e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre, Keonjhar

Background Keonjhar is one of the tribal dominated districts of Orissa with a population of over 16

lakhs, more than half of which belong to SC/STs. The Literacy rate is 59.3 %. The

district has huge deposits of iron ore and due to recent boom in steel sector, there has

been tremendous increase in the economic activity in the district. This changed

scenario has put forth a situation where the socio- economic needs of the people and

consequently their interaction with the Government authorities has undergone a

radical change. Unfortunately, the service delivery mechanism of the government,

which was complicated and cumbersome, had not evolved significantly to match the

growing needs of the citizen. People had to run from pillar to post for getting a small

document like driving license or an encumbrance certificate. Information was a

sacrosanct domain of the office bearers and it would require a real hard effort for a

common man to access the same. The ill-famous traits of Government systems were

prevalent, which led the service delivery mechanism suffer from malices such as

unaccountability, unresponsiveness and bureaucratic delay. This not only encouraged

the role of touts/middlemen, but also tarnished the image of the District Administration.

With an aim to bring about a citizen-friendly change in the situation, the idea of e–Sahayata was conceptualized. e-Sahayata is an integrated Citizen Information and Service delivery system. It involves application of Information Technology to improve the service delivery mechanism, by ensuring that the common man has easy access to (i) Information about various departments and schemes and, (ii) Citizen friendly desk having convergence of services which he seeks from the Government at a common point. This also enables the authorities in District Administration to monitor the procedure of the service delivery at any given time easily.

Purpose and Priorities The basic purpose of this initiative was to ensure the following :

1. Convergence of a number of services at one location. 2. Timely delivery of services to the People. 3. Reducing the harassment caused to the people by eliminating the role of

touts/middlemen. 4. Ensuring a transparent and corruption free interaction between Citizen and

Administration. 5. Ensuring easy access to information. 6. Saving the time, energy and money of the Citizen as well as of the

Government. 7. Streamlining the internal processes in the Government offices and making

them more accountable and responsive.

The expected logical outcome of all this was to improve the efficiency of the Government system. Strategies adopted

A working group was formed under the chairmanship of Collector & District

Magistrate, Keonjhar with members drawn from different Government

Departments including DIO, NIC. The working group had a number of

brainstorming sessions for understanding the objectives and the bottlenecks.

They also had interaction with the people visiting different offices for availing the

services. The existing internal procedures being followed in different offices for

delivery of services were also studied. A number of problems in the existing

service delivery mechanism such as discrete location of information, lack of

monitoring/ follow up, no interlinking of various departments etc. were flagged off

which were leading to undue delay in service delivery resulting in harassment to

the people. The services which were being accessed more frequently by

citizens were also identified.

The working group had a series of discussions with the officers and the staff from

these offices to understand their problems. They were also sensitized about the

harassment of the common man while interacting with the Government

machinery through case studies and interaction with people. The outcome of the

entire exercise was identification of list of services which can be converged

through a single window delivery system. A rationally arrived time frame was also

fixed in consultation with the departments for quick delivery of those services.

The details are as below:

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Sl.No. Name of the Service Disposal Time

(in days) 1. Driving Licence(M/C) 3 2. Registration of Two Wheelers 3 3. Nationality Certificate 30 4. Explosive Licence (New) 30 5 Explosive Licence (Renewal) 30 6. Society Registration 15 7. Gun Licence (New) 30 8. Gun Licence (Renewal) 30 9. Encrumbance Certificate (EC) 3 10. Small Savings Agent Licence 15 11. Driving Licence(LMV) 3 12. Certified Copy(Record Room) 30 13. Driving Licence (LMV & MC) 3 14. Building Plan Approval 15

Similarly, a number of subjects were identified as shown below, information about

which were to be made available to the people at the touch of a screen or at the click

of a button in local language in a very simplified format i.e. Villagewise, Gram-

Panchayatwise & Blockwise. The system was also to be web-enabled for easy

access.

