The District of Gurdaspur in Punjab is said to have derived its name from Shri Gurya ji. Caressed by the river Beas in the east, Gurdaspur shares common borders with Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in the north. What lends this district special significance is its long border with Pakistan in the west. The river Ravi flows as a natural demarcation along most of this western border. With a population of 17,65,834, this border district spreads over an area of 3,562 sq. km.
The NIC Gurdaspur District Centre first became operational in 1989. The beginning was the toughest part. A new technology, a new way of doing things, a new culture was being advocated. The people of Gurdaspur had to be made aware of the utility of informatics, government personnel had to be trained in the use of computers. Gaining acceptance was no easy task, but help was always at hand. Thanks to the support and co-operation of the District Administration and the unstinted efforts of NIC officials, the Gurdaspur District Centre got off to a flying start.
Deemed to be an underdeveloped district, today Gurdaspur is well on its way to progress and development. That informatics, by the way of NIC services, has had a considerable role to play all along, is amply proved by the inroads Information Technology has made into practically every sphere of development activities.
NIC activities in any district follow a planned approach and can be broadly divided into three distinct categories: activities which cater to the specific needs of the District Administration, national-level activities which tie up the district with the national framework of development, and activities related to the development of a sound communication infrastructure. These different categories are however inter-related and mutually dependent.
The District Information System of NIC (DISNIC) is tailored to meet the information requirements at the district level. DISNIC consists of a total of 27 sectors out of which work in four sectors have been undertaken in Gurdaspur. The DISNIC-PLAN database, with relevant data from all villages and blocks, is now available for use by the District Administration. DISNIC-Industry contains data of 570 small scale industrial units of the District. In DISNIC Co-operation, the first phase of identification and codification of Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies (PACS) has been completed. Similarly, registration data pertaining to around 6,000 vehicles has been computerized under the DISNIC-Transport sector.
Computers have been fruitfully applied in monitoring public grievances received by the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The Gurdaspur District Centre has lend a helping hand to the cause of social welfare by successfully computerizing the individual records of 11,000 beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes. Various Plan Schemes, approved by the District Planning and Development Board, are being monitored on a regular basis. Data from 1,451 villages under Unnat Gram Yojana has been computerized for smooth running and monitoring of the Yojana. NIC services have been utilized for streamlining the process of procurement of essential commodities.
A notable achievement of the Gurdaspur District Centre is the creation of a Village Directory. The database of this Directory contains details of all the 1,631 villages in the District. The Village Directory has been found to be a handy source of information for planning purposes. Working on similar lines, an Integrated Crisis Management Plan was prepared on the computer by compiling information from various sectors.
The General Elections, Assembly Elections and Panchayat Elections in Punjab saw the Gurdaspur District Centre working round-the-clock to provide all necessary informatics support to the Administration.
At the national level, the Gurdaspur District Centre successfully prepared the ground for the implementation of the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC). TLC was launched in Gurdaspur in June 1995.
The software package for monitoring the National Watershed Development Programme for Rural Areas (NWDPRA) has been implemented in the District. The data is updated every quarter, and various reports generated for use by the local soil conservation office. The data is also transmitted to Delhi for consolidation.
NICNET, as in other districts, has carved out an exclusive niche for itself in Gurdaspur. Considering Gurdaspur's proximity to the border, NICNET is an indispensable asset for the District Administration. Various departments such as Industries, Education, Health, Public Relations, etc., are using NICNET facilities extensively.
Informatics has a special part to play in districts such as Gurdaspur where development and security go hand-in-hand. The success of NIC in Gurdaspur is bound to have its own ramifications over the entire Country. Work in progress in the NIC Gurdaspur District Centre.