informatics july 2011...volume 20 no.1 july 2011 we would like you to contribute to informatics. you...

InformaticsAN e-GOVERNANCE PUBLICATION FROM NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE

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InformaticsVOL 20 No.1 JULY 2011 ISSN 0971-3409

Information and Communications Technology inElections in India

Information and Communications Technology inElections in India

Efficient e-Governance in RajasthanIntegrated Online DAK Management System

Nagaland Embraces ICT for Good GovernanceICT in Districts: Gadchiroli, Kurukshetra,Kathua, Supaul

CufónMobile e-Governance Services

Efficient e-Governance in RajasthanIntegrated Online DAK Management System

Nagaland Embraces ICT for Good GovernanceICT in Districts: Gadchiroli, Kurukshetra,Kathua, Supaul

CufónMobile e-Governance Services

PatronDr. B. K. Gairola

Editor-in-ChiefNeeta Verma

Regional EditorsVivek VermaR. GayatriAnshu RohatgiPrashant Belwariar

Advisory PanelDr. Y.K. SharmaT.A. KhanDr. Gautam Bose

Editorial BoardDr. Mahesh ChandraDr. Shefali DashB. V. SarmaVinay Thakur

WWW versionLokesh Joshi

Print Co-ordinationA. K. AggarwalAnita Arora

Circulation & DespatchJasvinder KaurManmohan Krishna

Editorial AssistanceAditya Gogoi

Informaticsis Published by National

Informatics Centre, Department

of Information Technology,

Ministry of Communications &

Information Technology,

Government of India

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2007, All Rights Reserved

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EditorialInformaticsVolume 20 No.1 July 2011

We would like you to contribute to Informatics. You cansend your contributions to our State Correspondents orcan also send directly to us at the following address.

NEETA VERMAEditor-in-Chief

Room No-375, 3rd Floor, NIC-HQA-Block, CGO Complex, Lodhi RoadNew Delhi-110 [email protected]

c

onduct of Elections in India is an event thatinvolves mammoth complexity and intensiveplanning considering electorate size, geographicalspread and terrain of India. The ElectionCommission of India is on a mission to integrateICTs in the Indian electoral process withinconstitutional provisions and a commitment to holdregular, free and fair elections. NIC has beenassociated with these initiatives and has beenextending advise & support at various levels. Ourlead story gives you a detailed insight on this.

Loucha Pathap, the land records information systemin Manipur, ICT in West Bengal Assembly Elections,Online DAK management system in the office of theCAG, Standardisation of district portal in Orissa andCitizen Rating for Web Resources are the highlightsof our E-Governance Products & Services Section.

In the 'From the States/UTs section', we havecovered the ICT initiatives in the State of Nagalandand Rajasthan. Various ICT projects and initiatives inGadchiroli district of Maharashtra, Kurukshetradistrict of Haryana, Katua district of Jammu &Kashmir, and Supaul district of Bihar have also beenhighlighted in this issue.

Apart from this, you can get an update on ‘Cufón:Custom Font Embedding Technique’ for web andMobile e-Governance Services in our TechnologyUpdate section

All our regular sections viz., International e-GovUpdate, Cyber Governance, In the News, BookReview etc. are there to serve your need to knowwhat's happening in the e-Gov domain.

We highly appreciate the contributions of ourcorrespondents without it would not have beenpossible to bring pan country view of ICT ingovernment. As a mark of acknowledgement oftheir valuable contributions, we are carrying the listof Informatics Correspondents in this issue.

Enjoy Reading…

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July 2011 informatics.nic.in 3

LEAD STORY4 Information and

Communications Technology in Elections in India

E-GOV PRODUCTS & SERVICES

9 Loucha Pathap: The Land Records Information

System in Manipur

11 Bengal Assembly Elections: Utilizing ICT based

Services

13 Online DAK Management System: Integrating

CAG office in a Smart Way

15 Standardization of District Portal with Web CMS

17 User Rating for Web Resources

FROM THE STATES/UT

19 Nagaland: Towards Digitally Vibrant and

Responsive Governance

23 Rajasthan: A Journey to Excellence in ICT in

Government

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

27 Cufón: Custom Font Embedding Technique for Web

29 Mobile e-Governance Services

DISTRICT INFORMATICS

A profile and overview of e-Governance initiatives in

the Districts of

32 Gadchiroli (Maharashtra)

34 Kurukshetra (Haryana)

36 Kathua (Jammu & Kashmir)

38 Supaul (Bihar)

NEWS40 International e-Gov Updates

42 Cyber Governance

43 In the News (happenings from across

the country)

VIEWS

47 Book Review: Programming WCF Services

48 Team Informatics

Contents

36

27

15

19

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43

Lead Story

India being the largest democ-racy in the world, free and fairelections have been held since

1947 at regular intervals as per theprinciples of the Constitution,Electoral Laws and System. ElectionCommission of India is a permanentConstitutional Body. The ElectionCommission was established inaccordance with the Constitution on25th January 1950. TheConstitution of India has vested inthe Election Commission of India thesuperintendence, direction and con-trol of the entire process for conductof elections to Parliament andLegislature of every State and to theoffices of President and Vice-President of India.

In 1998 the Commission took thehistoric decision to computerize theentire electoral rolls of 620 millionvoters. In an attempt to improve theaccuracy of the electoral roll and pre-

vent fraud, the Election Commissionordered the making of photo identitycards (EPIC) for all voters in thecountry.

Election Commission of India inconsultation with the StateGovernment designates/ nominatesChief Electoral Officer to supervisethe preparation, revision, and correc-tions of all electoral rolls and conductof elections in the state. ElectionCommission of India in consultationwith the State Government desig-nates/ nominates District ElectionOfficer (DEO) for each district to runand monitor election related func-tionalities at district level. UnderDEO, preparation and maintenanceof electoral rolls is done by ElectoralRegistration Officer (ERO) andAssistant Electoral RegistrationOfficer (AERO). During electoral reg-istration and conduct of elections toParliament and the LegislativeAssembly of State, the officials fromCivil Administration help the elec-tion officials on need basis.

Information andCommunicationsTechnology inElections inIndia

Conduct of Elections inIndia is an event thatinvolves mammothcomplexity and intensiveplanning consideringelectorate size, geographicalspread and terrain of India.The advent of ICT in IndianElections has once againunderlined the fact, howtechnology is a boon to theentire mankind.TheElection commission ofIndia is on a mission tointegrate ICTs in the IndianElectoral Process withinconstitutional provisionsand a commitment to holdregular, free and fairelections.

4 informatics.nic.in July 2011

CHANDER SHEKHARSenior Technical DirectorNIC [email protected]

"Democracy is not just a question of having a vote. It consists of strengthening each citizen's possibility andcapacity to participate in the deliberations involved in lifein society."

Fernando Cardoso

Lead Story

NIC has been providing support forall the elections in all the districts andat state headquarters. These includeParliamentary, Legislative, Local bod-ies and Panchayat elections. The sup-port is provided at various levels forthe election processes during pre-polling, polling and post pollingevents/ activities/ processes.

Pre-polling activities include ICTsupport for nomination, polling partyformation, counting party formation,sector & zonal magistrate appoint-ments, route chart preparation,Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ran-domization, etc. The reports on law &order are transmitted to the stake-holders using NICNET, internet andSMS. Post polling activities supportedby NIC centres include computeriza-tion of counting process and resultsprocessing. In the elections ofAssembly and the Parliament theresults are transmitted to the office ofCEO/ Election commission.

The ICT activities may be classified as:

a) Pre-Election activitiesI Electoral Rolls Management

System II Preparation of Electoral Rolls and

EPICIII Drafting of Polling Personnel/

Party, Randomization of EVMs andMicro Observers

IV Know your Polling Booth Application - SMS based, Web based, IVRS based, Voice based, andVoter Slip

V Implementation of GENESYS

b) Election Day ActivitiesI Communication Plan for Election

Tracking (ComET)II SMS based services to monitor

Election Process milestones and Polling Progress

III Web casting/ Video streaming of Poll Proceedings from Polling sta-tions

c) Post Election - Results/ Trends dissemination

d) Other activities related to Elections

I Design and hosting of CEO websiteII Hosting of Electoral RollsIII Website for redressal of Public

GrievancesIV Customized Web PortalV Network support for data and

video requirementsVI Setting up of media centre for print

and electronic media at Counting location

VII.GIS for Election Management, Rationalization of Polling Stations,Election Planning and display of Election Results

There are various ICT initiativescurrently going on across states anddistricts as per local requirements.These have started at different timesand have varied maturity level andsuccess rates. Some of these initiativesare summarized below for wider dis-semination so that more thrusttowards adoption/ rollout and stan-dardization could be planned andtaken up for resources optimization.

ELECTORAL ROLLMANAGEMENT SYSTEM(ERMS)Management of electoral rolls is oneof the most important aspects in ademocratic country for successfulelections. Management of electoralroll involves two interrelated process-es, namely, preparation and


I thank the NIC for providingvarious IT resource basedservices for use in electionactivities like Electoral RollManagement System (ERMS),EPICs, GENESYS, COMet,Trends/Dissemination, PublicGrievances RedressalSystem, customizedwebportal, SMS basedsystems to monitor electionprocess, Webcasting / videostreaming. With the supportand expertise of NIC team,we have been able to makeelections more transparentand accountable.

DR. ALOK SHUKLADeputy Election Commissioner Election Commission of India

maintenance. An ideal electoral rollensures all eligible persons should beincluded and particulars of personsincluded should be recorded withouterrors. Although there are well defined anddetailed procedures & policies aroundfor preparation and maintenance ofelectoral roll by the ElectionCommission of India (ECI), the manner in which electoral roll data iscollected, processed and maintaineddiffers from state to state. So, ERMSvision is to standardize creation andmaintenance of electoral rolls acrossthe country by automating ECI fieldfunctionaries through a standardizedapplication and data formats.

ERMS OBJECTIVESProvide enhanced and standardizedtools for preparation and mainte-nance of electoral rollOptimize operations by effective use of ICTProvide timely information for easi-er and faster analysisIncrease Operational Efficiency by removing non-standardized and redundant dataAutomating back-office functions byminimizing human interventionEnsure transparency and traceability in electoral roll process and dataMaintain high integrity of electoral roll data and processImproved service delivery to the stakeholders

APPLICATION FOR DRAFTINGOF POLLING PARTIES,RANDOMIZATION OF EVMSAND MICRO OBSERVERSThis application has been designed,developed and implemented for StateElection Departments as per ECI'sguidelines and compendium ofReturning Officer's handbook. It handles the functionalities like randomization and formation ofpolling parties and counting parties;randomization of EVMs; randomiza-tion and deployment of force; and

randomization and deployment ofMicro Observers. It also helps in generating the election orders forindividual parties and attendancesheet for various constituencies etc.The application engine is capable ofrandomizing data at three differentstages for polling party and countingparty formation and two stages forEVM deployment.

It is client/ server architecturebased application with discreetbusiness/ process flow. The securityfeatures enable data secrecy, trans-parent and fair deployment of per-sonnel and EVMs. DISE (DistrictInformation System for Election)and ELECON (ElectionConfidential) are two popular flavors of this application with different flavors implemented bydifferent states. DISE has been usedand replicated by Punjab, HimachalPradesh, Delhi, Mizoram,Chandigarh and Karnataka. ELECON has won 11th National e-Governance Award (Silver Medal)2008. The application has provisionto generate a number of check listsand reports for increased conven-ience and operational efficiency.

GENERAL ELECTION SYSTEM(GENESYS - PRE COUNTING) -AN OVERVIEWThis application is developed by ECI. Itis used to capture pre-counting infor-mation about the candidates throughGENESYS web site(http://genesys.nic.in ). The formsused and process involved is as fol-lows:

Forms used for State Assembly Elections

Nomination Summary List of Contesting Candidates Number of Electors & Polling StationFinal AC wise Result sheet

Candidate Affidavits scanned at theRO/ DEO level are sent to CEO Office as well as uploaded on CEO's website.

Lead Story


It was in the year 1991 thatthe ELECON software of NICNalanda District Centre wasreleased for use in all thedistricts of the country bythe then Chief ElectionCommissioner Sh. T.N.Seshan. There has beenlarge number of significantinitiatives since then at thedistrict, state and nationallevels for the use of ICTtools in the election relatedactivities.

Apart from providingsupport for developmentand implementation ofvarious application systemsas per the requirements ofElection Authorities,NICNET services of NIChave also been usedextensively for messaging,video conferencing, hostingof websites with dynamiccontents such as electoralrolls and election resultsdissemination on countingdays.

A. MOHANDeputy Director General, NIC

COMMUNICATION PLAN FORELECTION TRACKING-ComETA perfect Communication Plan isessential for effective ElectionTracking. ComET enables micro-man-agement of elections, concurrenttracking and evaluation of issues andmid-course corrections. ComET isimplemented to computerize commu-nication details of all the polling sta-tions of the country for efficient elec-tion tracking. ComET is a searchenabled database of polling stationlevel communication contact pointsfor focused tracking on the poll day.The Plan operates through a wellstructured multi-layerCommunication Teams (CTs) at ARO(Assembly segment level), DEO(District Level), CEO (State Level) andECI (National Level). It creates a huge'psychological presence', builds confi-dence in field election functionariesand helps the prioritization for inter-vention at the moment of crisis.Communication Teams have cleardemarcation of geographical areas andcommunication-related responsibili-ties geared to quick crisis resolutionand grievance monitoring and infor-mation flow.

ComET was first implemented inMadhya Pradesh during 2008 StateAssembly Elections. In 2009, during

General Elections to Lok Sabha, it wasrolled out to cover all States/ UTs.

SMS BASED SYSTEMS TOMONITOR/ MANAGE ELECTIONPROCESS MILESTONES ANDPOLLING PROGRESSNIC Tripura for the first time duringGeneral Elections 2009 used the cellu-lar and web technology to improve theelection process. Mobile phones wereused on a very large scale for poll-daymonitoring of events and management. A SMS-based WebApplication was deployed to collectprogress of poll. The application gener-

ated pre-defined Voter TurnoutReport (Polling Station wise, AssemblySegment wise and ParliamentaryConstituency wise). All the stakehold-ers like the Assistant ReturningOfficers, Returning Officers,Observers and the Chief ElectoralOfficer could directly monitorprogress of poll and address any problems immediately. The SMS basedsystem could also be reliably used totrack the arrival/ departure of thepolling parties, conduct of mock poll,presence of polling agents/ micro-observers, deployment of CPFand use of video/ digital camera at thepolling station. The real time information regarding the poll processand two hourly progress of poll at thepolling stations was made availableonline on the CEO's website for thepublic and the press on the day of thepoll.

The enhanced system was subse-quently implemented in other stateassembly elections like Bihar, WestBengal, Assam, etc.

WEB CASTING/ VIDEOSTREAMING OF POLLPROCEEDINGS FROM POLLINGSTATIONSThe Election Commission directedthat in order to enable theCommission to have a true and concurrent record of the violations of

Lead Story


Vote Cast Information - a sample report

Sh. P.K.Thungon, DIO receiving Commendation Certificate from Smt. SwatiSharma, IAS, DC, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh on the occasion of61st Republic Day 2010 for the successful conduct of Live Webcasting ofAssembly Elections

the election law and to assess theimpact of its corrective measures, theReturning Officer of each constituencyshall make arrangements to recordcritical events through videographyduring the process of electioneering,including but not restricted to theperiod of public campaign, the day ofpoll, the transport and receipt ofpolled ballot boxes and other materials, counting of votes and thedeclaration of results in an independent intelligent and purpose-ful manner.

During the Lok Sabha elections 2009for the first time Tamil Nadu did theLive-Recording and Video streaming tothe DEO's office for some polling stations in Chennai, Madurai,Kanyakumari and Sivaganga districts.