Sl.No. Subject 1. Below Povery Line (BPL) Beneficiary 2. Land Records Information (RoR) 3. Census - 2001 4. DRDA Projects & Information

a) Indira Awas Yojana(IAY) b) Sampoorrna Gramina Rojgar Yojana(SGRY) c) Swarnajayanti Gramya Sworojgar Yojna(SGSY)

d) National Food for Work Programme(NFWP 5. MPLAD & MLALAD 6. Social Welfare Schemes 7. Civil Supplies

a) Antadoya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiary list b) Annapurna beneficiary list

8. Education a) Works under Sarva Siksha Abhijan (SSA)

9. ITDA Projects 10. Rural Water Supply & Sanitation

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A common space was made available in the Collectorate for the physical setup

of Citizen Information Centre. A computer with touch screen monitor was

installed in the Citizen Information Centre to make easy access to the information

available on e-Sahayata. The e-Sahayata software was also integrated

with ‘SANJOG’, a LAN based monitoring system of District Administration

implemented in Keonjhar Collectorate to improve the efficiency of the office. This

combines the monitoring of the main activities of Collectorate, i.e., monitoring of

Dak, Court cases and public grievances. The computers of Citizen Information

Centre were connected to the Local Area Network (LAN) of the District

Collectorate to connect all the sections/ departments of the Collectorate. This

also helped the senior functionaries to keep a track of the functioning of the e-Sahayata Kendra.

e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre in Keonjhar Collectorate

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A busy day at e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre

Touch Screen Window of e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre

e-Sahayata touch screen in progression (English Version) (Accessing list of Old Age Pension holders of Dhakotha Village of

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Dhakotha GP in Anandapur Block)

e-Sahayata touch screen in progression (Oriya Version)

(Accessing IAY beneficiaries list of Purunaghati Village of Kathakata GP in

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Anandapur Block)

Viewing the status of service through touch screen (Front screen shown in progression)

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(Status of application no. 10766 for Driving Licence of Motor Cycle)

Sri Mohanta’s Driving Licence applied on 23.06.06 is ready on 26.06.06

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SANJOG (Intranet for monitoring of processes including e-Sahayata in

Collectorate)

Innovative methods used Here the innovative idea was devised to combine the provision for delivery of

services offered by different departments and dissemination of diverse

information at one place for the benefit of general public. The difference here

being, unlike other organisations of Government which provide public utility

services on commercial basis such as Railways and Telecom whose line of

functioning is simple as to involve the working of only one department howsoever

large they might be, District Administration, being an organ of a welfare State,

has social responsibilities much more complicated than any other organisation.

Hence it was really a difficult job to converge the information of different

departments and provide one stop service to the citizens. In addition, e-

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Sahayata has also been made web enabled so that the various information

which are available at the centre as well as the service delivery status of

individual application can be accessed on internet at the district website

http://kendujhar.nic.in . The effort of the District Administration, Keonjhar is also

first of its kind in Orissa. After seeing the success of e-Sahayata project in

Keonjhar, it is in the process of being replicated in other districts and e-Sahayata is slowly becoming a brand name for Citizen Centric Services in

Orissa.

Period/Duration of Project Initiation/Implementation e-Sahayata project was conceptualised by Sri S.K.Lohani,IAS, Collector & District

Magistrate, Keonjhar in the Staff Meeting of Collectorate on 1st January,2005. As a

first part of the project, all the computers installed in different sections/ departments of

Collectorate were connected through Local Area Network. The system study for this

project was conducted by Sri S. K. Mohapatra, Technical Director, National

Informatics Centre, Orissa State Unit and Sri A K Pattanayak, the local District

Informatics Officer along with the officers of District Administration. After the system

study, the computerization of different departments was also undertaken to use the

information relevant to this project. A working module was designed using MS-SQL

Server and ASP by the NIC and it was implemented in the month on June,2005 in the

district Collectorate for the first time. Hon’ble M.P(Lok Sabha), Keonjhar Sri Ananta

Nayak provided Rs. 5.0 lakh out of his MPLAD fund for purchase of hardware and for

site preparation of Citizen Information Centre. It was inaugurated on 15th August,2005

and is successfully functioning since then.

Positive Outcomes/Exceptional achievements Till date, as per the table given below, around 12000 people have availed these

services on time and without any harassment. All they had to do was to file an

application along with requisite application fee at the counter and received the

service within the prescribed time frame. Similarly e-Sahayata touch screen

window has also been visited more than 18000 times in the last one year to

access various kinds of information. The huge number of visitors to the e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre in such a short span of time for accessing

the services and the information is no doubt an exceptional achievement for

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the project and speaks for itself the utility and relevance of the project for the

common citizen of Keonjhar.

