It is a place on every tourist's itinerary. A land of the sea and beaches, the land of the Carnival --- Goa. Situated in the Sahyadri Ghats on the Western Coast of India, this small State is nestled by the Arabian Sea. With a population of nearly 12 lakh, the State spreads over an area of approximately 3,702 sq kms. Nearly 451 years of Portuguese rule in Goa has resulted in what is called the Goan Culture --- a unique mix of Indian and Portuguese cultures, rich in folk arts, music, dance, drama and literature. This cultural base, along with the prevailing high literacy rate, makes Goa very receptive to new ideas and technologies.
On the economic front, Goa is quite well-off. The State occupies a place of honour in the world tourist map. It is rich in natural resources and its agriculture is blessed by the Southwest Monsoons. For convenience in administration, the State has been divided into two districts, 11 talukas and 429 revenue villages with 183 panchayats.
Informatics took its first step in Goa with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Administration and the National Informatics Centre in 1989. A group comprising the then Collector and Deputy Collector of Goa and professionals from NIC successfully overcame all the initial obstacles to set up a NIC District-cum-State Unit and make it operational in September 1989. There was no looking back thereafter. With appreciation and active co-operation from the State Administration, the NIC South Goa District Centre was made operational in December 1990.
The interest was mutual. The Goa State Administration was quick to catch on to the relevance of computerization in effective management and administration. This coincided with NIC's efforts to usher in a culture of informatics. The results are there to see.
The initial thrust for computerization was concentrated in State and Central Government offices in the town of Panaji which is the administrative hub of Goa.
In the North Goa Collectorate vital activities such as Sanad (issue of certificates on land conversion) and Land Acquisition Monitoring were effectively computerized. Provision of NIC terminals also helped in facilitating word-processing activities.
In the General Administration Department of the Secretariat, officials started making use of Management Information Systems (MIS) such as the Quarters Monitoring System (QMS), Vehicle Monitoring System (VMS) and Goa Civil List (GCL).
Gathering momentum, the NIC Goa State Unit undertook the responsibility of implementing tailor-made softwares in other departments also. The Inspectorate of Factories and Boilers got a comprehensive system to maintain health and factory statistics; payroll software packages were implemented in the Food Corporation of India and Goa State Police Department; and a software system to monitor house tax collection and rent collection on leased buildings was implemented in the Panaji Municipal Council. The Agricultural Census 1991 was computerized for the Directorate of Planning and Statistics; a software implemented in the Employment Exchange enabled on-line registration and renewal of registration of candidates. NIC's national-level projects, such as the SERMON package for Customs and Central Excise and computerization of the Primary Census Abstract and Village/Town Directory for the Directorate of Census Operations, were successfully implemented.
Today, the NIC South Goa District Unit takes care of all the computerization requirements of various departments coming under the South Goa District. Computerization projects for payroll, arms licence and sanad monitoring have already been successfully implemented.
As in other states of the Country, NIC's satellite-based computer-communication network, NICNET, interconnects Goa with the rest of the Country. NICNET also provides access to international databases and other international networks. Almost all government departments in Goa are making use of NICNET. The Department of Social Welfare, Department of Planning Statistics, Food Corporation of India, and Department of Food and Civil Supplies, are using this facility for periodical transfer of data on Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), 20-point Programme, and price of essential and agricultural commodities.
In the Goa Medical College (GMC), the MEDLARS services in NICNET are being used extensively by doctors, research students and also by private practitioners. MEDLARS has been a boon for its Users as there is no other easy means of access to the essential medical information gathered from all over the world. "Most of the post-graduate students of various disciplines are availing this facility and getting the required information on a time-bound basis", says the GMC Librarian.
NICNET services were extensively used during the Tenth Lok Sabha Elections in 1991.
But computers cannot run by themselves and it is the human factor which counts most in any computerization effort. Trained manpower is the most essential requisite. In order to build up an adequate force of trained manpower the NIC Goa State Unit organizes periodical training programmes on computer awareness and utility softwares for the staff of various departments of the Goa State Government.
The course is set, and the sailing is smooth, but there are leagues to cover still. New ventures are being planned and worked upon. The wind is blowing for NIC.