In the Polling Stations where broad-band connectivity was not feasible forlive transmission, the proceedingswere recorded in the hard disk of thelaptops for viewing by the Observer/DEO / RO.

The enhanced system enables toview live video streaming by ElectionCommission of India (ECI) and respec-tive CEO, DEO and Returning Officers.Subsequently, the enhanced systemwas used for State Assembly Electionof Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, andPuducherry.

DISSEMINATION OF ELECTIONTRENDS AND RESULTS NIC was entrusted with the responsi-bility of hosting the election resultsand trends on the day of counting fordissemination to public/ citizens byECI. An application was designed,developed and implemented in highavailability mode. The application washosted at NIC Data Centers (IDC, NewDelhi and NDC, Hyderabad) and thetrends/ results were made available attwo mirrored sites http://ecire-sults.nic.in andhttp://eciresults.ap.nic.in. Dissemi-nation of election results to the stake-

holders across the globe was doneusing standardized and optimizedreports for maximum throughput. Theinformation was also released to mediathrough e-mail at periodic intervals.During 2011 State Assembly Elections,the data was fed for the 824 assemblyconstituencies of five states namelyAssam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Naduand West Bengal. The Data was storedin the central database server in IDC,New Delhi and was mirrored to NDC,Hyderabad with the replication done atElection Commission of India. One sep-arate application was developed to pullthe data from the centralized server andgenerate results pages for publishing inreal time mode in public domain.

The services of NIC have been uti-lized and widely appreciated in all thedistricts and states by the electiondepartment. This includes setting upinfrastructure for media rooms, upload-ing of affidavits, support during revi-sion of electoral rolls and pollingbooths, hosting of applications & web-sites, providing wider bandwidth, secu-rity auditing of software, installation ofhardware and software procured by theelection department. The various sys-tems/applications developed andimplemented by in-house, CMC andNICSI programmers for election departments at districts and states havebrought efficiency, transparency andaccuracy.


Lead Story

CEO West Bengal Sh. Sunil Kumar Gupta having a look at the CustomizedPortal for Video streaming of Poll Proceedings and SMS based PollManagement

Set-up used for Dissemination of Results/Trends


e-Gov Products & Services

The Manipur governmentembarked on an ambitiouse-Governance exercise withthe launch of "LouchaPathap", an applicationsoftware developed as astandard land recordsmanagement system in thestate. Loucha Pathap, whichalso refers to the 'Rulesgoverning the land', wasintroduced in the four valleydistricts forComputerisation ofsurveyed lands. Out of ninedistricts of Manipur the fiveare in the hills, which arenot surveyed unlike the foursurveyed valley districts.

The system 'LouchaPathap' supports vari-ous MIS requirements

of state as well as the land owners asper the Rules and Regulations. It alsoincorporates three level authentica-tions such as Biometric, System andOperator level. The software facili-tates automatic generation of Dag noand Patta No. at the time of muta-tion to avoid duplicate entries. Everyrecord is identified by a unique DagNo. History of records is maintainedfrom the date of implementation.The process of mutation and parti-tion cases starts with printing of factsheet and completes when the SDC /SDO passes the mutation or parti-tion order. The approved orderdetails of transaction are updatedwith Land Records.

TECHNOLOGYThe "Loucha Pathap" software, wasdeveloped using Microsoft VisualStudio 6.0 as the front end interfaceand SQL Server 2000 as the back enddatabase over Windows NT server.

TARAKISHORIRAJKUMARIPrincipal SystemsAnalyst, NIC [email protected]

Loucha Pathap:The Land RecordsInformation System in Manipur

Edited by

Prashant Belwariar

Sh. O Ibobi Singh, Hon'ble CM of Manipur along with the Speaker Sh. I.Hemochandra Singh, inaugurating Loucha Pathap software at SDCCentral of Imphal West District.

The Hon'ble CM had ear-lier inaugurated the sys-tem at Imphal East dis-trict where the softwareunderwent its pilotphase. Computerisationhas been taken up attwelve SDC circles outof 34 in the four valleydistricts of the state andfor the hilly districts theexercise is likely to betaken up after the com-pletion of the presentphase.



System security is provided byBiometric authentication using finger-prints of the authorized operator aswell as the system administrator. LeapOffice Lite Version 2.09b and GISTSDK 2.05 enables scripting in regionallanguage. Various reports are generat-ed using Seagate Crystal Reports 7.

MANUAL SYSTEM In the manual system, the process oftracing the details of a particular landwas time consuming and tiresome.But, with the adoption of the comput-erized system the process eased consid-erable promoting timely service, animportant parameter for e-governance.

BENEFITS Loucha Pathap is an online system ofmaintaining land records with fingerprint user authentication. The soft-ware provides facilities for searching aparticular record by giving the ownername or Dag. No. or Patta No. Itenables marking of mortgage/ objec-tion of a particular plot. The softwareprevents such marked plot from fur-ther transaction such as mutation,partition or issue of computerizedROR / Patta etc. It gives importantinformation to banks and public forany future financial encumbrance.

Single window delivery - Record ofRight i.e Jamabandi and online trans-action for mutation and partitionalong with revenue collection had thedesired effect. Scanned order copy ofSDC/ SDO is maintained for every

transaction. The processof mutation is fully syn-chronized with the field-work done by the rev-enue officials. It facili-tates record correctionand ownership historyreducing the task of rev-enue record mainte-nance.

Transparency - Servicesare available to citizens ina transparent and effi-

cient manner. It provides history ofland owners and nature of ownershipduring land related disputes. Searchingof land records are possible by name ofthe family or ownership history of theland can be provided.

Monitoring - All the necessary MISreports in land and revenue adminis-tration can be generated for fastermonitoring, planning and decisionmaking. It also helps in monitoring theGovernment lands from encroach-ment and for easy maintenance andupdation of land records.

Revenue Tax Collection - No landtransaction is possible without neces-sary land revenue tax clearance.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESThe State Revenue Department isresponsible for effective land adminis-tration and collection of land revenue.The revenue officials fully adopted theworkflow based system approach.Regular monitoring and review isensured in coordination with con-cerned Deputy Commissioners.

CHALLENGESInitially setting up of infrastructureand non availability of adequate powerwas the major challenge. All activityrelated to data entry, verification andvalidation was supported by NICDistrict Centre with the help ofMandols (village record keeper).Therevenue officials were given trainingand workshops were organized to fully

acquaint them with the system.

Salient FeaturesFacility to scan and keep digital for-mat of the Mutation / Partition order passed by the Revenue Department. The system helps in monitoring Government land from encroach-ments.Provision for interfacing the touch screen KIOSK at the office complex so as to enable public to search or query for land records.Provision to demand landholding tax from the landowner before updating the transacted plot. Provision to view land records by theowners/citizens through Internet.Automatic daily backup of land records from Server and all connect-ed PCs before logging out of the Loucha Pathap application software.

The system has facilitated monitoring& maintenance of Land Records, landmutation along with wide access ofdocuments. It is likely to initiate re-engineering of back-end processes andchanges that take advantages ofIntegrating land records with land registration system in a secure environment.

For further information

KH RAJEN SINGHState Informatics OfficerNIC Manipur State CentreNew Secretariat Imphal - 795001Ph: 0385-2461206 [email protected]

A typical Setup of Land Records Computer Centre

Land Record Centre, Thoubal



The recently concludedWest Bengal AssemblyElection- 2011 has onceagain underlined that ICTcan be successfullyemployed in providingservices towardsmanagement of electionprocesses and activities.Thevarious ICT based services,designed and developed byNIC Services Inc. (NICSI) inconsultation with ChiefElectoral Office andElection Commission ofIndia played an importantrole in conducting free andfair elections in the state.

Amechanism was devel-oped for collecting andcompiling various field

level information/reports derivingthe benefit of latest technology dur-ing the preparatory work for generalelections of West Bengal LegislativeAssembly - 2011. A wizardbased designing of Forms,reports etc. was conceivedalong with the SMS basedPoll Management System,Webcasting of Poll pro-ceedings from polling sta-tion level and other inno-vative electoral centricservices were integratedin an enterprise basedportal.

WEB PORTALThe Chief Electoral Office,West Bengal collects vari-ous kinds of field leveldata and compiles it forgenerating reports formonitoring/ decisionmaking as well as itsonward transmission tothe Election Commissionof India. The nature ofdata/ information are in structuredformat/ template, some are of rudi-mentary and few are not in standardtemplate which are to be devised asper requirement basis. The periodici-ty of such information is regular andsome are required to be collected onan emergency basis. The input arereceived from the field level such asDistrict Election Officers (DistrictMagistrates), Returning Officers/Electoral Registration Officers (Sub-

Divisional Magistrates/ Dy.Magistrates in case of AssemblyConstituencies), Assistant ReturningOfficers/ Assistant ElectoralRegistration Officer (BlockDevelopment Officer), Booth LevelOfficer (Polling Station Level).

In view of the above, a Web basedPortal was designed so that users atvarious level may login to the system

and edit/view/access data/informa-tion which comes under their juris-diction. This has been ensuredthrough a properly defined controltable and its mapping with UserManagement module. This decisionsupport application software is a wiz-ard based customized generic web-enabled product and this was utilizedat multiple level down the line forcompilation of micro level data toprepare reports through Smart

MOTIUR RAHMANTechnical Director, NIC [email protected]

Bengal Assembly Elections: UtilizingICT based Services

OSD(IT), CEO Office West Bengal Sh. Somnathalong with Motiur Rahman, TD, NIC W.B having alook at the Customized Portal for Video streamingof Poll Proceedings and SMS based PollManagement

Edited by

Prashant Belwariar



Report Engine forits onward trans-mission to higherlevel. The followingmajor features havebeen embedded intothe system to makeit user friendly.Forms Module: Allthe forms createddynamically wereavailable for theweb data entry /edit. Excel Import /Export: There is anadded functionality toensure that all the users are able toimport the data directly from the excelfiles and they are also able to export thesame. Web Reports: Some of the reports canalso be published online, such that therewill be static link to the data reportsfrom various other websites.

SMS BASED POLLMANAGEMENT SYSTEMThe SMS based Poll Man-agement/Monitoring System gets thevarious predefined events related toPoll from Poll-1/Poll-2 days from thePolling Officials in order to capture thedata from its primary source throughSMS using pre specified simple syntax.Sector Officer/ ARO /RO of respectivesectors were also authorized to sendSMS/Web Interface for the defaultPolling Station under their Jurisdiction.These SMS are pushed through dedicat-ed robust SMS Gateway Server toApplication Server and updated in thedatabase almost instantly. TheApplication was hosted in a Cloud basedData Centre with Virtualization envi-ronment and multiple VMs (VirtualMachines) were created for the purposeto ensure zero downtime. Both SMSServer and Application Server werecapable of taking tremendous load inpeak time and worked in perfect syn-chronization and fail over arrange-ments which were made for this mis-sion critical application.

WEB CASTING OF POLLPROCEEDING

Encoding (Live feed of Video &Audio) at Polling Station: The realchallenge came up when a very simpleinterface was required for the pollingstations so that they could seamlesslyconnect and upload the live streams inavailable low bandwidth at the boothlevel. A special software was devisedwhich could stream the video by logginginto a central server and making it com-pletely web based ensured that thePolling Stations are completely left has-sle free. It is a "Flash" based system.

Multiple Polling Stations viewingat the control room: An interfaceapplication was developed to facilitateselection of viewing particular PollingStation (PS) without any IP address. Acentral login system was made whichallowed the various levels of users justto view the PS designated under theirjurisdiction. The system allows that theusers could select multiple stations andview them all at the same time.


MOTIUR RAHMANDGM NICSIBidyut Bhavan (Gr. Floor)DJ Block, Sector-IISalt lake City, Kolkata-700091Ph: [email protected]

"I am happy to learn that'ICT support for ElectoralManagement System' forthe conduct of Poll inWest Bengal LegislativeAssembly, 2011 is goingto be published in 'E-Governance Services& Product' section ofcoming issue (July,2011) of e-GovernanceNews Letter'INFORMATICS'.I would like to place onrecord my appreciationfor the innovative ICTsupport and servicesprovided by NICSI,Kolkata throughempanelled vender M/sIndus Net Technologiesespecially Web reportingfrom field level(AROs/ROs/DEOs)through Enterprise levelcustomized Web Portal,SMS based PollManagement, WebCasting of PollProceedings fromPolling Stations andother ICT and Web-enabled services for thesmooth conduct ofGeneral Election to theWest Bengal LegislativeAssembly, 2011."

SUNIL KUMAR GUPTAIAS, Chief Electoral Officer

West Bengal

Sh. Sunil Gupta, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengalinspecting the election process



The Indian Audit andAccounts Department(IA&AD), 150 years old,with strength of more than45000 employees in about211 field offices located allover India and abroad isheaded by the Comptrollerand Auditor General of India(CAG) Office as the Head ofSupreme Audit Institutionof India. A large number offiles and letters are handledin CAG office. So a strongneed was felt for aComputerised System toassist in easy tracking ofthe files and letters. In thisbackdrop, Integrated OnlineDAK Management Systemhas been developed andimplemented in CAG office.

PC MALLIKPrincipal Systems

Analyst, [email protected]

SCD GUPTASenior Technical Director,[email protected]

National InformaticsCentre (NIC) is pro-viding technical sup-

port to the office of CAG in softwaredevelopment and implementationof e-Governance projects besidesNetwork support. NIC has devel-oped and implemented various webbased applications to enable theoffices of IA&AD to access & uploaddata to Central computer in theoffice of CAG, in addition to manyother projects for house keepingfunctions of CAG office.

An Integrated On-line DAKManagement System (IDOMS) hasbeen developed and successfullyimplemented by NIC team in theoffice of CAG. The system stores allthe information regarding themovement of Files and lettersreceived and dispatched from thesections. It is an integrated packagewhich gives administrative supportright from login, Diarising, Receipt& Forward, Disposal, Despatch &Posting etc, in addition to variousreports for the management andqueries to track the status of letters.The system helps the user in tracingthe movement of files instanta-neously. The system facilitates theoffice in monitoring the pendencyof files/letters.

DAK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMCOMPRISES OF VARIOUSMODULES

Modules to Diarise the let-ters in Receipt section, which are received from other offices. Modules for diarizing Letters/Note in section/ by officerand sent to other section/Officer.

Online DAK Management System:Integrating CAG Office in a Smart Way

"By the initiative ofInformation &Communication Technology(ICT) and with the technicalsupport of NIC inimplementation of various e-Governance activities inthe office of Comptroller &Auditor General of India, theoffice has becomeautomated and moreproductive in carrying outits duties andresponsibilities with greatertransparency and moreefficiency in functioning ofCAG office. I express my deepappreciation for remarkablework done by NIC team insuccessful implementationof an Office AutomationSystem "Integrated On-lineDAK Management System "in this office. I sincerelybelieve that the DAK Systemwill get speedy disposals offiles / letters and reduce thependency."