Status of applications received as on 30.07.2006. No. of Applications

SERVICE TYPE Received Under

Process Ready for Disposal

Disposed Off

Driving Licence(M/C) 27 Regn.of Two Wheelers 153 Nationality Certificate 1 Explosive Licence (New) 0 Society Registration 0 Gun Licence (New) 0 Encrumbance Certificate (EC) 32 Small Savings Agent Licence 0 Driving Licence(LMV) 204 CertifiedCopy(Record Room) 56 Driving Licence(LMV& MC) 147 Building Plan Approval 0 Total 11838 651 620 10238

1475 20 14163815 60 3589

9 2 639 1 371 1 0

127 127 01121 10 1053

31 4 271615 24 13622467 360 18121030 20 850108 22 86

e-Sahayata has brought about a total change in the mindset of Government servants who are now more sensitized to the needs of the common man and have become more responsive and prompt. This is also changed the perception of the people about the Government departments who were earlier seen as unfriendly, unapproachable and insensitive.

Role of Nominee Sri S.K.Lohani,Collector & District Magistrate, Keonjhar has been the kingpin in

this project. In fact, the project was conceptualized by him. During the system

study by the working group along with officials of the NIC, Collector played

pivotal role in each and every aspect of the project. He was closely associated

with the system design of e-Sahayata project providing his leadership

and guidance. e-Sahayata, the name itself was given by the Collector, Keonjhar

and now it has become a kind of brand name for such type of initiatives which

are being replicated in other districts of Orissa as well.

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Annexure B

Evaluation Study

of e-Sahayata

Citizen Information Centre- Keonjhar For Nomination for PM’s Award

for Excellence in Public Administration.

To The Additional Secretary,

General Administration (AR) Department, Government of Orissa,

Bhubaneswar.

By Pritish Gupta

Reachout Consulting, SCR-14, Surya Nagar, Bhubaneswar.

91-9337100211

Date of Submission 10th August 2006

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Table of Contents Page No.

1. Background : 1

2. Objective of the Study : 1

3. Methodology : 1-3

4. Findings : 3-5

5. Limitations : 5

6. Conclusions : 5-6

7 Recommendations : 6

8. Annexures

I. Data Analysis (Table 1 to 12 )

: 7-10

II. On site Project

Photographs

: 11

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BACKGROUND The Collector and District Magistrate, Keonjhar has given a proposal to the Government of Orissa for nomination for Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration year 2006-07. This nomination has been made under the area ‘Making public delivery systems efficient and corruption free ’. The project is titled

‘ e-Sahayata, Citizen Information Centre, Keonjhar’. The Project is an initiative to provide various public delivery services under one roof in the Keonjhar Collectorate. While traditionally these services were processed by the respective departments and local bodies of the District Administration, this project has been envisaged to make the service delivery mechanism more citizen friendly, save time and making Government system more efficient and free from corruption. 1. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of the study is to conduct an independent evaluation of the above proposal for reality check of envisaged and realized benefits and outcomes, i.e. comparative study of performance indicators and socio-economic impact, before and after the implementation of the Initiative. Based on the purposes and priorities envisaged in the proposal the following issues have been identified for evaluation and analysis. Evaluation Objectives & Key Questions

Are people aware and availing of the various kinds of services being provided at one location? Are these services being delivered on time as promised? Has the initiative reduced harassment to people by eliminating the role of

middleman? Is the initiative transparent and corruption free? Does it ensure easy access to information for the citizens of the district? Does the process save time, energy and money for citizens? Has the initiative streamlined the internal processes in Government Offices and

made officers more accountable and responsive? Is there overall improvement in efficiency of the public delivery systems

covered under the initiative called e- Sahayata? Thus the study involves both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the project to be assessed for a reality check.

2. METHODOLOGY

I. Sampling Process Keonjhar town and it’s nearby area was identified as the geographical frame for the sample. Stratified sampling has been chosen as the method for identifying the samples from the total population as it is based on the concept that a homogenous

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population produces samples with smaller sampling errors as compared to a heterogeneous population.

