NIC South District Unit of Namchi was established in the year 1993 and since then had a key role in promoting e-Governance in the District using Information and Communication Technology. Many software applications, websites and mobile apps have been developed and implemented with an objective to bring about good governance and transparency in the administration.
Namchi (meaning 'Sky High') is a small beautiful picturesque town, nestled among the hills of the young Himalayas. It is the district head quarter of South Sikkim and an epitome of culture, diversity, religion and benevolence, all signifying the munificence of Sikkim. It is also the only town of Sikkim among the 100 shortlisted cities to participate in the Smart City Challenge initiated by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.
KEY ICT INITIATIVES Over the years, many important and beneficial ICT initiatives have been implemented by the NIC, South District Unit. All these projects have gone a long way in making the State and District administration activities at the grass-root level more efficient using IT. The latest ICT developments at the district can be categorically mentioned as under.
SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS •Certificate of Identification Management Software Certificate of Identification, issued to the citizens of Sikkim as a proof of being domicile of the state, is a mandatory document for availing any kind of service from the government in the state. This software totally automates the process of applying, processing, approval, delivery of the certificate and report handling. Computerized certificates have been issued successfully since 2011from the DM office. •Residential Certificate Management Software The residential certificate is given to people who do not possess COI but were residents or descendant of the residents of Sikkim on or before 26th April 1975. The Residential Certificate Management Software is also similar to the COI Management Software with complete process automation and has been implemented in all the DM offices of the state.
The IT initiatives in the district have received a boost by the ingenuity and determination of Shri Raj Kumar Yadav (IAS), District Collector, South Sikkim, who is an avid lover of technology himself. Under his guidance, there have been a number of successful initiatives implemented by the district administration with the technical support of NIC in the past few years.
MOBILE APPs •Sikkim Disaster Management Android App The android app provides current information on natural disasters in the State of Sikkim and helps in generating awareness. It is updated regularly by the administration with current road status and weather warnings. It also provides information on recent natural calamities, crop, livestock and property damages, casualties, ex-gratia norms and do's & don't during and after a disaster.
Sikkim Disaster Management App
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT & SOCIAL MEDIA •Samdruptse Website A website www.samdruptse.nic.in has been developed and hosted by NIC for the administration with the purpose of providing complete information on Samdruptse as well as about Guru Padamasambhava. The world's largest statue (at 118 feet) of the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava is located on the Samdruptse hill in the district. •Siddheshwar Dham Website A website www.chardham.nic.in has been developed for the unique pilgrimage tourism venture of the Sikkim Government. Developed as the “Pilgrim cum Cultural Centre”, it has an 87ft statue of Lord Shiva and replicas of the four Dhams of the country at one place at Solophok hilltop in Namchi.
Inauguration of Siddheshwar Dham website (www.chardham.nic.in) by the Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim Shri Sriniwas Patil
•FB Page of District Administration, Namchi The Facebook page of ‘DAC Namchi South Sikkim’ showcases important official activities and development works in the district to promote communication between citizens and the administration.
NETWORKING, VIDEO SURVEILLANCE & MESSAGING •Local Area Network NIC has connected most Government offices at Namchi via LAN and WiMAX. Offices which are not feasible for wired LAN connectivity have been connected via long range Wi-Fi point-to-point connectivity.
District Namchi’s Social Media Page
Homepage of Samdruptse website (www.samdruptse.nic.in)
•Wi-Fi hotspots Hotspots have been set up with the technical support of NIC at District Administrative Centre, Samdruptse, Siddheshwar Dham, and Namchi Government College. This has been done as an additional service to the visitors at the office and tourist sites, and to help the students in their studies & research work.
•Video Surveillance CCTV cameras have been installed at District Administrative Centre, Samdruptse and Siddheshwar Dham keeping security and law & order in mind. This video surveillance system discourages criminal elements and promotes a sense of security in the tourists
Screen shot of Certificate of Identification Management System Application
•Messaging The contact numbers of all the officers and panchayat members of the district have been collected and all types of group instruction are sent via bulk SMS using the ‘Quick SMS’ portal of NIC for faster communication.
SUMMARY The software applications have made a major impact in promoting efficient and quick governance. The apps have also been met with great enthusiasm by the people. The NIC District Centre’s efforts have brought the citizens closer to the administrators and opened up new channels of communications between the various stakeholders.