VINOD RAIComptroller & Auditor General of India



Modules for Despatching the lettersreceived in Receipt section from sections of the office.Modules for movement of Files created/received in one section and forwarded to others. Modules for maintenance of the system to update master directo -ries, Reset password, etc.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE(IDOMS) SYSTEM FORLETTERS

Receiving and forwarding of letters by Individual/Section - Letters for-warded from Individual /Section are further received and forwarded or retained for further action.Despatch of Letters - Letters to be sent outside the office by Individual/Section through Receipt and Issue(R&I) section are dispatched through package and generate various reports category wise i.e. Messenger, Speed post, Courier, Registered post, Parcel, etc.Posting : Update the details of despatch letters after posting for date & Ref. number ,etcQueries : Status of the diarised letters on diary , letter number, sender name, etcSummary pendency report on opening balance, total received and disposed receipts during a given period of time.Periodical Report on pending receipts in a particular sec-

tion/all sections are sent to the Individual and Copy to his/her Reporting officer through email.Reports of letters diarised/ dispatched for Individuals, Sections and Management.Task Management- letters diarised in R&I section are carried forward to respective sections to further act upon i.e. these letters are not to be re-diarised in the section.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE(IDOMS) SYSTEM FOR FILES

Diarising and forwarding of files by Individual/Section within office. Electronically receiving and desposalof files - Forwarded to others or closed the file.Tracking of files on any parameter such as diary number, File number, subject, etc.Statistical Pendency report on Totalfiles received; Total Files pending in a section / all the sections can be viewed by the Individual /section and his/her Reporting Officer.Emails to the individuals about pen-dency of files and its copy to Reporting Officer.Administrative login to activate/deactivate the user , reset-ting of password, etc

Portability of the package(IDOMS) in any other OfficeIn view of requests from many officesfor the package to be installed in theiroffices, the package has been designedin order that the software can beinstalled in any office without majorchanges, only with a minor change inoffice name. With regard to require-ment of Hardware and software, theUser should have Internet Inform-ation server (IIS) and SQL DatabaseServer under LAN. To know moreabout the package with regard to itsimplementation, a Demo package withhelp/guidelines is available at URL:http://cagofindia.delhi.nic.in/idoms.

"I write this to place onrecord our appreciation forwork done by NIC team indevelopment and successfulimplementation of an OfficeAutomation System "On-lineIntegrated DAK ManagementSystem", one of the pioneere-governance applications inthe office of Comptroller &Auditor General of India . The System helps the user ineasy tracking of letters/filesand monitor pendency ofcases. The system has madethe Diary registers andDispatch books redundantresulting in saving of paper.The system has reducedconsiderable manual workand saved a lot of time andenergy; and also enhancedtransparency, productivity,efficiency. NIC has beeninstrumental inimplementation of various e-governance activities inCAG office and is alsoproviding various technicalsupport"

ANUPAM KULSHRESHTHADy. Comptroller and Auditor General


S C D GUPTASenior Technical DirectorOffice of Comptroller &Auditor General of India10, Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi-110124Ph : [email protected]



One of the recentchallenges a country facesis preparing its citizens andgovernment forglobalization andinformation andcommunication revolution.Information andCommunication Technology(ICT) plays a pivotal role forinstituting effective e-Governance, whichessentially bridges the gapbetween government andcitizenry. Standardization ofDistrict portal isimplemented in six districtsi.e. Khordha, Nuapada,Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Anguland Nabarangpur.

Standardization of District Portal withWeb CMS

District is the middlelevel administrativeunit which adminis-

ters various plans, schemes, policiesof the government and provides vari-ous services to the citizens. Presentlymost of the Districts are having web-sites, which are yet to be built on auniform structure to address the realcitizen centric requirements.

So a standardized district portalframework across the country isbeing put in place, which is citizencentric, disseminates informationabout district and sub-district levelwith Orissa as a pilot State. It acts asa single window platform for all cate-gories of information satisfying G2C,G2B, G2E and G2G services. The stan-dardization of district portal initiative isbased on the content architecture of theNational Portal of India (india.gov.in), amission mode project of Government ofIndia, under the National e-GovernancePlan (NeGP).

FEATURESTHE PORTAL HAS THREE PARTSCitizen view(http://ordistricts.nic.in):Offers Single Window Service, Wide-Ranging Content, CitizenOriented.

The District Portal has been builtfrom the 'users' or 'citizens' perspec-tive, rather than from the perspectiveof the government. The citizen mayvisit the District Portal, rather than anumber of websites for compositeinformation.

DR. R. N. BEHERATechnical Director,

NIC [email protected]

S. K. PANDAState Informatics Officer,NIC [email protected]

Edited by R. Gayatri

Standarisation of District Portal was exhibited in ELITEX-11, India HabitatCentre, New Delhi

One paper waspublished in ECEG9-European conferenceon e-Government held

at London on thesubject

"Standardization ofdistrict portal: towards

e-GovernmentTransaction in India.



A Content Framework (CF) whichcovers all categories and sub-categories that becomes a part ofDistrict Portal. The CF is structured tocollect comprehensive information onall aspects like District Profile,Administration, Who's Who, Profile ofImportant Sectors, Programmes &Schemes, Services (How Do I?), Forms,etc.Web CMS ( http://ordistportalcon-tent.nic.in )A comprehensive web based ContentManagement System (CMS) isdesigned based on the content archi-tecture of the National Portal of India(india.gov.in) under NeGP. The DistrictPortal repository of huge content con-tribution is managed through a welldefined work flow process.

Moderation (http://ordistsupad-min.nic.in):The web CMS follows Workflow man-agement i.e. Content Creators orContent Service Provider (CSP) cansubmit a story, but it is not publisheduntil the moderator clears it up and thePublisher approves it. So the role of themoderator is to accept or reject the con-tent. Then the Publisher approves thecontent to be displayed on the citizenview portal.Overall featuresThe Standardisation of District Portal follows decentralized mainte-nance, user friendly web CMS, rolebased authentication, consistentdesign and centralised content storagesystem. Security and UniversalAccessibilitySecurity, Scalability and DataProtection has been built in the District Portal both at the Infrastructure and Application (software) level. District Portal is hosted on security auditedserver infrastructure at IDC, and the application is audited andcleared by Cyber security Division, NIC New Delhi as per OWASP

security guidelines.The Portal embraces

the Accessibility stan-dards with Guide- linesfor Indian GovernmentWeb-sites. With this theportal ensures interop-erability and uses besttechnical approach likeuse of markup languagecascading style sheet,use of scripting lan-guages and others.Technology

Server-side scriptingPHP

Database: MySQLOther scripts and technology: JavaScript/AJAX etc depending upon the page content

Implementation StrategyFor proper implementation of the portal it follows Content Moderationand Approval Policy (CMAP)

The management structure of theDistrict Portal involves multilevel com-mittee which includes: State Co-ordination Committee:The state co-ordination committee is chaired by IT Secretary of the State with members from State Nodal Department (OrissaComputer Appli-cation Centre), SIO and NIC Coordinator National Portal (NCNP). The committee seeks advice fromNational Portal of India (NPI) team,NIC, New Delhi and DIT to adminis-ter progress of the project on a day-to-day basis.District website maintenanceCommittee: The District websitemaintenance Committee is chaired byDistrict Magistrate with DIO as mem-ber secretary and other officers fromDistrict level. The committee isresponsible for contributing and vet-ting the content. Content Service Provider (CSP):Contents are contributed by the CSPto the portal after approval by the dis-

trict nodal officer. The contents aftermoderation by DIO are finally pub-lished by the state NCNP.

CORE PROJECT TEAMThe core project team consists of Dr.R. N. Behera, TD, Sh. K. C. Pattnaik,PSA, Sh. Sambit Panda, PSA, MsS.Smita S/T-B under the guidance ofSh. S. K. Panda, SIO with the adviseand technical support from NPI TeamSh. D. P. Misra, PSA headed by Sh.Neeta Verma, STD. The team handlesthe overall design, development,implementation and promotion of theProject.

IMPLEMENTATION STATUSIn other districts data collection andmoderation process is under progress.So standardization of District Portal isone Stop source, which delivers infor-mation and services through cyber-space. It has given a new dimension togood governance through ICT. It isgeneric and can be replicated in otherstates.


S.K PANDAState Informatics OfficerNIC Orissa State CentreUnit-IV, Sachivalaya MargBhubaneshwar-751001Ph: [email protected]

District Portal of Nuapada, Orissa

District Nodal Officer CSP Moderator Publisher



A Government portal iswidely understood andviewed as a single windowplatform for the integrateddelivery of information andservices by the Governmentto its Citizens.Government portals areconstituent of a hugecontent repository which isa culmination ofinformation sourced fromand contributed by variousgovernment entities, all ofwhich functions under theaegis of a principal body -which could be a centralauthority or part of a stateor district administration.

In the past few years, a largenumber of websites (close to7000 in number) belonging to

various constituents of the govern-ment have been published, offering alot of information and services to thecitizens.

However, all of these websites fol-low different technology standards,design lay-outs and navigation pat-terns which in turn cause the citizensa lot of inconvenience. To peruse forinformation and access servicesavailable amongst such a wide arrayof portals requires a lot of learningon their part, thus defeating the verypurpose of the initiative.

Need was thus felt to establish aone-stop source for all governmentinformation and services, and this iswhat led to the genesis of NationalPortal of India (NPI) as a MissionMode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). The aimhere was to shield the citizen fromthe hassles of searching across a largenumber of sites, with a mind-bog-gling variety of navigation architec-

ture, for accessing desired govern-ment information or services.

In over five years of its existence,the National Portal of India has notonly ended up immensely benefitingthe end-users, but has also gainedsignificant ground when it comes tofulfilling basic objectives of electron-ic governance, namely - enhancingtransparency and increasing efficien-cy in service delivery.

The National Portal of India hasalso turned out to be an effectivemedium for the participation of com-mon citizens in the process of gover-nance apart from encouraging theNPI visitors to voice their opinion onthe information and services provid-ed through the NPI using variousinteractive feedback tools on the NPI.

RATING OF SERVICESIn its endeavour to cater to most ofcitizens' needs, the NPI plays host toover 1900 online services from vari-ous states/ministries/ departmentswhich are all bunched under the'How Do I?' section of the portal.

With an approximate 78,000 regis-tered users and over 24 lakh hits perday - the portal is today scaling newheights of popularity and visibility of

User Rating for Web Resources

DURGA PRASADMISRA

Principal SystemsAnalyst, NIC HQ

[email protected]

ALKA MISHRASenior Technical DirectorNIC [email protected]

Homepage of the National Portal of India

government services published on theNational Portal of India.

With new services being added on adaily basis to the huge repositoryalready available, users' feedback playsan all important role to monitor healthof the published services. To harnessthe same, a Rating Module has beenintroduced in the 'How Do I?' sectionon http://india.gov.in, which willenable users to consume and then ratethe services published therein.

The users are prompted to rate a par-ticular service on the basis of two mainaspects, these being 'Usefulness' and'Ease of Access'. A provision is madewithin the interface for surfers to beable to see the current rating and num-ber of votes on each of the mentionedaspects enjoyed by the said service.

'Usefulness' judges the actual valueof a service in terms of the benefit itafforded the user, while 'Ease of Access'is meant to rate how easily and conve-niently was the user able to access thefacility provided by the service in ques-tion. Just by selecting the number ofstars/rates (full or half) relevant to thecorresponding aspect and pressing'Submit' button it records the rateapart from increasing the vote count.Comments or suggestions from theusers' end can also be posted within

the same application window.User feedback not only facilitates

NPI in improving and improvising, butalso helps the team enhance manifoldthe end-user experience of theNational Portal of India.

Apart from being accorded space onindividual service pages, descriptionand details on the Rating Module hasalso been displayed upfront on the NPIhomepage as part of the 'How Do I?'section to ensure optimum visibility of

the functionality.The Rating Module implemented on

the http://india.gov.in is generic innature and developed using opensource tools. The front-end functional-ity can be easily controlled or cus-tomized using various parameters ofthe back-end module viz. RatingAspects can be widened to more thantwo parameters which are currentlybeing used, or number of sections onwhich this rating functionality is to be

incorporated or the rating scalerequired to be taken up etc.

A citizen's single-windowaccess to all there is to knowabout the Government and itssubordinate bodies and authori-ties, http://india.gov.in standsat the apex of India's ICT pyra-mid. The information in thePortal has not only been wellclassified into distinct modules,but also interlinked at relevantplaces to provide the visitor witha holistic view.

With numerous interactivetools, services and static contentrepositories - the National Portalof India is the one and only cyberface of the Government of Indiawhich is complete in all aspects.



Rating Module's landing page

'How Do I?' section's landing page


From the States

Nagaland is largelymountainous with hillytopography throughout andthe highest peak beingSaramati (3841 metres).Many rivers cut through themountainous terrain, likesharp swords slicingthrough rocks. Nagalandbeing a land of myths andfestivals, has been officiallynamed as ‘Land ofFestivals’. Life and culture isinterwoven. Festival is a partof culture and mostof these festivals revolveround agriculture.The stateis rich in flora and faunaand about one-sixth of thearea is under the cover oftropical and sub-tropicalevergreen forests.

Visit to the state websitemakes one realize howdeep ICT has percolat-

ed with multitude of informationand services it host for the commonman. Its richness and professional-ism takes a visitor by surprise as itgives a subtle indication of commit-ment of the state for adopting ICTand promoting e-governancetowards the goal of a transparent andresponsive administration.

NIC NETWORK &INFRASTRUCTURENIC, established itself at all theeleven district Centres and the statecapital - Kohima has been the pio-neer of ICT activities in the state, isconnected with 45 Mbps LeasedLine. Secretariat LAN with struc-tured OFC backbone supports 350Nodes extending up to the main sec-

retariat building. It also has a RF con-nectivity covering 40 StateGovernment Directorates usingSpeed LAN Modems. The ExecutiveVideo Conferencing System (EVCS)at Chief Secretary Office and DGPOffice provides effective audio-visualcommunication.

At the District level, 2 MBPS LeaseLine connects seven districts whilethe remaining four districts namely,Mon, Kiphire, Peren and Longlengare connected by DVB VSAT. 34MBPS Lease Line for Dimapur, Phek,Tuensang, Mokokchung and Wokhaconnectivity are under progress.Wimax connectivity is available atfive Districts - Kohima, Dimapur,Mokokchung, Wokha and Phek. Video Conferencing: The fourteenVideo Conferencing studios in thestate connects all the 11 DistrictHqrs, Nagaland House New Delhi,Chief Minister's Residential officeand Chief Information CommissionOffice, Kohima. The Multi

Nagaland - Towards Digitally Vibrantand Responsive Governance

Edited by

Prashant Belwariar

State Website

T.Y. SANGTAMSenior Systems Analyst

NIC [email protected]

KEZUNGULOMEDIKHRUState Informatics OfficerNIC Nagaland [email protected]

From the States


Conferencing Unit (MCU) installed atState Centre provides smooth andseamless connectivity especially dur-ing monthly review of various schemesover VC setup.

Data Centre: NIC Data Centre atKohima is equipped with 3TB SAN sys-tem with three nos. of Blade Serverenclosures having 13 Blade Servers,and 11 Rack servers. Several applica-tions such as Weather InformationSystem, Village Profile, OnlineHardware Inventory ManagementSystem, Sarathi and Vahan forTransport Department, File TrackingSystem, Windows update services, MSSQL 2005 & 2008 server, Oracle 10g,Postgesql, Project ManagementSoftware, SAN Management Systemsoftware, centralised Anti-virus soft-ware and Network management soft-ware had been hosted which provides

necessary support and services.

CICs: With the establishment of 52Community Information Centres, oneeach at all the block headquarters, therural people were the first to benefitfrom the extensive use of communica-tion facility and ICT based services. Itwas mainly through CIC that the ruralpeople came to know and learn aboutthe ICT facility and its advancementswhich also served the aim of bridgingthe digital divide.

E-GOVERNANCE APPLICA-TIONS Major ICT Projects implemented are:Inner Line PermitComputerisation Under the Eastern Bengal RegulationAct of 1873 and Government ofNagaland Notification NO.REV/T-

9/91, any person who is not a localinhabitant and desiring to cross theInner Line into Nagaland is required tohave Inner Line Permit (ILP). ILP Cellswere established by the government ofNagaland at all the DeputyCommissioner's Offices and NagalandHouse located in different parts of thecountry. A Monitoring Cell was set upin the office of the Commissioner,Kohima where each ILP Cell submitreports pertaining to issue of ILPs andaction taken against defaulters on afortnightly basis.

NIC Kohima developed ILPManagement System which has beenimplemented at the eight districtsexcept the newly created three and atNagaland House Kolkata. Upgradedonline ILP computerisation is set forlaunch this year.