All the stake holders in the e-Sahayata initiative were identified and stratified into the following categories:

CATEGORY OF STAKE HOLDERS INCLUDED IN SAMPLE FOR EVALUATION

Stake Holder

Category

Type of Respondents in Sample

1. Beneficiaries who have availed services

Driving License Holders,Building Owners, Property Holders, Businessmen

2. General Public 2 Wheelers Dealers, Ordinary Citizens,Middlemen,Advocate Clerks,Visitors to e-Sahayata Centre

3. Elected Representatives Lady Member- Zilla Parishad, Male Member- Zilla Parishad, Chairperson- Keonjhar Municipality

4. Government Officers in Local Administration

RTO,Projector Director- DRDA, Collector, District Information Officer, BDO (Sadar),Addl. Tahsildar, District Project Co-ordinator, SSA

Specified numbers of respondents were chosen from each group at random based on the criteria of stake holder category stated above.

II. Sources of Data

Both primary data and secondary data were collected from various sources and collated for the evaluation study.

Primary Data Separate structured questionnaires were designed for each

group of respondents selected from the stratified sampling based on the criteria of stake holders category. Respondents were contacted at their place of availability, i.e., in Government Offices, on the Street and at the e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre. Personal Interviews were conducted. The questioning was both structured and informal with a combination of closed and open ended questions to elicit the desired information.

Observation was also used extensively with audio-visual aids by field observers within the town and at the e-Sahayata Centre.

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Secondary Data Extensive historical data was obtained from the database of the Keonjhar

Collectorate and NIC to verify and cross-check facts and figures stated in the Project Report submitted by the nominee. Data from manual records was extracted to calculate the service delivery time before the project started.

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III. Data Analysis

Both the primary and secondary data collected was collated and analysis was done using cross tabulations on various parameters identified based on the evaluation objectives. The Data Analysis(Table 1 to 12) is enclosed in Annexure-1.

3. FINDINGS Based on the personal interviews, observations, informal feedback and analysis of primary and secondary data, the key findings of the study are as follows:

1) The awareness and usage of services of e-Sahayata Centre a) 100% of respondents in the sample were aware of the e-Sahayata Centre

( Please refer Table.1) b) While 60% of respondents got to know about the project from Government

sources, 30% were referred to the centre by their friends and relatives. The balance 10% read about the initiative in the local newspapers.

c) Apart from being aware, 47% of the respondents had also availed one of the services at the e-Sahayata Centre. ( Please Refer Table.3 )

d) Over 12,000 applications have been received and processed under the initiative. ( Please Refer Table.11)

e) The major services include Driving License-M/C ( 1501 nos.), Driving License-LMV ( 1635 nos.), Certified Copy of Record Room ( 2518 nos.) and registration of two wheelers ( 3861 nos.). ( Please Refer Table.11 ).

2) Timely delivery of services as prescribed by the administration

a) The analysis reveals that 73% amongst all respondents agreed that the service delivered at the centre shall be provided within the prescribed time ( Refer Table.4)

b) Amongst those respondents who have already availed a service at the centre, all 100% confirmed that the service was delivered within the prescribed time. ( Please refer Table.5)

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c) During the visit to the Keonjhar Collectorate, secondary data analysis indicates there were 255 applications under process. Of these, 158 were overdue, i.e, beyond the prescribed date of being ready for disposal. This constitutes only 1.32% of the total applications received. ( Please Refer Table.11)

d) From the 158 overdue cases, 131 relates to Gun License applications which are currently banned by S.P., Keonjhar as a policy decision.. Therefore, there were only 27 applications in total out of 12009 applications received which

were overdue on the date of evaluation. ( Please Refer Table.11). 3

3) Involvement of middlemen and level of harassment a) 100% of respondents stated that middlemen was no more in this process

( Please refer Table. 6) 4) Level of Transparency & Corruption

a) 100% respondents also stated that the system was easy, simple and transparent. ( Please refer Table.6)

b) All the respondents also felt that their total expenses for availing the service is much lower than in the traditional system. The reason given was that there is no corruption. ( Please refer Table.6).

