Couched in the farthest corner of the Northeast, the hilly State of Nagaland with its capital at Kohima is more known for its colourful people, their exquisite dances and intricate handicraft. Nagaland is also considered to be one of the most remote States of the Country. Out of its total population of 12,09,546 around 10,60,822 are classified under the category of Scheduled Tribes and are broadly called the Nagas. Administratively, Nagaland is a tough State by any standards. The inaccessibility of its interiors makes any effort at development difficult to achieve, and the people of Nagaland had been long deprived of the facilities of modern technology.

It is in this context that the presence of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Nagaland acquires added significance. NIC District Computer Units are operational in most of the Districts of Nagaland. The NIC Nagaland State Unit in Kohima is the apex NIC Centre in the State and co-ordinates the working of all the District Centres. In addition to this, NIC is maintaining a training and maintenance centre at Dimapur which is considered to be the gateway to Nagaland.

The going was tough at the beginning. Sites had to be selected and developed for the computer centres, machines and equipments had to be transported through difficult terrains where modes of transportation were at the best primitive. Mr K Munigesan who was the first NIC Officer-in-Charge of Nagaland, along with his colleague Mr A Loyla George Amirtham, laid the foundation of informatics in the State. Thanks to the massive infrastructural support and the efforts of the beginners, today Nagaland is at par with the rest of the Country as far as the use of computers and modern satellite-based computer-communication facilities are concerned. The Nagaland State Government is availing all NIC facilities to the fullest extent and is helping NIC in the spread of the new working culture of informatics in the entire State.

At the request of the Nagaland State Government, NIC played a major part in computerization of census operations of the State. Census data for Nagaland was released in February 1993. The Director of Census Operations, Nagaland, in his inaugural speech on the occasion, praised the co-operation accorded by the NIC Nagaland State Unit in co-ordination of census operations. For the first time floppies containing census data were also distributed amongst officials.

NIC's satellite-based computer-communication network, NICNET, is widely used in Nagaland and has assumed an important status because of the State's remoteness and under-development of other means of communication.

NICNET is utilized for message transmission between Kohima and the District Headquarters on one hand and between the State and Central Administrations on the other.

Many of the national projects of NIC have been taken up and successfully implemented in the State.

The National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPR), which falls under the AGRiculture Informatics Division (AGRID) of NIC is being coordinated by the State Unit. Data from the Agriculture Department of the State is fed into NIC systems every quarter and sent to AGRID through NICNET. Training programmes were organized for State Agriculture Department personnel.

An Agricultural Census Software Package, developed by the Western Regional Centre of NIC has been implemented in Nagaland. Data entry for the 1990-91 agricultural census has already started. The complete data will be transmitted to Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, over NICNET.

The Computerized Rural Information System Project (CRISP) software has been taken up in the State. Data entry for CRISP has been started after providing the required training to state personnel concerned.

A discussion with the Regional Transport Officer and the Deputy Transport Commissioner paved the way for computerization of the transport system of Nagaland. The Transport Information System under the District Information System of NIC (DISNIC) has been implemented, and the data is being entered into NIC systems.

In the States, the primary aim of the National Informatics Centre is to assist the state Administration in overall computerization of different administrative processes and procedures so that information for decision making is readily available at all levels. In Nagaland also, the NIC Nagaland State Unit has undertaken some major projects exclusively for the State Administration.

Work for computerization of the educational statistics of the State is under way. The processes of data collection and data entry are going on simultaneously. The data is collected through printed forms specially designed for the purpose.

The Co-operative Department of Nagaland approached the State Unit with a request for computerization of the process of codification of Blocks and Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACSs). NIC took up the job, and the first phase of computerized codification has been completed.

On the request of the Reader and Head, Department of Linguistics, North East Hill University (NEHU), the NIC Nagaland State Unit has taken up a project which envisages the computerized processing of data collected for sociolinguistic studies. The data collected through a questionnaire is now being entered into NIC systems for processing.

In Nagaland, NIC has proved once again that modern technology knows no barriers. All that is required is a little effort and dedication. The way the Nagaland State Government has welcomed the modern science of informatics is but an indication of the Country's triumphant march towards progress. The hurdles will always be there; so will the pioneers who dare to take the jump. For where there is a will there is always a way.

Mr Z Obed, Minister of Planning, Nagaland, visits NIC Kohima State Centre