ImpactState administration can effectivelymonitor ILPs issued, renewed, defaulted etc. Revenue earned from ILP registra-tion and renewal has grown mani-fold.State authorities can get various kinds of reports in required format.Different types of analytical reportscan be generated from the system.

WEATHER INFORMATIONSYSTEM (WIS)The climate of Nagaland varies atshort distance which is mainly due tothe terrain features. The departmentof Soil & Water Conservation isresponsible for maintaining and col-lecting the daily weather report from

ILP Cell functioning at Kohima

Hon'ble Governor of Nagaland at NIC State Centre, Kohima

ILP Process Flow


From the States

its meteorological stations in differ-ent parts of the state at varying alti-tude. Presently 14 (fourteen) 2ndClass Meteorological Stations arefully functioning including 1(one)under the Indian MeteorologicalDepartment, with its headquarter atPune.

Based on the requirement of thedepartment, a web based application- Weather InformationSystem was designed,developed and hosted byNIC, Nagaland StateCentre. The data is fed bythe department from 14Meteorological Stationsin different parts of thestate which can beaccessed at http://wis-ngl.nic.in/genwis/

Objectives and itsImpacts:

To collect daily weath-er data such as rain-fall, temperature, rela-tive humidity, wind speed and direction, barometric pressures, etc. and provide data touser agencies.Crop weather watch.Climatic data is a major parameter for soil classification in soil Survey.Right selection of crops, plants species best suited to climatic conditions.For designing and construction ofengineering structures.Data banks for monitoring envi-ronment changes like rainfall behaviour, global warming, occur-rences of natural calamities.

EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGECOMPUTERISATIONAn online application developed andhosted by NIC Hqrs, New Delhi pro-vides G2G, G2C and G2B servicespertaining to the vacancies of thegovernment departments and busi-ness organization. Employers cansearch the availability of qualified

and suitable candidate(s) from thedatabase. The job seekers can regis-ter their name on-line and searchthe availability of vacancies in vari-ous government departments andother organisations. The applicationis functioning at the RegionalEmployment Exchange, Kohima andDistrict Employment Exchange, atDimapur.

TRANSPORTCOMPUTERISATIONVahan & Sarathi software forRegistration of Vehicles and DrivingLicenses respectively has beeninstalled and commissioned at allthe eight licensing and Registrationauthorities in the state. At presentthe Driving Licenses andRegistration of vehicles documentare issued as Smart Card SCOSTAcompliant from six locations. TheSmart Card printing and issuance isbeing done in-house by the trans-port department.

The State Consolidated Registerand the State Register has been pre-pared at the NIC Data Centre.Citizen services through theNational Transport Web portal isunder progress.

Election Support: NIC Nagalandhas been actively involved in givingsupport to the election process forthe Lok Sabha as well as the

Since its inception in 1989 theNational Informatics Centre,Nagaland has been workingvery close with the StateGovernment in promoting andproviding Informatics &Communication Technology(ICT) services. NIC has suc-cessfully implemented variousICT projects in the State andhas been instrumental inchanging the work culture ofthe government employees.NIC, Nagaland has providedNetwork connectivity to all theDistricts. Video Conferencingfacility, computerization ofPassport Cell, Inner LinePermit computerization, com-puterization of Driving licenceand vehicle registration, Armslicence computerization,Agriculture Produce centrecomputerization. The role ofthe NIC in the General Stateand Lok Sabha Electionsprocesses is also highly com-mendable.The effort put in by NIC,Nagaland in improving ICTservices to the people is highlyappreciated and I wish themthe best as they continue ren-dering effective and successfulICT services to the citizens ofNagaland

K.T. SUKHALUIAS, Secretary

Government of Nagaland

Inauguration of Employment ExchangeComputerization by Er. T. Saku Aier,Parliamentary Secretary for Housing, Labour& Employment


From the States

Legislative Assembly. The randomization software of PollingOfficials is successfully implemented.Technical support for Online ElectionTrends and results for all the districtswere provided during the elections.State electoral roll database has beenhosted and Photo Electoral Roll man-agement Systems (ERMS) is inprogress.

Common Integrated PoliceApplication (CIPA): Computeri-

sation of the police station activitieslike registration, investigation, prosecution, reports etc. are coveredunder the project. The Project is func-tioning at Kohima district which wasinaugurated by the Hon'ble ChiefMinister.

OTHER MAJOR ACTIVITIES Village Profile: A web based search-able comprehensive database on vil-lage profile is available to the citizensthrough the URLhttp://nagaland.nic.in.

National Social AssistanceProgramme (NSAP): Under theNational Social Assistance Programme- Old Age, Widow & Disability PensionScheme are implemented in the state.The pensioner details are uploaded onthe site http://nsap.nic.in and is avail-able online to the citizen.

Personal Information Systems(PIS): Web based PIS software is func-tioning at the State Secretariat since2005.

Passport Cell Computerisation:The state Passport cell was setup atNagaland Civil Sect HomeDepartment to facilitate the collec-tion of new applicants for Passport ofthe state.

Rural Development : Software wasdeveloped for monitoring theprogress of centrally sponsoredschemes. It was implemented forMGNREGA (52 Blocks) and BRGF (5Districts) project. Block BackwardnessIndex for Planning Departmentrequired for planning process is alsomonitored.

Library Computerisation: LibraryAutomation solution from NIC imple-mented at the Assembly Secretariatand JNV schools in Nagaland.Training imparted to various statedepartment and the State Libraryofficials.

AGMARKNET Project: Compute-risation of Agricultural ProduceMarketing Centres in the state wastaken up in phase manner and 15APMCs were successfully covered.Tele Education: Tele Education facili-ties was set up at all the Govt HigherSecondary Schools having ScienceStream including Kohima ScienceCollege and three private schools inDimapur.

Training: NIC has been activelyinvolved in the state training pro-grammes. Guest Faculty lectures aregiven by NIC Officials on e-Governance Training Programme con-ducted by state Departments.

With the support of the stateGovernment in implementing the ICTtools and applications, NIC Nagalandlooks forward to a better and digitallygoverned environment to provide bet-ter services to the citizen.


KEZUNGULO MEDIKHRUState Informatics OfficerNIC Nagaland State CentreNagaland Civil SecretariatComplexNagaland Kohima - 7970010370 - 2270022 / [email protected]

Services provided under TransportProject

Hon'ble CM of Nagaland- Sh. Neiphiu Rio inaugurating CIPA Project


From the States

Colorful Rajasthan is a fairytale of majestic palaces,fortresses, cities, andbuzzing bazaars with theconfluence of history,chivalry, romance, ruggednatural beauty, art, craftsand culture.With the richhistorical and culturalbackground NIC in the statehad taken off in 1988 hasstarted showing its truecolors.Today with theefforts of team NIC thestate of Rajasthan issurging ahead as a leader ine-Governance and ICTdevelopments covering awide gamut of applications.

INDU GUPTAState Informatics OfficerNIC Rajasthan [email protected]

NIC Rajasthan in closecoordination withthe state govern-

ment agencies has undertaken vari-ous ICT projects efficiently and effec-tively. In terms of establishing theICT Infrastructure, analysis, design,development, consultancy, deploy-ment of ICT solutions, capacity build-ing and innovations in evolving ICTsolutions . NIC has lead from thefront with its highly dedicated andmotivated officials.

With a view to provide smooth,transparent and efficient servicedelivery within government and tocitizens various software and infra-structure development efforts havebeen made. Few major projects ofNIC are:

Rural Connectivity (GPNIC) forPanchayats: Government of Indiahad conceptualized a pilot pro-gramme for connecting rural Indiawith high speed fiber backbonedirectly to Panchayats. Riding onfibre backbone a service deliverysolution, web based GPNIC softwarehas been designed,developed and imple-mented for few pan-chayats in SrinagarBlock in Ajmer districtto facilitate Panchayatoffice in accessing vari-ous online services insimplistic manner.BSNL provided opticalfiber based connectivi-ty at ten panchayatoffices which was thenextended to other gov-

ernment offices, schools with thehelp of wireless system. The villagesfor the first time held video- confer-encing with the advisor to PM fromtheir own native place. So impressedwas the US delegation seeing peopleuse this system that PresidentBarack Obama decided to have a peekinto the future of India on 7th Nov2010. Advisor to PM Sh. Sam Pitrodabriefed the President about benefitsof the project.

Integrated Financial Manage-ment System (IFMS): TheIntegrated Financial ManagementSystem is a web based system forcomplete government financialaccounting. It includes budget plan-ning, estimates preparation, distri-bution / allocation, fund manage-ment, treasury functions etc. Itimproves government's financialmanagement and expedites opera-tions making it more transparent.The budget was prepared using theIFMS. IFMS consists of BudgetPreparation, Budget Distri-bution, Online Treasuries. IFMShas been initiated with the conceptof 'Any-Where-Treasury'. The Projectis taken up by Finance Department

Rajasthan: A Journey to Excellence in ICT in Government

Hon'ble MoS C&IT Sh. Sachin Pilot with Sh. JagdishBairwa Surpanch at Kanpura

Inputs from

Chandan Sen

From the States


in Rajasthan with NIC. A robust net-work has been set up to connect alltreasuries, sub treasuries to web basedIFMS portal. IFMS aims to take care ofmajority of the common requirementsmaintaining uniformity of procedures,adopting the best practices and net-working of all the offices i.e. FinanceDepartment, Directorate of Treasuries& Accounts, Pension Department, alltreasuries and sub treasuries. It willalso address issues related to interop-erability between G2G, G2C and G2B.Presently all 39 treasuries and 221 subtreasuries are using this online applica-tion with the facility for the banks toupload the daily scroll.

OASYS (Online AnsweringInformation System) forRajasthan Legislative Assembly:Going green with OASYS (OnlineAnswering Information System) was anatural culmination of the long associ-ation of NIC with Legislative Assemblyand all the departments of RajasthanGovernment to facilitate faster &secure communication pertaining toassembly questions. All answersreceived through the system are alsoaccessible through the web portal ofLegislative Assembly immediatelyafter the Question Hour. The detailedreplies can instantly be viewed bymedia or citizen. It is first such appli-cation ever deployed by any legislativebody in India. This is an eco-friendlysolution as it results in savings of morethan 10 million paper sheets everyyear.

SUGAM: "SUGAM RPG" the singlepoint public Grievance Redressal por-tal of Government of Rajasthan is aweb based system, currently used in750 offices is an effective tool forgrievance redressal for citizens.

SUGAM-Single Window ServiceDelivery system has a multilevelimplementation including all 33 dis-trict Collectorates and all the 247Tehsil offices of Rajasthan. The systemfacilitates timely delivery of variouscitizen services such as; Issuance ofBonafide Resident certificate, CasteCertificate etc. About different 40services are being extended throughthis system. The system is now beingextended to Common Service Centrenodes with a digital signature facility.

Pregnancy, Child Tracking &Health Services ManagementSystem (PCTS): This web basedonline system developed by NICRajasthan for Medical, Health &Family Welfare department, Govt. of

Rajasthan, for improving its servicesright upto Health Sub centre. The sys-tem is extremely useful in ensuringbetter health for women, minimizingmaternal mortality, neo natal mortali-ty and in tracing areas with decreasingsex ratio at birth. It is also useful inmonitoring functioning of all healthinstitutions across the state number-ing more than 13, 000. Presently it has23.5 lacs beneficiary records. It isoperational from more than 500 loca-tions across the state. Process re-engi-neering was done at various levels.Repeated efforts required in data com-pilation at different levels have beeneliminated completely. Data trans-portation sheets have been designedto minimize data capturing efforts.Swasthya Sandesh Sewa has beenlinked to the PCTS, which is reminderservice for the parents for vaccinationof their children and also to the ServiceProviders (ANM). The system alsohelps in ensuring adequate medicineand vaccine stocks at every healthfacility.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (RAJSSAportal): Rajasthan Council ofElementary Education undertook theproject of CTS (Child Tracking Survey)along with NIC Rajasthan in 2010. Asa massive exercise, village/habitat leveldetails of each child were surveyed.The data was captured through theICR technology. A comprehensiveonline module was developed for thesurvey monitoring and to collect boothwise summery data. In and out schoolchildren counts were published in the

Hon'ble CM of Rajasthan along with Hon'ble Speaker of RajasthanLegislative Assembly during OASYS launch

Launch of IFMS by MoS Finance Sh. Namonarain Meena during Banker’s meet


From the States

public domain within 10 days of com-pletion of the CTS survey. A total of1210917 children were found as Outof School Children in the state.Rajasthan is now amongst the fewstates which is providing thevillage/habitat wise Village EducationRegister in the public domain.

Patient Management for ChiefMinister's BPL Jeevan Raksha KoshIs a web based on-line application,intended to facilitate free medicaltreatment to poor patients in anyGovernment health facility at state,district or sub district level. The system extends right up to the CHC'sand PHC's. The system is developed byNIC, Rajasthan and is part of HEALING which is a comprehensive e-governance tool for the department.The system was launched on 15-09-2009 by Hon'ble Chief MinisterRajasthan and is operational sincethen. Presently the system is beingaccessed by more than 550 hospitalfacilities spread all over the state.Forty lac patient records are availableonline.

Pre Teacher's Entrance TestCounseling: The main objective ofthis web base application was to minimize the travel burden on counselees and for better transparencyin the system. About 1.25 lac candidates had participated in thecounseling process to take admissionsfor about 90000 seats available in 790colleges every year. One website is thecandidate site, to get all required information and fill his/her choices.Other is the intra site, where con-cerned institutes may see their list ofallotted candidates and provide onlinereporting.

Online BPL Census: This is one ofthe massive database creation exercis-es where each of the rural householdhas been surveyed and micro detailswere captured including attributesabout each and every family member.For the first time the OMR/OCR

sheets were used in the BPL censussurvey conducted in 2002. NIC Stateunit since beginning helped thedepartment in formulating tenderdocuments for the data capturingwork. NIC State unit has extendedsupport in validation of the data andnecessary application has been built toprovide various analytical reports oninterim and final data. There has beenwide usage of the data by variousdepartments and agencies for uplift-ment of the poor. The data reflectscurrent BPL position tracked till thevillage level. Data is used by RuralDevelopment department, Depart-ment of Food, Education, Medical andHealth, LIC, World Bank, ICICI bank,IL & FS in formulating and monitoringimportant schemes.

Primary Agriculture CooperativeSociety (PACS): Extending corebanking solution to PACS is an impor-tant step as it acts as Mini bank at thevillage level and delivers various ruralcitizen centric services like NREGApayment, agriculture loan disburse-ment etc. Hathoj & Mundia RamsarPACS in Jhotwara-Jaipur block wereselected for pilot implementation ofCooperative Core Banking System(CCBS). Apex bank RSCB has provid-ed necessary infrastructure for thispilot implementation. It is a hostedapplication at NIC Data Centre andcaters to all three levels of Short termcooperative structure. Salient featuresof CCBS are Core Banking Solution,SOA architecture, multilingual sup-port and requirement based cus-tomization at the time of installation.CCBS is developed by NIC HQ teamand NIC Rajasthan supported its suc-cessful implementation. RecentlyNABARD team visited these PACS toget a feedback of its replication inother PACS in India.

Public Health EngineeringDepartment: An integrated work-flow based system is used for planningand monitoring activities andresources including materials, man-

power, projects and finance. This isaccessed from more than 240 offices ofPHED of the state. The system covers151 Divisions, 43 Circle Offices, 13Region Offices, 33 Water Quality Labs& the PHED HQ. Data is captured intothe system from all divisions, circleoffices, region offices and water quali-ty labs etc.

Annual funds of around 1000 croreare being managed through this sys-tem and works account are generatedsince 2007. Work Flow basedMaterials Management System linksall the material stores of PHED.Projects and Works ManagementSystems allows comprehensive moni-toring of projects for physical & finan-cial progress. Personnel InformationSystem provides service records onlinefor all the employees. Other modulesinclude Water Quality Monitoring,Audit Para Monitoring, Schemes &Assets Management, TenderManagement and DocumentsManagement. As extension of 1stphase, now computerisation isplanned right upto the subdivisionlevel.