5) Accessibility of information by citizens: a) All the respondents interviewed confirmed that the system was easy to

use and simple. 30% respondents mentioned this as the single most important benefit of the e-Sahayata Centre. ( Please Refer Table.6).

b) Informal interviews and the field observation made at the Centre has clearly shown people from all sections of society accessing information at the touch screen information Kiosk.(Refer Annexure – II)

6) Saving of time, energy and money a) All 100% respondents confirmed that there was tremendous time saving in

the services delivery at the e-Sahayata Centre ( Please refer Table.6) b) A majority 70% mentioned time saving as the single most important

benefit for them ( Please Refer Table.6). c) Amongst respondents who had already availed some services, 20%

stated to have saved between Rs.200/- to Rs.500/-. 7% confirmed saving in expenditure up to Rs.200/- . ( Please Refer Table.7 )

7) Change in approach and response levels of Government officers

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a) Only 24% of building plan approvals happened within 15 days before the implementation of the e-Sahayata project. The balance 76% took longer( Please Refer Table.12 ). But only 1.82% of these applications were overdue after the initiative. ( Please Refer Table.11 ).

b) 34% of Two wheelers Registration took more than 3 days before the project was implemented. ( Please Refer Table.12 ). But 100% applications were processed within 3 days after the e-Sahayata project. There were no overdue application for this service ( Please Refer Table.11) .

c) Interviews with the Collector and Government officials also clearly revealed that their team had become more conscious and responsible to ensure timely disposal of applications.

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8) Overall improvement in efficiency in the public delivery system

a) All the respondents interviewed expressed satisfaction and confidence in the public delivery system under the e-Sahayata project. Everyone was willing to recommend the service to others .( Please refer Table.9)

9) Spread of awareness of the e-Sahayata initiative in rural areas of the district On being questioned whether adequate awareness of the project was there at the Gram Panchayats Level, 60% of respondents stated the need for more awareness at the Block and Gram Panchayats Level. Remaining 40% did not respond as they were unaware of this aspect. ( Please Refer Table.10)

5. LIMITATIONS

While all possible care was taken to make the evaluation study most representative, the findings of the study are subject to the following limitations:

1. The study was conducted in and around District Headquarter town and not the entire District.

2. Due to the constraint of time, the sample size under the stratified sampling process is small.

3. The variables/parameters considered for data analysis are limited given the narrow scope defined for the evaluation study.

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6. CONCLUSIONS Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions and inferences can be drawn.

• There is a high level of awareness and positive word of mouth amongst the citizens of Keonjhar Town about the e-Sahayata initiative.

• The concept of a single window service delivery system has been welcomed by people from all sections of society and is a boon for the citizens.

• There has been a radical improvement in the efficiency of the Government machinery to deliver the services within the prescribed time.

• The citizens feel more empowered due to easy availability of accurate information instantly literally on the touch of a finger.

• One of the biggest achievements of this project has been the renewed confidence of people of doing things themselves and not having to depend on unreliable middlemen/touts.

• Because of the single window clearance, applicants are no more worried of corruption to get work done.

• The single most important benefit to the general public has been the amount of time saved by them which was earlier wasted in unproductive follow ups and running from pillar to post.

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• There is significant saving of time, energy and money due to the streamlining of the public delivery system and the transparency brought in by information being available openly to one and all.

• An amazing achievement of this project has been the excellent coordination between various government agencies and the Collectorate to ensure that the service levels are maintained and delivery expectations met.

• There is a paradigm shift in the approach and attitude of the Government machinery which is today looking at finding solutions to bottlenecks rather than creating bottlenecks to a solution.

• There has been a tremendous positive socio- economic impact amongst the people who have benefited from the project.

The success of the initiative amongst all sections of society is highlighted by the fact that even elected representatives like Zilla Parishad Members expressed satisfaction on the benefits to one and all.

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To summarise, it can be concluded that all the benefits envisaged at the inception of the project have actually been realized after the implementation of the initiative, leading to more efficient and corruption free public delivery systems. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that

• This initiative should be extended to the block levels by putting up touch screen kiosks in all blocks, so that it is accessible to more people closer home.

• More services such as birth registration etc. can be brought within the purview of the services offered.

• Since the awareness levels in the rural areas needs to be improved, active involvement of PRI members to disseminate information would be beneficial.

• Pali Sabha and Gram Sabha can be made effective forums for creating awareness at the grass root levels.

• Media like local newspapers and wall paintings can be effectively used for increasing awareness.

• The model can easily be replicated in other districts of the state to reap the benefits that are clearly visible in Keonjhar.

• A detailed follow up study may be conducted after few months to assess the actual benefits over a larger sample size of respondents spread across the district.

PRITISH GUPTA

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Annexure -C

Comments from visitors on the Citizen Information Centre, Keonjhar. Date Name of Citizens/

intellectuals who offer suggestions to

C.I.C.

