeev Sood, Senior Medical Officer and Hospital Administrator, Indian Air Force, Jodhpur Prateem Tamboli, Deputy General Manager, Escorts Fortis Hospital, Jaipur Dr (Col) R K Chaturvedi, Executive Director, Bhagwan Mahavir Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur. Key Discussion Outcomes: In order to deliberate on the challenges, opportunities and success stories of Rajasthan in using ICT for healthcare, the eHealth session of ‘eRajasthan Summit’ organised a panel discussion with Group Captain (Dr) Sanjeev Sood, Senior Medical Officer & Hospital Administrator, Indian Air Force-Jodhpur; Prateem Tamboli, Deputy General Manager, Escorts Fortis Hospital-Jaipur; and Dr. (Col) R K Chaturvedi, Executive Director, Bhagwan Mahavir Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Jaipur. The tone of the session was set up by Dr. Sood with his theme presentation focusing on latest advancements in use of ICTs in healthcare. While speaking about applications like telemedicine, electronic medical records, clinical decision support systems and mobile-healthcare, Dr. Sood emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in mindset of clinicians in order to actualize the real success of eHealth. Especially, he urged the government to take proactive measures for encouraging the uptake of technology in public health institutions and leverage available ICT tools for addressing rural health services and continued medical education. Speaking at the panel discussion, Mr. Tamboli from Escorts Fortis Hospital-Jaipur underlined the benefit of taking a holistic approach of IT in healthcare organisations and the way his institution is poised to gain from this philosophy. While admitting the IT aversion mindset among clinicians, Mr. Tamboli held to the belief that a strong intent and commitment from senior management holds the key to success of any IT implementation. He proudly held the example of Fortis Hospitals in achieving this fit and expects to reap long term benefits of ongoing investments in IT. Contributing to the panel, Dr. Chaturvedi from Bhagwan Mahavir Cancer Hospital & Research Centre-Jaipur talked about his stupendous work in using telemedicine for cancer treatment and oncology research. Sharing his efforts in this direction, he highlighted the challenges faced for telemedicine practitioner in terms of the cost of connectivity and equipments, and the lack of sustainable business models for long term provisioning of such services. eGovernance eGovernance in Rajasthan: Vision and Strategies for the Future eGovernance has been the way forward for the Rajasthan government to leverage the potential of Information and Communication Technology in order to provide citizens with convenient access and better quality of information and services. The Rajasthan government has prioritised the growth and development of IT and IT enabled services in the state with the objective of taking forward the development agenda. Keeping the paradigm importance of eGovernance in Rajasthan, the panel discussion focused on some of the key measures being taken to promote the same. What have been the eGovernance strategies to promote technologically enabled citizen services in the state? How have the Public Private Partnership models worked in the state? How has technology enabled the process of democratising the governance process, specifically with reference to increasing governance participation from those living in distant and difficult terrains? Moderator: Dr Sanjay Tyagi, Centre Head and Additional Director, STPI, Jaipur Speakers: C D Arah, Chief Information Commissioner, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Executive Director and MD, RajCOMP, Government of Rajasthan; M D Kaurani, Chief Information Commissioner, Rajasthan Information Commission; Indu Gupta, State Informatics Officer, NIC, Rajasthan; Prof M C Govil, Director, Centre for Electronic Governance, Government of Rajasthan Key Discussion Outcomes: The Government of Rajasthan has identified IT and ITeS as a major thrust area for the growth and development of the state. It enunciated an IT policy for Rajasthan in the year 2000 for the first time and has come out with a new IT and ITeS policy for 2006-08; The State Government is taking all possible measures for spreading e-Governance throughout the state, covering all the sectors with a view to provide hassle free, transparent and efficient service to the common man (both in urban and rural areas); For achieving this goal, the government has taken a four pronged approach: Citizen Centric Service Delivery, Back End Computerization, IT Infrastructure Creation, Human Resource Development. The Department of Information Technology & Communications (DoIT & C) was established by the Government of Rajasthan in 1987 under the Planning Department with the key objectives of formulating IT policies, creating IT awareness and providing technical consultancy to the state government departments in their computerization activities. Presently, it functions as a Nodal agency in Government sector to provide well organised and project oriented approach to the computerization activity in the state Government Department. The department is headed by the Director. Rajasthan State Agency for Computer Services (RajCOMP) was established as consultancy and project implementation agency in 1989, to cater to the increasing scope of application of IT in the Government Sector. RajCOMP’s day-to-day working is managed by the Managing Director. The Chief Secretary heads the governing Board of RajCOMP and the Secretary, IT & C chairs the executive body. The Government of Rajasthan appreciated the need to build capacities in various departments from an early stage and as a testimony; about 50 programmers and analysts from Do IT&C have been deputed in various departments to spearhead the computerization and e-Governance initiatives of the department. Therefore, most of the departments have been able to develop in house applications. Some other departments E-governance is a way for governments to leverage the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide people with convenient access and better quality of government information and services and to provide greater opportunities to participate in democratic institutions and processes. The Government of Rajasthan appreciates that a well articulated, realistically achievable vision is the starting point for a comprehensive approach towards implementing e- Governance. A clearly articulated vision statement motivates the stake holders to work towards the achievement of common goals in a focused manner. The Government has therefore, articulated a comprehensive E-Governance vision for Rajasthan in the IT policy 2006-08 The state of Rajasthan would benefit greatly from an overall enterprise IT strategy for achieving the collective business objectives of its departments. An IT Strategy that is based on an overarching business strategy rather than separate, unaligned individual department strategies would allow executive department agencies, constitutional offices, the Legislature and the judicial branch to focus their energies and resources to enhance value and introduce cost-effective operations throughout the government. Such a strategy is essential to create synergy and achieve an alignment between the state’s IT investments and its desired service outcomes for citizens and businesses.