Wider Perspective and newHorizons of erstwhile LRC -Apnakhata: The computerization ofland records and Strengthening ofRevenue Administration and Updatingof Land Records has been merged withthe National Programme known asNational Land Records ModernizationProgramme. Its major components areLand Records, Digitization of KhasraMaps, Settlement Survey, Registration& Stamps and Integration of process-es. As it has been implemented in theRajasthan state in a systematized andorganized manner, it has proven to beone of the most popular services to cit-izens.

Rajasthan State Pollution ControlBoard (RSPCB): The project is bene-ficial to the Government, CentralPollution Control Board, RSPCB itself,Industries and the Indian Communityby providing the correct and authentic


From the States

online Information. The project scopewas to develop, deliver, install andimplement automated applicationsystems for the various sections in thedepartment to fulfill the need ofReliable, Auto-Responsive, Semi-Decision, Paperless and cost effectivecomputer based transparent systemfor Information Compilation,Dissemination and Sharing through-out the department and the cus-tomers.

Rajasthan High CourtComputerization: ComprehensiveJudicial Software System has beendeveloped which caters to all Judicialactivities viz, Case Filing, Paper Filing(Power, Reply etc), Reporting of LowerCourt, and FIR details, Classification,Scrutiny, Bail Trapping, Registration,Peshi, Track the Peshi Date of a case,Causelist, track the cause listing detailsof a case with item no, date and courtno., Disposal, Consign to RecordRoom, Comprehensive MIS ReportGeneration.

District Court Computerization:Laptops and printer have been provided to all the Judicial Officers atvarious districts. BroadbandConnection has been provided toJudicial Officers and e-mail accounthas also been provided on NIC server.Training has been provided to judicialofficers and staff on the computerapplication and usage.

Computerization of PoliceDepartment: NIC Rajasthan is play-ing a key role by extending guidance asmembers of state level and programmelevel committees for Crime &Criminal Tracking NetworkSystems after implementing CIPA at566 police stations. NIC Rajasthan hasdeveloped & successfully implementeda web based Personnel InformationSystem (PIS) for the PoliceDepartment. Massive database per-taining to general information, person-nel details, educational qualification,

nominations details, postings, awards,rewards, punishments, trainings forthe officials & officers of the PoliceDepartment have been entered in theapplication. Nearly 65,000 recordsentered as on date speaks the effortsput in by the NIC & the Police depart-ment.

Other Projects implemented suc-cessfully in the state are: VAHAN & SARTHI Project: Work ofRegistration of Vehicles and otherrelated works like Issue of Permit,Issuing Fitness certificates, Tax calcu-lation, Challan monitoring etc are tobe done on the "VAHAN" softwaredeveloped by NIC. SARTHI softwarefor issuing Driving Licenses is present-ly implemented in 7 transport officesof the state.

MG-NREGA Implementation:Rajasthan is leading state in MG-NREGA implementation, whereall the Job-card holder details alongwith their photograph are uploaded oncentral server. The Muster Roll is nowissued using NREGA soft only.Similarly the payment is made throughBank/Post office and every such information is available on NREGAsoft.

Mid Day Meal Monitoring System(MDM): To monitor the Grants, transfer of funds and grains fromGovt. of India, Distribution of fundsand grains to the Districts, blocks andschools, progress and utilization, a webbased application was developed anddeployed to get the online status of themonthly progress of the program.There are more than 270 active users. Monthly reporting is from allthe Blocks and data entry percent from schools is more than 95%.Monthly entry of records from each school is done at the block level.New Entry module for Cook CumHelper and AMSS has been imple-mented in application. More than95000 cook cum helper master data in

different category and cast is availableonline.

AWARDS:Project 'Pay Manager' has receivedeRajasthan-2009 Public Choiceaward under G2C Category.Awarded at eINDIA 2010 -"Pregnancy, Child Tracking &Health Services ManagementSystem" received the first prizeunder the e-HEALTH GovernmentPolicy Initiative of the Year catego-ry. "Mukhya Mantri Jeevan RakshaKosh" (under Health InsuranceInitiative of the Year) and "WaterCess for Rajasthan State PollutionControl Board" (under G2B) werealso shortlisted for award at eINDIA2010. Computer Society of India- Nihilente-Governance Awards 2008-09 forSUGAM (Jodhpur) under districtcategory.Manthan Award South Asia '2009for eGram & Appreciation certifi-cate for project "Pregnancy & ChildTracking System."eRajasthan-2009 AWARD -"eGram" has received eRajasthan-2009 Jury Award under G2CCategory. BPL Census- PCQUEST BEST ITImplementation award of the year2008 by PC-Quest.Apna Khata (Land RevenueComputerization Project)- Firstrunner-up award for excellence inIT Government Sector by Govt ofRajasthan.Finalist for CSI-Nihilent 2010 -PCTS & NIC Pali District.


INDU GUPTAState Informatics OfficerNIC Rajasthan State Centre318, N.W. Block, Secretariat Jaipur-302005Ph: [email protected]


Technology Update

Cufón, pronounced as Koofo, is one among thepopular font replacementtechniques of its kind,which has attained muchattention and popularityamong web developers.Thanks to Simo Kinnuenen,a Finland-based web guruwho developed thistechnique, which hasevolved and enabled us touse non-web, based fonts onweb pages with much ease.

Many of you wouldhave been curi-ous to know how

some websites and blog pages displayawesome choice of fonts withsmoother curves on your browsers.You would have also noticed thatsuch web pages stand out visuallyattractive and mind grabbing. Well,kudos to the several researchers andweb developers for their efforts inmaking it possible for us to embednumerous customized fonts so as tomake the page look unique and spe-cial. Now, with some extra effortalong the process of website develop-ment, you too can make this happenon your website. Needless to say, allthese come with some concerns offonts licensing and certain technolo-gy limitations for accessibility anduser experience. Like many otherdesigners who admire and getinspired of the beauty and functionof fonts, which significantly enhancethe web surfing experience, I happento be one who is curiously observantabout how emerging technologiesdraw and extend boundaries forexpanding possibilities.

CUFÓN Cufon is a JavaScript based fontreplacement technique, a popular ofits kind and an effective alternativeto the earlier techniques such as sIFR(Scalable Inman Flash Replacement)and FLIR (Face Lift ImageReplacement). Cufon emergedtrumps among the others for many,being faster, by using normal CSS(Cascading Style Sheet) to change the

attributes of Cufón font selectors.Well, such other techniques, evenwith their certain merits, still remainpainfully tricky to set up and use.Prior to these developments, websites were constrained by pages dis-playing only the web-safe fonts,which are still a handful. Thoughdesigners and developers usedimages and splash as alternatives(many still do the same), these areeither non-accessible, non-scalable orrequire plug-ins to display such vari-ety of fonts on web pages.

WHY CUFÓN?Cufón has a better edge over the oth-ers due to its specific merits:

1. It uses features that are natively supported. Hence the client machine requires no plug-ins.

2. Ithas better Browser Compatibili-ty. Cufon works on every major browser available on net now.

3. It is easy to use. Cufon requires noor almost zero configuration for standard use cases.

4. Speed of rendering is fast, even forsufficiently large amounts of text.

HOW DOES CUFÓN WORK?Cufón setup and use consists of twoindividual parts - a Font Generator,which converts fonts to a proprietaryformat and a Rendering Enginewritten in JavaScript.

THE FONT GENERATOR This is a bit more than a web-basedinterface to FontForge (a typefaceeditor program). Initially, the genera-tor builds a custom FontForge scriptbased on user input and then runs it,which saves the font as an SVG

MOHAN DASTechnical Director NIC [email protected]

Cufón: Custom Font EmbeddingTechnique for Web


Technology Update

(Scalable Vector Graphic)font. TheSVG font is then parsed and its pathconverted to VML (Vector MarkupLanguage) paths. The resulting docu-ment is then converted to JSON(JavaScript Object Notation) with ablend of functional Javascript. Thishas many advantages:

To include a font, one just needs toload it with the standard <script>tag as any other JavaScript file andit would be registered automatically.No requirement to manually parsethe file on client-side repeatedly.External JavaScript files block exe-cution until they are loaded, whichhelps us to achieve aflicker-free, clean repla-cement.It compresses fontsextremely well. A com-pressed font usuallyweighs 80 to 60% lessthan the original. Theprocess is then repeatedfor the rest of the fontsprovided to the Generator and theresulting JavaScript fileis sent back to the clientwith a distinctive file-name.

THE RENDERERIn comparison, this part isslightly tougher. TheRenderer consists of fur-ther 3 parts: A Core andtwo Rendering Engines.A Core provides the API(Application ProgramInterface) and commonfunctional aspects. OneRenderer out of the two,renders VML shapes, whilethe other RenderingEngine uses the widelysupported HTML5<canvas> element.Since the path data is already VML, abit of work is needed in the VMLengine. The canvas engine thus mustconvert all paths to the corresponding

sets of drawing commands provided bythe canvas API. This turns out to besomewhat tricky initially, but a solu-tion emerged after the second Enginecomplete rewrites in the form of codegeneration and caching, resulting in avery fast renderer. Inline SVG is sur-prisingly slow in a few browsers thatreally supported it properly.

CUFÓN AND ACCESSIBILITYISSUESAlong with many advantages of usingCufón over other alternatives, thereare also issues regarding web accessi-bility which are yet to be resolved. Butthe initial inability of text selection in

Cufón has been worked out to a con-siderable extent. In IE(6-8), Safari 4,Chrome and FireFox3 you are still ableto select the original HTML text.(FireFox3 won't show the text selec-

tion visually but when you select it andhit ctrl+c you will be able to paste it.) In screen readers, each word in textrendered by Cufón being a separatespan element, it makes several screenreaders such as VoiceOver, FireVox,ORCA, Window-Eyes and Opera Voiceread: The. Text. As. If. Each. Word.Was. Separated. By. A. Full. Stop. Insome cases the screen reader will stopafter reading the first word of a Cufón-replaced sentence. Setting the separateoption to 'none' in the Cufón API isfound to be a way to avoid this prob-lem. By doing this, Cufón does notwrap each word in a separate span ele-ment.

CONCLUSION Despite having some yet tobe resolved issues of fontsecurity, for a huge lot,Cufón still remains afavourite technique for fontembedding. For some whofeels '@font-face' or a'TypeKit' style of servicebetter for usage of largenumber of fonts, they arestill constrained with cer-tain font rendering issueson some OS's or browsers.Fonts that look brilliant onChrome in OSX (mac), lookterrible in Windows XPFirefox, for example….

With the evolving researchactivities and innovativeweb font managing tech-niques, we can anticipatenewer developments andsurprises from Cufón andother font handling tech-niques supported by robusttechnology. In general,embedding websites withfonts enabling accessibility,

which enhances user experience for all,will always be an integral part of anideal process of web development,thus supporting the well-acceptedthought of Inclusive Web design.


Technology Update

R RAMESHTechnical Director, NIC

Tamil Nadu [email protected]

VS RAGHUNATHANSenior TechnicalDirector, NIC [email protected]

The mobile computingenvironment poses sev-eral challenges to those

who offer services in terms of operat-ing system, browser environment,connectivity, Geo-reference, securityetc. The services that are offered overthe mobiles can be classified intoonline and offline services. Onlineservices are synchronous anddemand continuous connectivity.Offline communications are asyn-chronous and use the connectivitywhenever available. The mobilebrowser based services are onlineand connects to the website and serv-ices that are offered on internet.SMS, One-Time-Password (OTP) etc.are offline services. Open-X-data,mobile client programs such asmidlets, android applications, iPhoneapplications etc. can be programmedto work both online and offline.

SMSThe text messages such as SMS isbeing used in variety of ways to con-firm to the user about the serviceavailability, status of the service,credit/debit details, service acknowl-edgments, reference links etc. Thecitizen application can incorporateSMS interface through a localmodem or through the SMS gateway.The local modem solutions are limit-ed in terms of message handling,queuing, scalability, maintainability,both push and pull handling etc.Open source solutions such asKannel SMS gateway solutions havebeen implemented at the collec-torate, high-court level by NIC inmany states. The preferred way ofincorporating SMS services isthrough the SMS gateway and NICoffers the SMS gateway solution. NIC

facilitates SMS traffic between allservice providers and mobile sub-scribers, including mission-criticalmessages, SMS for enterprises, con-tent delivery etc.. Considering SMSmessaging performance and cost, aswell as the level of messaging servic-es, SMS gateway provides aggrega-tors or SS7 providers. The Central orState Government department canregister themselves with NIC SMSgateway and integrate the push/pullmessages as per requirement in theirapplications. This has been exten-sively used in variety of applicationsat the central and state level with thetechnical support from NIC.

ONE TIME PASSWORDOne-time password (OTP) is a pass-word that is valid for only one trans-action or authentication session andexpires after the defined time period.OTP is not vulnerable for replyattacks as they are not valid after theshort period defined. OTP has openstandards like HOTP (HMAC-based One TimePassword algorithm; IETF-RFC4226 ) from Initiative For OpenAuthentication (OATH).TOTP (Time-based One-timePassword Algorithm; IETF-RFC) anextension of HOTP to support timebased moving factor. This is alsofrom OATH.

OTP technology can be used incombination with the usual pass-word based authentication to pro-vide strong authentication, in thiscase two factor authentication.

Mobile-OTP is a free Open Sourcebased "strong authentication" solu-tion for java capable mobile deviceslike phones or PDAs. The solution isbased on time synchronous one timepasswords. It consists of a clientcomponent and a server component.The mobile client generates one time

Mobile e-Governanceservices is an integrationtechnology. It bestdemonstrates its value whenintegrating heterogeneoussystems because it supportsmany kinds of programminglanguages, run times, andnetworks.When there is aneed to connectapplications fromincompatible environments,the stage is set for Mobilee-Governance services.

Mobile e-Governance Services

Edited by R. Gayatri


Technology Update

passwords by hashing the followingitems using MD5:

the current epoch-time in a 10 sec-ond granularity the 4-digit PIN that a user enters a 16-hex-digit secret that has been created when the device was initial-ized (Init-Secret)

When entering a PIN, the mobileclient displays the first 6 digits of theMD5-hash. This is the One TimePassword. The One Time Password canbe verified by the server, as the serveralso knows the current time, Init-Secret and PIN of the user. To compen-sate time differences, the server willaccept passwords from 3 minutes inthe past to 3 minutes in the future. Inaddition, different time offsets can bespecified for each user on the tokenand/or the server. Each password willbe accepted only once. After 8 succes-sive failed authentication attempts auser gets locked out. Authentication isbased on two factors: a PIN known bythe user and the Init-Secret stored onthe mobile device.

Applications implementing OTP canthwart authentication token replyattacks and password sniffers.

ONLINE MOBILE SERVICESOnline mobile services are mostlyenabled through the mobile enabledweb-sites. The guidelines for develop-ment of rich and dynamic mobile webapplications can be obtained fromhttp://www.w3.org/TR/mwabp/. Thebasic principles of mobile web applica-tions recommended by W3C are

Set Users Free Ensure the user is informed aboutuse of personal and device infor-mationEnable automatic sign-inOffer users a choice of interfacesDon't change focus when dynami-cally updating page sections

Design for flexibilityDesign for multiple interaction methodsEnsure text flowsPrefer server-side detection

where possibleUse client-side detection when necessaryUse device classification to simpli-fy content adaptionSupport a non-JavaScript variantif appropriate

Remember web principlesReplicate local dataEnsure consistency of state between devicesDo not execute unescaped or untrusted JSON dataUse fragment Ids to drive applica-tion view

Spare the networkUse transfer compressionCache resources by fingerprintingresource referencesCache AJAX data Minimize external resourcesAvoid redirectsOptimize network requestsUse cookies sparingly

Exploit mobile-specific featuresMake telephone numbers click-to-callConsider mobile-specific tech-nologies for initiating web appli-cationsUse the meta view-port element to identify the screen sizeUse appropriate client-side storage

Optimize response timeAggregate static images into a single composite resource (sprites)Include background imagesinline in CSS Keep DOM size reasonableMinimize perceived latencyOptimize for application start-up time

MOBILE CLIENT PROGRAMS:Mobile client programs need touse the best practices recom-mended by W3C for onlineapplications. However there arefew challenges while offeringthe client programs they areMultiple platforms, Mobile spe-

cific variations for features and limita-tions, Client-side version managementand deployment.