Suggestions.

02.09.05 1. Himanshu Sekhar Pradhan 2. T.R.Acharya, (Advocate)

Excellent service provided by the District Administration for the people of Keonjhar District. Thanks to Collector, Keonjhar. There is some scope for further improvement in the system as detailed below.

1. Status of Mining lease applications/renewal applications with a target dateline for completion.

2. Status of forest proposals with target date for completion. 3. Status of land acquisition cases with target date for completion. 4. Status of cases pending in different courts at Keonjhar and expected

date for final disposal. 5. Facilities for taking out prints may be provided to the citizens.

06.09.05 Sudhanshu Panda It is a very good step towards transparency in Governmental work. 14.09.05 Rajesh Ranjan Rana

(Advocate) Remarkable as well as instructable steps have been taken/adopted in order to eradicate the social evils like corruptions & nepotism. One more thing to be included for the betterment of people, i.e. Registration of 04 wheelers since at the time of Registration of 04 wheelers vehicle lot more obstacles are being experienced from the side of outsiders at the Premise of RTO Office. Thanks a lot to District Collector & staff.

14.09.05 P.K.Shur Please four wheeler Registration included. 20.09.05 Manoranjan

Mohapatra Thanking to the District Administration for creating such an useful information Centre. Please provide information of Land records and information of Society(NGO) Registration etc.

10.10.05 R.K.Mohapatra Approval of building plan under Keonjhargarh Municipality should be available here. (Already included)

28.10.05 Basanta Pradhan I am a labaourer of village Champei under Bansapal Block. Steps taken regarding Registration of vehicles inside the Court premises (Citizen Information Centre) is appreciable. Thanks to District Administration for opening of Citizen Information Centre which in turn rendered immense services to us. You will be astonished if we disclose the name of DALALs who have harassed us in many ways to get the vehicles registered. This system should be continued. (Already included)

01.02.06 Debendra Kumar Mishra

Lot of benefits is available from the Citizen Information Centre. It will be beneficial if the E.C. is made available as required by the applicants from any corner of the district. (Already included)

09.06.06 Chittaranjan Mahakud

I would like to thank the Collector, Keonjhar for providing easy information facilities being provided to the Citizens of Keonjhar. I highly appreciate the service being provided by the staff and hope the same continues in the future.

26.07.06 Mayadhar Sahoo Very prompt and smooth service. My vehicle was registered within one day. This type of service should be extended to other State Govt. Offices, i.e. Tahasil (Revenue Department) also.

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Annexure -D

Comments from Sri Anant Nayak, M.P.,Keonjhar Parliamentary

Constituency (Dated 20th June,2006)

I had the opportunity to visit the Public Information Centre as well as Single Window

services given at our District Headquarters few days back. The peoples are benefited in many

ways from these two places instead of running to so many offices. No doubt I will give the

credit for these two counters to be installed and functioning to you for your valuable advice

and initiation. So also I suggest you will take appropriate step that the PIC is always updated

and the efficiency of the single Window Counter is increased to meet the public demand. Comments from Shri Ashok Dalwai, I.A.S., Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Northern Division, Sambalpur (Dated.7.10.2005.)

In the afternoon, visited the information kiosk of the Collectorate. The content level of

the information center is good. A number of citizens’ services, like Arm license, driving license

etc. are being provided at this centre. This centre has been in operation for the last month and

a half and during this period 1300 people have already benefited. The computer facilitation

has been provided based on “Touch Screen” technology. Information relating to B.P.L. list,

Khata etc. is also in the public domain. There is scope for further improvement and it will be

more helpful, if the whole exercise will be done in Oriya language. The Collector deserves

appreciation for his good initiatives.

