Promoting the vision of ‘Digital India’ and raising the bar for e-Governance Marking an active contribution to the aim of Digital India, NIC Kurukshetra District Centre has devised and implemented technological solutions to help enhance e-Governance, thereby addressing social needs of citizens. Community engagement has also been an area of constant focus for the District so as to proceed towards a socially acceptable and economically feasible pathway, leading to a better India. Kurukshetra District was formed in the year 1973 with its headquarters at Thanesar. A place of great historical and religious significance, Kurukshetra has been described in the first verse of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita as ‘Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre’. This is the land on which the battle of Mahabharata was fought and Lord Krishna inspired Arjuna for action through his sermon on the philosophy of karma, famously known as Shrimadbhagwad Gitopdesh, at Jyotisar. According to the Hindu mythology, Kurukshetra is spread over 48 kos, which includes many places for pilgrims, temples, and sacred ponds. Named after the King Kuru, Kurukshetra is popular for beautiful spots such as historical sites, museums and religious places. The District has undergone technological advancement and is rapidly progressing with new services being introduced by the authorities. NIC Kurukshetra has been leading the implementation of ICT projects in the District.
“NIC District Centre, Kurukshetra, under the able leadership of Shri Vinod Singla, District Informatics Officer, has contributed significantly in improving the citizen service delivery system. IT initiatives of the District have always been at the forefront in providing facilities to its people. The District Website provides all the relevant and important information about the schemes of the Government as well as its significance as the land of Gita and Shri Krishna. The Website has been awarded the Digital India Platinum Web Ratna Award for providing information to users/ citizens in an easy and accessible manner. The whole NIC Kurukshetra team deserves appreciation for this memorable achievement. The team of NIC Kurukshetra remains a frontrunner in ideating as well as implementing the IT initiatives in the District.” Dr. SATYAVIR SINGH PHULIA, IAS Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra
ICT Initiatives in the District Digital certification of government schools Kurukshetra District Administration has started recognizing government schools through digital certificates. In this pursuit, a number of ICT initiatives for schools, taken by NIC Kurukshetra, have been brought to a single platform. In order to ensure that the schools receive this certification, they need to ensure the adoption of all the following initiatives in their schools.
Functioning television sets in schools In 2007, over 700 schools in Kurukshetra District received a television set, a dish antenna and a set top box, each through a central government project, to connect schools with the EduSat satellite launched dissemination of information to schools. Soon enough, it was found that these television sets fell short of people’s aspirations. NIC Kurukshetra upgraded the sets by connecting them with a two-way interactive set top boxes. The presence of external input feature on these set top boxes ensured that the contents could be locally created and disseminated using simple and easy-to-use pen drives. Over 500 government schools in the District have functional television sets with ready-to-use content downloaded on them using a pen drive.
Android Application called ‘Saksham Kaksha’ With the advent of smartphones and internet revolution in India, technology has become a powerful lever to bridge the gap in information dissemination. The high smartphone penetration in Haryana can be utilized at the classroom level to equip teachers and educators with appropriate tools. Recognizing this need, NIC Kurukshetra has pioneered and rolled out an Application called ‘Saksham Kaksha’. The Android Application intends to involve parents and community in the academic development of their wards and help in the improvement of resources available to teachers inside the classroom. The Application contains over 30,000 multiple choice questions based on the syllabus of different subjects such as English, Hindi, Science, Social Sciences, Geography and Languages from I to XII standards. Questions have been mapped to the textbook chapters to ensure alignment between the school syllabus and resources. The significance and utility of the Application can be judged by the fact that within a month of its launch, over 20,000 teachers as well as parents from the entire State have started using it on a daily basis. Government officers and teachers in other Districts consider it as a sound repository of resources. The App also has a mechanism to take feedback from users in order to improve its user centricity.
eSamarth SMS Application for teachers NIC Kurukshetra has devised a simple messaging Application for teachers so that they can use the platform to connect with their students’ parents on a daily basis regarding their wards’ attendance, performance in exams etc. Currently, over 100 schools in Kurukshetra are using this platform.
Two-way interactive video conferencing facility in schools More than 50 schools in Kurukshetra have been enabled to connect with a two-way interactive video conferencing facility using a third party Android Application called ‘VidyoMobile’. A link, which acts as a bridge, gets shared with the nodal teachers of these schools using which, they connect with the video conferencing bridge. Then the mobile devices are connected to the EduSat television sets using an HDMI cable to mirror the phone screen on to the television screen.
Advantages of the Initiatives ••Using digital technology to increase community engagement with government schools ••Edu-tech interventions ensured transformations in teaching-learning processes, which are carried out in government schools. ••All these efforts have the combined effect of changing the cultural norms and expectations and hence, the perception of government schools amongst the wider public.
Other Key Initiatives in the District E-challaning and Wi-Fi hotspots in the city Moving towards digital connectivity and surveillance, Kurukshetra Administration has installed 135 cameras at 15 major roundabouts in the city. NIC has covered the whole city with HD quality CCTV cameras. The live streaming is monitored in the control centre setup at mini secretariat by NIC, with the help of District Police. In addition, 15 selected roundabouts offer free Wi-Fi internet access to residents as well as tourists.
Cycle chalao, Paryavaran bachao To decrease pollution levels and save the environment, District Administration, with support of NIC Kurukshetra, has initiated a programme to provide cycle services to citizens. The applicants are provided with an RFID card post registration. Cardholders can swipe the card on machine at any of the cycle stands across the city and collect bicycles for their use.
Encyclopedia of Kurukshetra A year-long District based quiz competition was started from 1st January 2019. A multiple choice question related to the District’s culture, history, happenings etc., is displayed on the District Administration’s website on a daily basis. At the end of the year, those citizens who would top the charts for correct responses would be recognized with an ‘Encyclopedia of Kurukshetra’ certificate. This initiative is intended to engage the community with the District Administration and its web portal.
Assessment Visit for Antyodaya Saral Project A team made a visit to the Saral Kendra, Thanesar, for the purpose of award to assess the operationalization of Saral Kendras under the Antyodaya Saral Project, a flagship project of the Government of Haryana. The team assessed the implementation of Antyodaya Saral project in the District. Kurukshetra was one of the two Districts visited by the team, along with Panchkula. The team wrote to the then Additional Principal Secretary to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Haryana that they were “amazed at some of the initiatives taken at the local level at Kurukshetra by NIC team, along with Kendra officials”. The project was conferred e-Governance Award by CSI-Nihilent, subsequent to the visit.
Awards and Accolades ••Platinum Web Ratna Digital India Award for redesigning and customizing of District Administration website on S3WaaS Platform. Dr. S.S. Phulia, Deputy Commissioner of Kurukshetra, along with Shri Deepak Bansal, State Informatics Officer, Haryana and Shri Vinod Singla, District Informatics Officer, Kurukshetra, received the award from Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, during Digital India Awards event held in New Delhi on 22nd February 2019. ••Skoch Golden Award for EduSat E-learning classes project during a ceremony held at Constitution Club in New Delhi in 2017.
Way Forward The goal is to reach all the government schools in the District so that Kurukshetra becomes a model District and sets an example for the rest of the Districts in the field of technology in education. NIC Kurukshetra is dedicated to make sincere efforts towards supporting the District Administration in technological matters.