Care should be taken when imple-menting mobile web services becauseonly a subset of the API is supportedby the mobile Web services specifica-tion

The Mobile client has to be devel-oped for multiple platforms such asNokia's Symbian, Google's Android,Apple's iOS, RIM's BlackBerry OS,Microsoft's Windows Phone, Linux,HP's webOS, Samsung's Bada, Nokia'sMaemo and MeeGo. Java Platform,Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Javaplatform designed for mobile phones(especially feature phones) and set-topboxes. Java ME was formerly known asJava 2 Platform, Micro Edition(J2ME).

Java ME technology consists ofthree elements namely configurations,Profiles and optional packages. Theconfiguration for small devices (lesscapable) are called Connected LimitedDevice Configuration (CLDC) and formore capable devices the configurationis known as Connected DeviceConfiguration (CDC).

It is always preferable to have theclient programs which needs less revi-sions on the client side as frequentupdates on the client side is not rec-

Mobile Client Programs


Technology Update

ommended. This can be achieved byconsuming services for every require-ment from the server-side so that thevariants are managed at the server-side instead of altering the client-pro-gram. Preferably REST services can beused. If the client needs to be secured,a client serialization with the IMEI(International Mobile EquipmentIdentity) number of the device is rec-ommended so that the client programdoes not work on other devices.

Mobile client programs can be writ-ten for both online and offline use.Open source solutions such asopenXdata for data collection is widelyused which supports low-cost mobiles,includes visual designer and supportsmultimedia and GPS. Location basedservices are possible using the GPSdata. One can start downloading fromhttp://www.openxdata.org/demoand start experiencing this solution ontheir low-cost mobile. Only require-ment is the Java enabled mobile andGPRS/3G connectivity. This is widelyused for location based survey/activityrecord needs.

In the offline mode the applicationcan collect data and the data can besend to the server using SMS or viaInternet using a Desktop intermedi-ate. Continuous network coverage isnot required for offline applications.

As the mobile camera can be usedfor multiple requirements, the clientprogramming based on the cameraare numerous. One such open sourcesolution is the 2D barcode reader.The encoded data in the 2D barcodewhich can carry more than 8K of datausing the open standard 2D bar codessuch as QR Code, DM Code andPDF417 can be decoded using themobile bar code readers which arefreely available for downloads. Thiscan be used for variety of anywhere,anytime services where the encodeddata can point to an URL containingthe information that is required. TheURL can be open URL for public infor-mation such as status of servicerequest and the URL can carry serverside authentication for private data

such as individual health records,financial transactions etc.

MOBILE BANKINGUsing IMPS (Inter-Bank MobilePayment Service) one can send moneyinstantly from the savings bankaccount using one’s mobile numberalong with a 7 digit MMID (MobileMoney Identifier) number. To receivefunds one has to generate MMID. Inorder to transfer money using IMPSthe user has to follow the followingsteps

Use the client application provided by the service provider and select Transfer Funds optionEnter 10 digit mobile number, 7 digit MMID and the Amount and confirmFollow the authentication method used by the service provider and themoney is transferred instantly

The SMS will inform the transactionstatus. One can transfer upto Rs.50,000 as this is encrypted method asper RBI regulations

The same facility is available overSMS instead of the client programwhere the limit is Rs 5,000 as per RBIregulations

LOCATION BASED SERVICES(LBS)The idea of location based services hasbeen catching up for the past fewyears. Location is a very importantdata point when it comes to mobilecomputing, and your lat/long coordi-nates and even what direction you arefacing and what particular objectyou're looking at are importantparameters for your searching. Thissolution can be used in fleet manage-ment, tracking, optimised routes, cur-rent status of movement, inventorymovement within campus/factory etc.Every smartphone company thesedays wants to offer you somethingthat would couple you with your near-by cellphone towers, local resourcesand people in your immediate area.When the Government ServiceCentres such as nearest CSC, Post-

Office, Police Station, Hospital, RTOoffice, Taluk Office, Collectorate areavailable as spatial layers with pointfeatures for individual locations,Location based Services become moreuseful on the move. The LBS cananswer the queries such as how far,where, route, direction with addedpublic transport facilities to reach theservice or the utility centre.

Google's 'What's Nearby' is a loca-tion-based search that's part of anupdated Google Maps app onAndroid devices, and soon to beavailable on the web-based GoogleMaps on other devices What it doesis to simply give you a list of the tenclosest places (restaurants, shops,points of interest) that are near yourlocation. While doing the search thevoice enabled query or search is alsoenabled using Google's 'Search byVoice' feature

Mobile client programs can alsocarry out search based on the picturestaken from a location. 'GoogleGoggles' is a picture-based search tool,wherein you can take a picture ofsomething and have Google returnsearch results based on it. This couldbe good to identify something youdon't recognize, or learn more aboutsomething you do.


District Informatics

SAYYED YASINUSMANSAB

District InformaticsAssociate, NIC Gadchorili

[email protected]

S.R TEMBHURNE District InformaticsOfficer, NIC [email protected]

As part of the IT frame-work for the district,NIC, Gadchiroli pre-

pared a blueprint specifying the pri-ority areas for cumputerisation andautomating the processes for thebenefit of the district administrationand the people of the district. A spec-trum of services have been extendedby NIC to the district administrationwhich includes - Video Conferencesupport, System study & softwaredevelopment, Consultancy in hard-ware & software, Training to theusers, e-mail, Internet support toDistrict Administration, AllTechnical support to implement ITbased Projects.

NIC, Gadchiroli has developed &implemented many projects in thedistrict based on the requirement of

people and district administration.These projects have been instrumen-tal in bringing transparency in thedevelopment works across the dis-trict and improving the life of citi-zens.

e-Vidya: This innovative projectlaunched for development of educa-tion system and introducing IT tech-nology among the students of dis-trict. Under the project VC facilityhas been provided in 36 schools oftwo talukas namely Dhanora &Kurkheda. Lectures over VC sessionsare delivered by experts from thecentral VC hub located at ITI,Gadchiroli educating the studentsand creating awareness amongst thecitizens/villagers on various govern-ment schemes, health issues, literacyprogrammes etc. The entire technicalsupport to the project has been pro-vided by NIC, Gadchiroli.

Situated in the southeasterncorner of Maharashtra,Gadchiroli is categorised asa tribal and undevelopeddistrict with more than 80%of its land covered withdense forest and hills.Information Technology haspaved the way todevelopment and goodgovernance in thiseconomically andindustrially backwarddistrict.The DistrictAdministration inpartnership with NIC,Gadchiroli has set the goalsfor use of ICT for speedydevelopment and delivery ofessential services to thecommon man in an easierand simpler manner.

Gadchiroli: Embracing ICT in theTribal District

Edited by Anshu Rohatgi

Gadchiroli was awarded the prestigious 14th National eGovernance Award for itsinnovative project - "District Disaster Management Plan" and other IT basedinitiatives in the district. The project was initiated by Sh. Atul Patne, Collector,Gadchiroli and supported by Sh. Moiz Hussain Ali, SIO NIC, Maharashtra

Sh. Atul Patne, Collector Gadchiroli receiving the award



Rozgar Kundali: The district admin-istration launched a portal 'RozgarKundali' to address the issues of unem-ployment due to industrial backward-ness and naxal activities in the district.The portal provides information ongovernment schemes for financialassistance and skill development tothe educated unemployed youth of thedistrict helping them to be self reliantand start their own businesses etc.

Forest Rights BeneficiaryInformation System: This systemhas computerized the informationpertaining to beneficiaries of ForestRights Acts. The aim is to provideinformation of government schemesto citizens for their financial develop-ment. It holds information of FRCbeneficiary such as family details,available irrigation facility, land pos-session, having own home etc., whichare mandatory for processing of appli-cations for granting benefit.

MREGS Help Line System: This sys-tem provides information regardingvarious types of developmental worksbeing carried out by various depart-ments in the district over a telephoneline. Any individual can make a call onthe toll free number to get informa-tion on the status of work, musters,village administration, PanchayatDirectory etc.

ICT Training & Technical Support:NIC Gadchiroli frequently organizestraining programmes to impart train-ing on MS Office, e-mail & Internet tothe officials from revenue & otherdepartments in the district to enhanceICT culture among the offices and toimprove efficiency while working onvarious IT supported projects. In addi-tion trainings are also conducted onvarious applications implemented inthe district.

Video Conference Support: VCservices are being provided to DistrictAdministration and various depart-

ments by the district unit. SeniorOfficials from Secretariat and HODsuse this facility to review the status ofvarious departmental schemes orongoing projects through their fieldoffices in the district.

Web site for Collector Office: NICGadchiroli has also developed the web-site for the district which provides his-tory, district profile, administrativesetup, tourism and other useful statis-tical information on the district.Various MIS have also been linked tothe website to provide information ofbeneficiaries and other details relatedto various schemes implemented inthe district.

Left Wing Extremism Scheme: TheLeft Wing Extremism Scheme hasbeen initiated by the Government forthe Naxal affected & remotely placeddistrict of the state. Under thisscheme, the Central Government hasdecided to provide financial assistanceto 12 departments for development ofdistrict to minimize Naxal Activities.NIC Hq. developed MIS is implement-ed effectively by reporting monthlyprogress of various schemes data intothe web based application in time andsupported the district administration.

Numerous other National and StateGovernment projects have beenimplemented by NIC, Gadchiroli. Thedistrict got 3rd Prize for effectiveimplementation of MNREGA schemeand operationalisation of NREGAMIS. The Land RecordsComputerisation Project is effectivelyimplemented in all the tehsils forRevenue Department. The CON-FONET application is successfullyimplemented for District ConsumerForum and data entry for consumercases, judgments is being done usingthe software. The AGMARKNET proj-ect with online reporting of APMCdata by concerned APMC into the sitehttp://msamb.com is regularizedwhile the Property Card InformationSystem and the National SocialAssistance Programme projects havealso been implemented in the district.


SHIVSHANKAR RAMBHAUTEMBHURNEDistrict Informatics OfficerNIC, District CollectorateGadchiroli Ph : [email protected]

Hon'ble Home Minister of Maharashtra Sh. R.R. Patil interacting with villagersfrom remote villages in the district using VC system under e-Vidya Project



KAMAL TYAGIDistrict Informatics

Associate, [email protected]

VINOD KUMARDistrict InformaticsOfficer, NIC [email protected]

The NIC district centre,established at MiniSecretariat, has a dedi-

cated redundant Leased Line connec-tivity with NIC-Haryana State Unit,under NICNET and SWAN, for unin-terrupted network services. Two e-DISHA centres and six HALRIS cen-tres for G2C services with compre-hensive computing and communica-tion facilities and a comprehensiveLAN of 300 nodes is also functional.NIC setup also covers one TrainingLab with roof mounted projector, wellequipped Video Conferencing roomand 03 Touch Screen kiosks for theconvenience of residents.

MAJOR E-GOVERNANCEPROJECTS e-Delivery of Integrated Serviceto Citizens (e-DISHA): Various citi-zen centric services are provided has-sle free through a single window in atransparent way and few of them are:

Registration of Vehicles ( New, Duplicate, NOC, HPA Addition and Cancellation, Re-passing) - using VAHAN software Issuance of Permanent and

Learning Driving License and Conductor License (New, Duplicate, Renewal) - using SARATHI software Affidavit attestation Ensure the presence of Applicants, Witnessesby taking the Thumb Impression using Biometric Device and photo-graphIssuance of Certificates viz: SC, BC, OBC, Haryana Residence, Income, Rural Area On Spot Medical Examination Facility for Driving License and Conductor LicenseIssuance of Senior Citizen I-Cards Collection of Application and Delivery for all types of Nakals byCoping Agency related to RevenueCourt Cases

Dynamically Integrated HALRIS(Haryana Land RecordsInformation System) & HARIS(Haryana Property RegistrationInformation System) - A com-plete Integrated WorkflowAutomation system of Land Recordcomponents has been implementedat all 06 tehsils & sub-tehsils. It pro-vides a single Window Interface forDeed Writing, Registration,Mutation, Jamabandi and copy ofRecords-of-Right, which is also avail-

Kurukshetra is a place of great

historical and religious

importance, revered all over the

country for its sacred

associations.The battle of

Mahabharta was fought here and

Lord Krishna preached his

philosophy of "KARMA" to Arjun

as enshrined in the Holy Geeta.

In the very first verse of Bhagwat

Gita, Kurukshetra is described as

DHARAMKSHETRA i.e. field of

righteousness. Mythologically, the

name Kurukshetra applied to a

circuit of about 48 KOS or about

80 miles (128 Kms) which

includes a large number of holy

places, temples and tanks

connected with the ancient Indian

traditions and the Mahabharata

War and Kururu, the pious

ancestor of Kaurvas and

Pandavas.

Kurukshetra: ICT Root Deepens InDistrict through NIC

Edited by Vivek Verma

DleDCs



To promote e-Governance andimprove delivery of var-ious citizen servicesusing ICT DistrictAdministration with thetechnical support ofNIC, District Centre hastaken several initia-tives. Moreover, allGovernment officeshave been asked tocarry out necessaryprocess re-engineeringin order to simplifyoffice procedures tomake them suitable foran efficient and trans-parent delivery of pub-lic services throughuse of available ICTtools. I appreciate theefforts of Sh.VinodSingla, DIO & Sh. Kamal Tyagi, DIAand complement themfor continued motivat-ed performance in thefuture.

C.G. RAJINI KAANTHAN,IAS, Deputy Commissioner,

Kurukshetra

able on websitehttp://jamabandi.nic.in. TheDepartment of Land Resources, Govt.of India has identified HALRIS Centre,Kurukshetra as a nation wide best prac-tice and has been deputing officers,teams from other states to undertakestudy of HARIS, HALRIS Integration.Various teams from different states(UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh,Tripura, Assam, Karnataka) & WorldBank visited Kurukshetra to study theinitiative. Automation of the Branches inDeputy Commissioner Office (e-Office)

Attendance Marking System through biometric device: More than 150 officials daily use thissystem to mark their attendance. (also implemented in ADC Office & SDM Office)Public Grievances Redressal & Monitoring SystemPayroll, Budget Preparation (Form BM10), Expenditure & Budget Allocation Statements (BM2629)Vehicle Requisition Dairy & Dispatch Register (VRK Branch) Receipt/Issue of all Files related to Various Courts in Coping & RKE BranchDistribution of Grants (DA Branch)

Touch Screen Kiosks based CitizenFacilitation: 03 Touch Screen Kiosksare installed at Kurukshetra MiniSecretariat, which are being used for e-services like Queries related to LandRecords based on Owners as perKhewat/Name, Cultivators as per

Khatoni/Name, Registration Deeds,Mutations Status, Field Book,Mausawis, Awareness through PPT,Vehicle Registration & Driving LicenseStatus/Awareness, Voter List Enquiry ,Haryana School Board Results, Sr.Citizens Id. Cards, to query aboutBelow Poverty Line Households, Queryabout the Panchayats Directory - nameof Sarpanch & Panch, DC OfficeEmployees Attendance MarkingSystem.