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Annexure -E

Encl.-C/1

Statesman News Services (Dated 17th Aug,2005.) KEONJHAR AUG. 16 On the occasion of 59th Independence Day, Collector Mr.Sushil Kumar Lohani, who unfurled the national flag as the chief guest here, urged the people not to let the effort of the freedom fighters go down in vain. The Collector spoke on the various developmental projects in the pipelines as well as those on the verge of completion. Though boys and girls of the district are doing well in football and archery, there is no modern facility here to nurture their talents. While a sports complex would come up soon for which Rs five crore have already been allocated, equipment for archery worth Rs 20 lakh are also to be purchased, he said, and added that the Rungta mines is providing Rs 50 lakh to give the district park a new look. The Periphery Development Fund would be utilized too to develop tourist spots as well as the approach roads. A plan has already been chalked out in this regard and a sum of Rs one crore have been earmarked for the purpose. Today, the Collector inaugurated the Citizens’ Information Centre here. People can now get all kinds of information within a few seconds, all for free. Steps have been taken to provide a hassle-free service to the people at the Regional Transport Office and Tahasildar. Mr Lohani took the salute of 45 groups that participated in the Independence Day parade. Joda municipality, adjudged as the best one in the state for the year 2005, was awarded the prize for the best municipality in the district. The SP handed over the President’s medal to the Collector, the Regional Transport Officer Mr Brundaban Pattnaik, the Excise Inspector Mr Trilochan Das and the Barbil Tahasildar Mr Kailash Chandra Parida. The DHARITRI- Oriya Daily States 1st Information Centre innauguarated Kendujhar: ( DDT) 16/08/20058 On the eve of Independence Day celebration, on Monday, Orissa’s 1st citizen information centre was inaugurated by Sj. Sushil Ku Lohani, Dist. Collector, Keonjhar at collectorate premises, Keonjhargarh. The collector briefed the occasion that this centre is being managed by the I.T. Society and will provide all types of information/ data relating to Government. One can get Driving License, Registration of vehicle, Encumbrance Certificate, Explosive License, and Registration of society as per the Society Registration Act here under SINGLE WINDOW SERVICE COUNTER. Apart from this, information on land, patta (RoR), Census, different projects/ plans being implemented under DRDA, Keonjhar, utilisation of funds under MLALAD/ MPLAD and drinking water facility available throughout the District are available. Very soon information/ data relating to Health, Mines, Forest and Excise Deptt’s will be available at this information center.

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News Clippings

NewIndPress Archives Dated: 5 September 2005 Now, get your land records in a day Monday September 5 2005 12:24 IST KEONJHAR: The people of Keonjhar district will now get driving licence and certified copies of their land records within of a day of submitting the applications thanks to a new concept by the district administration. “The district administration has opened a citizens’ information centre at the collectorate where information as well as services are available to the people in a single window through e-sahayata,’’ said Collector and District Magistrate Sushil Kumar Lohani. He said the concept of e-sahayata is an integrated district level electronic information cum service provider system.It will provide information and services pertaining to various departments to the public in a transparent, friendly and efficient manner.Lohani informed that data on BPL category people, DRDA projects and programmes like Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Sampoorna Gramina Rojagara Yojana (SGRY), Swarnajayanti Gramya Swarojagara Yojana (SGSY), National Food for Work (NFFW) programme will be also made available to the people. Besides, people will now have the opportunity to know the details of welfare measures like pension schemes, educational programmes of Sarva Sikhya Abhijan, activities of Integrated Tribal Development Agency, particularly for tribals and water supply and sanitation programmes undertaken by the district administration.The Collector further said with the installation of the information centre, the first of kind in the State, the district would have a more transparent and responsive administration. Statesman News Service (9th September,2005)

Serving people through e-governance KEONJHAR, Sept. 9. — E-governance is today’s best mantra and Keonjhar district administration has started chanting it to provide all facilities to people of the area through e-kiosks. Keonjhar district administration has recently opened a Citizen Information Center at the collectorate where the people can have the benefits of information and service available in a single window through E-Sahayata. E-Sahayata is an integrated district level electronic information-cum service provider system which will provide information and services pertaining to various departments of the government working in the district to the public in a friendly and efficient manner using information and communication technology (ICT). Initially the people are contenting themselves with facilities like driving licenses, registration of vehicles, encumbrance certificate, and appointment of small saving agent, arms license, explosives license and society registration. Social welfare schemes, MP-MLA lad, civil supplies, ITDA, rural water supply and sanitation, and education would soon be made available to the people. Mr Bibhuti Patnaik, a senior citizen, believes the greater the restriction on access to information more is the feeling of powerlessness of people and their alienation from administration. Information empowers them and enables them to examine and question even a single wrong step of the administration. Many feel that from now on Keonjhar, once counted as the most backward district in state, is sure to stand at par with some of the developed districts of the state. The E-sahayata programme is the brainchild of the district collector Mr Sushil Kumar Lohani.

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