The District of Periyar in Central Tamil Nadu, with its headquarters in the town of Erode, is caressed by the river Cauvery and its tributaries. Traditionally with an agriculture-based economy, Periyar has nevertheless developed into a commercial centre. It is a major producer of milk, turmeric and textile products. Periyar is known for large-scale production of the traditional Indian drape, lungi. As a district Periyar is comparatively young having been carved out of Coimbatore only in 1979. It was in 1988 that the National Informatics Centre set up the NIC Periyar District Centre to extend its services to the fledgeling District. Since then Periyar and its NIC District Centre have grown together supplementing each other and in complete harmony.
Laying the foundation
The NIC Periyar District Centre started off by developing and implementing some simple and basic but very useful information systems for the District Administration. These include monitoring systems for Public Grievances, 20-point Programme and Five Year Plan schemes; and various management information systems for the collector to monitor revenue, rural development, panchayat administration, etc. Apart from these, core sector information systems for agriculture (DISNIC-Agris, NDWDPRA), industry (Performance Evaluation) and Health (UIP, CSSM, MIS for Malaria Eradication Programme) have also been implemented. NICNET chipped in to provide fast and reliable communication links. The effort to acquaint the District with informatics was rounded off by organizing a number of training programmes for District Administration personnel. Thus the foundation was laid and the ground prepared. But it would be a tenuous process of building block by block. The next step was in the direction of micro-level information systems.
Down to grassroots
Implementation of DISNIC-PLAN was taken up on a priority basis. Data collection and entry have been completed for all the 539 revenue villages in the seven taluks of the District. Data validation and updation up to 1994 have also been achieved. Reports on different facilities, provided to the District Administration and District Rural Development Agency, have helped in finalizing the District Plan.
Quenching their thirst
Implementation of the MIS on Drinking Water Supply is another successful venture of the NIC Periyar District Centre. The MIS provides micro-level details such as depth, water level, pump type, etc. of each of the 7,500 public water sources spread over 400 villages in 20 blocks. Details on complaints and repair including receipt and issue of spare parts are updated every month from registers maintained in the blocks. Thus the District Administration is in a position to monitor the maintenance of pumps at the block level through this MIS. This has resulted not only in efficient monitoring and faster redressal but also in financial savings and better inventory management. The MIS has already won recognition from a team from the UNICEF which has recommended it for implementation in other districts.
Work for rural development
The Central Rural Information System Project (CRISP), a joint venture of the National Informatics Centre and the Rural Development Ministry, has been successfully implemented in Periyar. The DRDA computer system has been hooked up with the NIC computer system to provide more computing power and flexibility. CRISP hold special relevance for Periyar as the District is one of the 19 pilot districts selected for the implementation of the centrally-sponsored project for Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA). Data on every beneficiary from each DWCRA group is entered in the DWCRA module of CRISP. Monthly progress reports are sent through NICNET to NIC Headquarters for making them available to the Rural Development Ministry.
The NICNET embrace
As in all other districts of the Country, NICNET has attained indispensability in Periyar also. NICNET services have been further enhanced by providing leased line connections starting with the Central Excise Division. Dial-up connection facility has also been established in the District. Many potential users such as the State Transport Corporation, Electricity Board and Health Department are gearing up to use dial-up NICNET connections to access NICNET services. The NIC District Informatics Officer attends the monthly plan schemes review meeting of the Collector and all departmental heads. This goes a long way in proving the acceptance of NIC as an indispensable part of the District Administration. They have worked in tandem and reaped the fruits of their labour. Once again an equal share of the credit goes to the District Administration for extending its full co-operation and support. But all that has been achieved is only the tip of the iceberg. The onus lies with the people, the administration and NIC to ensure that no part of the Country lags behind. Districts such as Periyar show the way.