OTHER IMPORTANT PROJECTSGeneral Elections to Lok Sabha-2009, Haryana Assembly - 2009,and Municipalities & PanchayatsGeneral Elections 2010: The soft-ware for Duty Assignment andRandomization of Polling booths,polling parties, EVMs, Micro observersand Result compilation was developedin Kurukshetra, implemented in allconstituencies in district & replicatedin entire state of Haryana. Four typesof Help lines were also established andoperated successfully.Results Through Binocular: Theproject of Board of School Education,Haryana for Result Declaration & On-line in-depth analysis (i.e. a compendi-um of millions queries) of results of allstudents of Middle, Matric and PlusTwo exams was also developed andimplemented through NIC,Kurukshetra, having a feature of E-Psychologist for instant counseling. In addition, all assigned state level andcentral projects are being implementedand active ICT support is being provid-ed to district administration and userdepartments.


GHAN SHYAM BANSAL,State Informatics Officer NIC-Haryana State Unit

G03, Haryana New Secretariat,Sector-17, Chandigarh - 160017Ph: [email protected]

Word Bank Team members with G.S.Saini, SSA, NIC at Halris Centre,Kurukshetra



Kathua - gateway to thenorthernmost state ofJammu and Kashmir, liesjust 88 kilometres south ofthe state's winter capital ofJammu.The District issurrounded by Punjab in theSouth-East, HimachalPradesh in North-East,District Doda and Udhampurin North and North-West,Jammu in the West andPakistan in the South-West.Dogri & Pahari are the mainlanguages spoken. Hindi,English and Urdu are themain medium of education.Offcial language is Urdu.

RAJESH KUMARGUPTADistrict InformaticsOfficer, NIC [email protected]

Kathua: ICT enabled InitiativesLeading to Good Governance

Residents of Kathua accessing the benefits of HILMS at District Hospital

NIC District Centrebecame operationalin 1989 with an aim

of improving and accelerating theplanning process and implementa-tion of socio-economic programmes.The first step in this direction was tocreate mass awareness among offi-cials of District Administration andother departments, through a seriesof training and awareness pro-grammes. As a result of this theusage of computers in the Districtshowed a tremendous increase andgradually various areas of DistrictAdministration were covered. By nowalmost all major departments of J&KState Government as well as CentralGovernment in the district are reap-ing the benefits of ICT and the NICoffice has gradually came out asNodal Office for the horizontal andvertical propagation of this culture.

HOSPITAL MANAGEMENTINFORMATION SYSTEM,(HMIS) A Centre for e-delivery of services atDistrict Hospital has been estab-lished which runs HMIS under a

team comprising of Chief MedicalOfficer, Medical Superintendentand doctors who are very well versedto the problems that come across thehealthcare management. All sectionsof the hospital have been broughtunder single umbrella for the conven-ience of residents. It shall shortly beimplemented in all the Sub-DistrictHospitals of the district. Key Features: Complete and auto-matic operating of District HospitalKathua, OPD and IPD Management,Store/inventory management,Laboratory tests/ Ultrasound ECG/X-rays/ Blood Bank etc., manage-ment, Built-in backup and restorefacilities. Advantages of HMIS : Enhancingbetter administrative control,Improving response to patient's wait-ing time by smooth flow of informa-tion, Provides proper keeping ofmedical records such as patient histo-ry, diagnostic details etc., Generatesvarious MIS statistical reports interms of OPD, IPD, Drugs stockinventory etc.

E- SAHOOLIAT CENTRE(SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM)Single Window System is intended tobring together all the departments

edited by Vivek Verma



under one umbrella and give residents a"Multi Service - Single Window" conven-ience. All inputs are captured at a sin-gle point, a specified delivery date isdefined depending upon the type ofservice and after internal processes theservice is delivered. Services like ArmsLicenses Renewal , Certificate Issuance -Caste, Marriage, Legal heir, Dependencyunder SRO_43, Character etc., Fard-Intekhab System, Permanent ResidentCertificates, Issue of NAKAL (Voter list),Complaints monitoring system arebeing offered.

GENPROFITS Software for the computerization ofGeneral Provident Fund subscriber'sdata successfully implemented at FundsOffice Kathua. Schedules for the currentfinancial year have been issued. The dif-ferent reports being sent to the AG officeare unpost balance, unpost cleared, com-pilation reports etc. It has facilitatedmore than 5000 employees of J&KGovernment in Kathua district to seetheir subscription on internet.

Panchayat Elections 2011Conduct of Panchayat Election is a mam-moth task for the DistrictAdministration, which by effective useof, has been made very easy. Activitieslike Employees Data Base,Randomization and Deployment ofPolling and counting staff, List of PollingStations, Printing of Ballot Papers andTraining materials for ROs/AROs arecomputerized.

NICNET has been effectively used for

transmission of information betweenDPEO and Office of ElectionDepartment. Results are displayed onthe website of the district administra-tion.

Levy Information System The Collection & Disbursement of levywas a major area of concern for revenuedepartment, as there was no proper sys-tem of keeping accurate and updatedrecords and preparing reports to show theactual position of Levy. Keeping in viewall this, the software was developed hav-ing all the features like data entry, help,query and report generation. With theimplementation of this software it hasbecome easy for the Revenue Departmentto present correct and updated informa-tion to higher authorities.

Computerisation of RTO Lakhanpur Lakhanpur is gateway to J&K thus RTOLakhanpur had been chosen for pilotimplementation of Vahan and Sarathisoftware for vehicle registration andlicencing respectively. The Vahan andSarathi software, provided by NIC HQand customized as per the require-ments of RTO, has been successfullyimplemented at RTO Kathua since 2005.Connectivity has also been establishedfor the transfer of Vahan and Sarathidata on daily basis to State and NationalRegister.

Video ConferencingA state of the art VC studio has beenestablished in the district office complex.It has enabled DDC and other districtslevel officers to attend the various reviewmeetings with their senior officers.

Besides the above mentioned projects,NIC Kathua has provided effective sup-port for the implementation of some ofthe coveted National level projects like e-Court, CIPA, Computerization ofElectoral rolls, Multi purpose NationalIdentity Cards (MNIC) (Kathua is one ofthe place where MNIC project has beensuccessfully implemented as the guide-lines of RGI), Community InformationCentre (CIC).


RAJESH KUMAR GUPTANIC District CentreKathua, J&KPh : [email protected]

Information technologyholds tremendouspotential to extend andenable access to criticalinformation and deliveryof public services in a farmore efficient andeffective manner. NICDistrict Centre Kathuahas contributed inpromoting the e-Governance and ICTculture in Kathua Districtwhich has broughttransparency andefficiency in the system. I appreciate the effortsmade by Sh. RajeshKumar Gupta, DIO NICKathua for hiscontribution and activesupport to districtadministration in allspheres to make e-governance a truesuccess.

ZAHIDA PARVEEN KHANDeputy Commissioner

Kathua (J&K)

A working day at E-Sahooliat Centre



Supaul: Implementing ICT Projectsfor e-Governance Supaul district is one of the38 districts in Bihar.Thedistrict is bounded by Nepalto the north, Araria districtto the east, Madhepura andSaharsa district to thesouth and Madhubanidistrict to the west. Supauldistrict is a part of Kosidivision.The Koshi Riverflows through the districtwhich regularly causesfloods resulting immensedamage to crops, loss oflives and property.Agriculture is the mainoccupation and mainlypaddy is grown in theregion.

SUNIL KUMARDistrict InformaticsOfficer, NIC Supaul [email protected]

SANTOSH KUMARState InformaticsOfficer, NIC [email protected]

Various e-Governanceprojects in the districtwere taken up by NIC

Supaul which has brought benefits ofICT and modern technology to thedistrict administration resultingtransparency and efficiency in gover-nance for the benefit of the masses.The important among them areBiometric based attendance system,SMS based scheme monitoring sys-tem, Flood Information System etc.Moreover, a large number of ICTprojects were implemented in thedistrict towards establishing an effi-cient e-Governance system some ofwhich are as follows.

DISTRICT WEBSITE The district website(http://supaul.bih.nic.in ) has provedto be useful and informative towardstimely dissemination of informationwhich was also acknowledged by localpeople and media during KoshiFloods, Parliamentary and AssemblyElections apart from other districtlevel announcements.The district adminis-tration is leveragingICT-led developmentsto provide accurate,transparent andresponsive informationand services to citizensof the district. Theobjective is to make thedistrict website dynam-ic, updated, accurateand act as an impor-tant medium of com-munication with thepeople.

System Of COmputerizedREgistration (SCORE) - The soft-ware has been implemented to makeregistration process simple, transpar-ent and fast. The salient features areauto valuation of property based onMinimum Valuation Register (MVR),auto calculation of stamp duty, addi-tional stamp duty, registration feesand other subsidiary fees, capture ofPhoto and finger prints of parties(executants and claimants) and iden-tifiers. The computerization processalso includes scanning of documentsand their preservation in digitalform. The software has been imple-mented at all registry office locatedat Triveniganj, Ganpatganj, Nirmaliand Supaul.

COMPUTERIZATION & E-GOVERNANCE INITIATIVES NICNET & Video-Conferencing :NIC District Unit, Supaul has aVideo-Conferencing facility, and isbeing used frequently by variousdepartments for review & monitor-ing of the government schemes andprogrammes including capacitybuilding for the various e-Gov appli-

edited by Prashant Belwariar



cations. The VC facility is over 2Mbps leased line circuit withimplemented QoS and STM-1,and is being upgraded to 34Mbps, besides DAMA and Skyblaster redundant system. Inaddition, 2 Mbps leased line cir-cuit is also extended toDepartment of Post for imple-mentation of Arrow project andvarious sections of differentdepartments in the district forNICNET facilities.

ELEction CONfidential (ELE-CON) application software,extensively used in the districttowards management of electionrelated activities like deploymentof polling & patrolling personnel,booth allotment to polling par-ties etc. It is a standard softwareand has rich features e.g.Personnel Randomization, EVMRandomization, Force Random-ization, RO/ARO Counting, MISRepots that provides support toReturning Officers (RO) duringParliamentary/Assembly elec-tion. This software was wellacknowledged by the users. NICDistrict Unit Supaul contributionduring counting of Votes inParliamentary Election 2009 waswell appreciated by the con-cerned authorities.

Transport Compu-terization: TheVAHAN & SARATHIare national levelapplication softwarefor TransportDepartment is fullyoperational at DistrictTransport Office,Supaul. Vahan is related withregistration of vehicle,its validity and fitnessand tax details.Sarathi is relatedwith issuing of vari-ous types of licenses.The unique feature is

issuance of driving license andregistration certificate book onsmart card.

Municipal Corporationtowards Digital RevenueAdministration (MUDRA) -This software offers G2C serviceby the Urban Local Bodies. The key features are access to house holding information,automatic assessment of holding tax, demand note gener-ation etc.

Other Projects that has greatlyhelped the administration for itsquest towards e-Governance areCIPA, PlanPlus - Software formicro level planning, computeri-zation of District RuralDevelopment Agency, MahatmaGandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee Schemeetc. in the district.


SUNIL KUMARDistrict Informatics OfficerNIC District CentreCollectorate CampusSupaul - 852131Ph: [email protected]

"National Informatics Centre,Supaul is playing a critical role inimplementing citizen centric goodgovernance in Supaul districtsince its inception in 1999. Thedistrict unit of NIC has takensignificant strides since then &has contributed immensely forproviding quality services to thepeople in this remote part of thecountry despite variousinfrastructural constraints. Thedistrict website maintained by NIChas proved to be very useful andinformative for the local peopleand media in informationdissemination related to KoshiFloods 2008, Parliament Elections2009, Assembly Elections 2010,Disaster Management, Tendering,recruitment etc. Supaul Districtbeing located in difficult Koshiregion, the role of Informationtechnology and e-Governance willfurther strengthen and widen infuture for providing accurate,transparent and responsiveinformation and services to thepeople of the district. The factthat the efforts are going to befeatured in 'Informatics', an e-Governance bulletin from NIC willgive further momentum to theteam."

KUMAR RAVIIAS & DistrictMagistrate,Supaul (Bihar)

A working day at District Transport office


International e-Gov Update

MinID is a personalized log-in system that provides access tomany public services on the internet from the Government ofNorway. Now, it offers citizens new options which provide secureaccess to public authorities' services dealing with highly sensitivepersonal information.

MinID is developed and maintained by the Agency for PublicManagement and eGovernment and currently gives million peo-ple secure electronic access to a gamut of public services e.g. deliv-ery of tax returns, services of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare

Organization, applications for student loans and scholarships and may more. These services do not require high security,since they do not process sensitive personal data nor have special security requirements.

The new MinID options are an eID smart card and an eID USB stick. They provide eID at the highest security level,and are designed for public services that deal with sensitive information e.g. health information and other services withespecially high security requirements. They can also be used for all services for which MinID is currently used, as well asfor future services which involve the electronic signing of documents and the encryption of messages that contain sensi-tive information.

Though, MinID is designed with safety and convenience, yet future services might require even higher security, whichmight involve a different type of ordering method. So to obtain a MinID at the highest level of security might requireattendance in person in order to conduct an identification check. Currently the MinID PIN code is sent to the user'shome when the service is acquired.

For information: http://www.startupgreece.gov.gr/

Free PublicProcurement e-Coursefor Businesses: UKDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills(BIS) of UK Government has launched a free pub-lic procurement e-Course for businesses.

"Winning the Contract", an on-line public pro-curement course is a free resource to help busi-nesses learn about public procurement and howto bid for public sector contracts. It introducesbusinesses to the key procurement processesincluding the advantages and disadvantages ofdealing with public bodies; different types of con-tracts; understanding approved supplier lists andframework agreements; searching for and find-ing public sector opportunities; and identifying the key stages in the tendering process.

The e-Course is divided into six modules and presented in an interactive format. There is an optional audio track to aidlearning. Resources such as case studies, a glossary, a 'Hints' and 'Tips' download and website links are also facilitated forthe ease of the learners.

This e-Course is available via the Business Link webpage, which is the Government's online resource for businesses. Ittargets people with responsibility for developing their business, such as business owners, managers and business develop-ment managers. It is aimed at growing businesses in all sectors.

For information: www.businesslink.gov.uk/procurement

MinID Provides safer OnlinePublic Service: Norway


International e-Gov Update

In what is considered a first for the Greek publicadministration, digital information, networkingfunctions, as well as all the required material foranyone currently doing business in Greece or wish-

ing to do so, are being incorporated into a single platform 'Startup Greece'.The youth entrepreneurship initiative 'Startup Greece' contains a database of laws and regulations, procedures, sup-

port structures, incentives, success stories and failures and interaction with public and private institutions. Citizens areinvited for membership and assist in fostering an entrepreneurial culture.

Startup Greece is aimed at creating a new generation of entrepreneurs in Greece, bringing together people and ideasand changing the country's perception of doing business and entrepreneurship. It combines an online entrepreneurshipcommunity with knowledge and information database specialized in the field of doing business.

Startup Greece is supported by the Ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness and the GreekGovernment, in collaboration with communities of young entrepreneurs.

For information: : http://www.startupgreece.gov.gr/

Government Asks for Citizens'Views on Over-Regulation:UKThe UK Government launched the Red Tape Challengewebsite in order for the general public to give their views onunnecessary regulations, with the ultimate aim of reducingbureaucracy. This site is designed to promote open discus-sion of ways in which the aims of existing regulation can befulfilled in the least burdensome way possible.

Over the years red tape and bureaucracy have becomeexcessive leading to over-regulation which has a negativeeffect on businesses, economy and society. With the aim ofultimately streamlining regulation, the government haspublished all the current regulations for one specific sector or industry. The public would give their views regarding therespective sector i.e. what regulation is working and what is not, what can be simplified and what can be scrapped. Afterreceiving the feedback, Ministers would decide which regulations should be kept and why.

This initiative has been welcomed as an "opportunity to help drive changes". Making this work has been put as a "highpersonal priority" and meetings are held regularly to ensure real progress is being made.

It is proposed that all government departments use 'Red Tape Challenge to deepen their engagement with businesses,the public and all other stakeholders on regulatory issues, and ensure that creative and credible options for reducing reg-ulation are put to Ministers.

The Red Tape Challenge site is open for the public's comments on regulation in Road Transportation. Other sectorsinclude Hospitality, Fisheries, marine enterprises and internal waterways, Equalities, Health and safety, Manufacturing,Healthy living and social care, Media and creative services, Utilities and energy, Rail and merchant shipping, and Miningand quarrying etc.

For information: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/home/index/

Online YouthEntrepreneurship PlatformFocuses on KnowledgeSharing: Greece

Cyber Governance


Roshni-A Green Innovation for sustainableHabitats (http://roshni-rb.gov.in)

The website Roshni is an initiative taken on the directionsof the President to make the President's Estate a green,energy efficient and zero waste model township. The con-tent rich and visually appealing website delivers informationon the environmental policies and the projects of the Estatewhich are designed with an effort to make the residents ofthe Estate more aware about the challenges faced and to beconcerned about the degradation of the natural eco-system.It also addresses the concepts of promoting models for cre-ation of eco friendly urban habitats through active partici-pations of stakeholders and convergence of partnership pro-grams. A video and photo gallery is also uploaded to keep itsvisitors abreast with the latest events or initiatives. The sitehas accessibility features for differently abled users.

Agriculture Department of Mizoram (http://agriculturemizoram.nic.in/)

The agricultural department of Mizoram hit the cyber worldwith the launch of its official website. The homepage of thewebsite display an array of information on the basic roles,functions and responsibilities of the department. One impor-tant feature of the website is the Remote Sensing and GIS sec-tion which is helpful in analyzing and displaying of complexdata for various district wise projects and geographicallytransferring the information. The website also keeps the citi-zens and its beneficiaries informed about the various proj-ects/schemes running and implemented in the district.Besides a Photo Gallery and a Download section (for down-loading forms and documents) are also available.

High Court of Uttarakhand (http://highcourtofuttarakhand.gov.in/)

NIC Uttarkhand has designed, developed and hosted thewebsite of Uttarkhand High Court in compliance with theGuidelines of Indian Government Website. It providesinformation on the functions of the High Court and thedetails about present and former Hon'ble Chief Justices,Judges and Registrar-Generals. A separate "Mediation"section is also there for dispute resolution. Citizens andall concerned can also see the Cause-List and variousJudgments of High Court through the online links avail-able on this website. The home page of the website alsohas links to all the 13 Districts and Subordinates Courtswhich can be reached just at the click of the mouse. Apartfrom it, a RTI annexure, contact information, AnnualCalendar of High Court and District Courts are also avail-able. News & Events, Tenders and Recruitment sectionsalong with Notifications and Circulars issued from time totime are regularly updated.

Contributed by: LOKESH JOSHI, NIC [email protected]

DIO Yamuna Nagar Sh. Ramesh Gupta receivedNational Award for outstanding individual contri-

bution in programme implementation of RashtriyaSwasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY). Yamuna Nagar was thefirst district to implement RSBY in Feb 2008. Sincethen RSBY scheme has been running successfully inDistrict Yamuna Nagar. Sh. Ramesh Gupta DIO,Yamuna Nagar was made State level project coordinator

for facilitating state wide roll out of RSBY. DIO, YamunaNagar has been providing active implementation sup-port and capacity building for roll-out of RSBY in otherdistricts of Haryana.NIC Yamuna Nagar has also beeninvolved to extend support to other states likeUttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, UT Chandigarhand Punjab.

Poonam, Haryana

HON'BLE Minister of Minority Affairs, Sh. SalmanKhurshid launched the 'Student Module' of the

Online Scholarship Management System (OSMS) forMerit-cum-Means based scholarship scheme of theMinistry of Minority Affairs recently. Sh. Vivek Mehrotra,

Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, and other SeniorOfficers of the Ministry were present on the occasion.Using this facility the students can apply for Scholarshiponline from anywhere, anytime.

A web based system has been designed and developed byNIC-Tamilnadu State Centre as part of the e-Scholarshipproject in coordination with NIC HQ. The site can beaccessed through URL http://momascholarship.gov.in .

It is a complete work flow system that handles scholar-ship applications from receipt of online application, pro-cessing at the State level and disbursement of the same toMinority students and it has been developed using OpenSource software tools. The system is being implementedacross the country.

R.Gayatri, Tamil Nadu

Launch of Web based Meritcum Means ScholarshipSystem for Ministry ofMinority Affairs

DIO, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana received National Award

In the NEWS

Sh. Ramesh Gupta receiving the award from Hon'ble Sh. Raman Singh, CM, Chhattisgarh and Hon'ble Sh. Mallikarjun Kharge,Union Minister for Labour & Employment

Hon'ble Minister of Minority Affairs Sh. Salman Khurshid launching OSMS


ONLINE Summon Delivery & Monitoring System soft-ware has been developed by NIC-Muzaffarnagar

under the able guidance of Sh. Annant Kumar, DistrictJudge, Sh. Pankaj Kumar, District Magistrate & Sh.Praveen Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police,Muzaffarnagar.

Technological demonstration of this software was donebefore Hon'ble Supreme Court Judge Sh. P. Satha Shivam.

Hon'ble Judge SC Sh. B.S.Chauhan, ChiefJustice of Allahabad High Court Sh. F.I.Rebelo, Administrative Judge HC Sh.D.P.Singh & other dignitaries in an impressivefunction organized here by district court on2nd April 2011.

Sh. Pankaj Kumar District Magistratebriefed the shortcomings of manual summondelivery system & advantage of online sum-mon delivery system.

Chief Justice Allahabad Mr. Rebelo hasshown keen interest in the quick summondelivery mechanism used in this software.Supreme Court Judge Sh. Satha Shivam highlyappreciated idea used in the software for quickdeliveries of summons. He said that this kindof software will help the lower courts in thequick disposal of Cases. Administrative Judgeof HC Sh. D.P.Singh lauded the innovative

approach of NIC.DM Muzaffarnagar appreciated the efforts of Sh. Gaurav

Tyagi, TD/DIO & Dr. Hemant Gaur, SSA , Sh. ArunMishra, Sh. Ajay Kumar, Sh. Suresh Kumar & Sh. SumitKumar of NICNET/SWAN support persons for the timelydevelopment of this software and technical supportextended by them in this demonstration.

Gaurav Tyagi, Uttar Pradesh

Recently NIC District Centre Gajapati moved into itsnew building duly inaugrated by Sh. P.C. Das, District

Collector. On this occasion, the GIS portal http://gis.ori.nic.in/orissanew/gajapati/frontpage/default.htm,specifically designed for Gajapati district under guidanceof Dr. Manjurani Routray, Scientist-E & Head, GISDivision, NIC Orissa State Unit, was inaugurated byDistrict Collector. Sh. Bijaya Kumar Samal, Scientist-D,GIS Div., NIC Orissa presented various features of theWeb-GIS to all district heads. Role based user credentialshave been provided to the district administration forupdation of the database on the server. The programmewas coordinated by Sh. T. Balakrishna Murty, DIO &Scientist-C & Sh. R. R. Majhi, S.O/Engr-SB.

A.K. Hota, Orissa

In the News


Inauguration of Web based GIS Portal of the GajapatiDistrict, Orissa

GIS Portal of Gajapati District

DM Muzaffarnagar briefing SC Justice Sh. Satha Shivam, Chief Justice HC-Allahabad and Admin. Judge about Online Court Summon Delivery System

Online Summon Delivery & Monitoring System -Muzaffarnagar(UP)

IN order to make the officers and bidders con-versant with the process of the eProcurement

and to gear them up for the implementation, athree day training programme was conducted forthe officers and bidders recently. Around 225officers along with Nodal Officers and 115 bid-ders were called at Shimla from various places inHimachal Pradesh and they were shown the soft-ware. They were also explained in detail aboutDigital Signatures.

Sh. Rajneesh (IAS), Director InformationTechnology, GoHP explained to the participantsthe importance which the state government hasgiven to its implementation besides the benefits likely to be there after its implementation. Sh. Rajesh Bahadur,Senior Technical Director and SIO(HP) informed the participants how the NIC Himachal Pradesh will cooperate andassist in this endeavour of the government followed by a detailed presentation by Sh. Mukesh K Ralli, TechnicalDirector. He then joined Sh. Bharat Kaushal, SA during detailed presentation. The officers were presented with allthe steps of tendering process starting from the creation, publishing and opening of the biddings. The post lunchsession was reserved for the bidders. They too were given a presentation explaining the eProcurement process, nec-essary requirements and Do's and Don'ts.

Overall the demonstration cum meeting was well taken by the department officials and the bidders and theyshowed the faith in the system developed.

Mukesh K Ralli, Himachal Pradesh

In the News


NATIONAL Informatics Centre District Centre Jammu has taken a lead inimplementation of Web Based Single Window Clearance Systems in

Deputy Commissioner Office Jammu. This system will help in fixing accounta-bility on the part of individuals at each level and for providing better servicesto citizens to eliminate unnecessary delays.

The system was envisaged as a complete work flow application wherein theindividuals concerned can also update the application status with respect toany citizen service request. Presently, two web based software have beenimplemented in DC Office Jammu for monitoring and supporting variousfunctions in DC Office. One is Generic Single Window Citizen Service RequestDelivery Management System and another is Single Window Citizen PRCManagement System.

The structure of both the systems was appreciated by Deputy CommissionerJammu and has congratulated the NIC Team for rolling out these two systemsin the shortest possible time in DC office Jammu.

Jit Raj, Jammu & KashmirCitizens are in queue at Single WindowClearance Systems

Training Programme oneProcurement inHimachal Pradesh

Officers and Bidders during Training

Single Window Clearance Systemsimplemented at DC Office, Jammu


In the News

IT was yet another feather in the cap for NIC Rajasthanas the much awaited single window system for grievance

redressal and service delivery - Sugam - was launched bySh. V. Naraynsami, Minister of State, PMO andAdministrative Reforms & Public Grievances, GoI andHon'ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sh. Ashok Gehlot inJaipur on 12th May 2011.

The Operational manual and brochures of the systemwere also released by the dignitaries on the occasion. A pres-

entation on Sugam Grievance Redressal system wasmade by the SIO, Rajasthan Smt. Indu Gupta whileSecretary IT & Communications, Govt. of RajasthanSh. Sanjay Malhotra made a presentation for theSUGAM single window service delivery system, devel-oped by NIC Rajasthan and implemented in collabo-ration with DoIT and Communications, GoR.

As part of the project a call centre has been estab-lished at Jaipur. Hon'ble MoS Sh. Narayansami vis-ited the call centre to see its operations. TheSUGAM RPG system provides multiple channels forgrievance lodging to the citizen. A complainant canlodge grievance related to any department, corpora-tion, Urban Development Authorities, etc. throughSUGAM-RPG web portal, telephone, letter, mail orby approaching any govt. office upto Tehsil level.

The SUGAM-Single Window Service delivery system hasbeen implemented in all 33 district collectorates and 247Tehsil offices of Rajasthan. The system facilitates timelydelivery of various citizen services eg; Issuance of BonafideResident certificate, Caste Certificate etc. The systemwould result in huge savings of time and efforts by citizenin obtaining services from various govt. offices as all theservices would be available under one roof.

Chandan Sen, Rajasthan

Launching of SUGAM, Jaipur

Hon'ble CM of Rajasthan Sh. Ashok Gehlot launching SUGAM in Jaipur

THE Mechanical Engineering Department ofIndraprasta College of Engineering (IPEC),

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh purchased the fiveEducational Licenses of NIC Version of SESAMSoftware from CAD (SESAM) Group of NIC, NewDelhi through NICSI. The 4 - days training programwas conducted at IPEC-Ghaziabad, on the usage of theFinite Element Engineering Software by Sh. R.Rajendra Kumar, Technical Director & Sh. P.V.Lakshminarayan, Senior Technical Director of CAD(SESAM) Group from 16th May to 20th May, 2011.The training program was well attended by the PostGraduate Students, PhD Students and the Facultymembers of the Mechanical Engineering and CivilEngineering Departments of the College. The SESAMSoftware is extensively used in Finite ElementAnalysis of Civil, Geo-technical, Offshore, Hydropowerand Mechanical Engineering problems.

R. Rajendra Kumar, NIC HQSh. P.V.Lakshmi Narayan, STD, providing training on the SESAM

SESAM Software Training at IPEC- Ghaziabad


Book Review

Programming WCF Services byJuval Löwy is one of the pre-mier books on WCF. This is

the 3rd edition of this book thatincludes .NET 4.0 and AzureAppFabric Service Bus. It is a goodbook both for developers who wouldlike to migrate from conventionalweb service / windows service to thenew paradigm and for programmerswho are well versed with the tech-nology. The book is structured welland covers everything from design,development to maintaining.

The book is organized into elevenchapters and seven appendices togive a complete, and comprehen-sive, coverage of WCF. The chapter'WCF Essentials' discusses thebasics of WCF and gives an insightinto WCF concepts and architec-ture. The chapters on ServiceContracts and Data Contracts talkabout some useful techniques forservice contract overloading, inheri-tance & designing of contracts thatcater to reuse, maintainability, andextensibility. There is a chapter onInstance Management - a tech-nique that impacts scalability, per-formance, programming model andbusiness workflow, different chap-ters on Exception Handling,Transaction Management andConcurrency Management high-light callback, thread affinity andmanaging asynchronous calls. Thechapter on Queued Services showshow clients can queue up calls toservices, thus enabling asynchro-nous, disconnected work.

However, one of the most criticalaspects of Service OrientedArchitecture (SOA) is securitywhether intranet/internet based,any service is open for maliciousattacks, assessments of delegationand impersonation etc. An exclu-sive chapter on Security explainsvarious scenarios of attack and goeson to explain the various suggested

security implementation to auto-mate security setup and to consid-erably simplify managing security.Finally, the chapter eleven presentsthe Windows Azure AppFabricService Bus.

Normally, people just glancethrough or skip appendix section ofthe books. This one is an exceptionwhere topics covered under appen-dices make excellent reading, andare very informative. Introductionto Service Orientation, WCF CodingStandard, Generic Interceptor areworth mentioning here, whileanother great aspect of the book isthe extremely powerful diagramsthat have reduced complex topicsinto easily understood drawings.

The book does an outstanding jobof systematically and thoroughlyuncovering practically all aspects ofWCF programming. Not only itpresents a simple to understandarchitectural picture of WCF in gen-eral and various architectural andfunctional subsystems, but alsoabandons with practical and thor-ough explanations of the details ofvirtually all aspects of WCF.

Title: Programming WCF Services,Third Edition

Author: Juval Löwy

Publisher: O'Reilly MediaYear: August 2010

ANSHU ROHATGIRegional Editor, NIC [email protected]

WindowsCommunicationFoundation (WCF) is apart of the .NETFramework that providesa unified programmingmodel for rapidlybuilding service-orientedapplications thatcommunicate across theweb and the enterprise.WCF was first releasedas part of the .NETFramework 3.0 in 2006,and then updated in the.NET Framework 3.5, themost recent version ofthis technology isincluded in the .NETFramework 4.0.

Programming WCF Services

Learn about WCF architecture and essential building blocks, including key concepts such as reliability and transport session.Use built-in features such as service hosting, instance and concurrency management, transactions, disconnected queued calls, security and discovery.Master the Windows Azure AppFabric Service Bus, the most revolutionary piece of the new cloud computing initiative.Increase your productivity and the quality of your WCF services by taking advantage of relevant design options, tips and best practices in Lowys ServiceModelEx Framework.

Informatics CorrespondentsOur Team.....Our Strength

State/UT Correspondents Email

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Mr. A K Dadhichi [email protected] Pradesh Mr. Anshu Rohatgi (Regional Editor) [email protected] Bengal Mr. Motiur Rahman [email protected]