Situated in the centre of India the landlocked state of Madhya Pradesh is the biggest state in the Country. It has the largest tribal population which constitutes nearly one third of the total population of Madhya Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh there are 23 predominantly tribal districts.
One such tribal district of Madhya Pradesh is "Raigarh". Raigarh is situated at the border with Bihar and Orissa. It is famous for it's 'Kosa silk' and a distinct form of classical music 'Raigarh Gharana'.
The Initial Task
The National Informatics Centre made its presence in this remote area in the year 1988. The foremost task was to generate computer awareness among various government departments. For this purpose the District Informatics Officer backed by the whole-hearted cooperation from the District Collector arranged extensive training programmes for the staff and officers of various departments. These programmes were carried out for three months and training was imparted in batches. This helped in the generation of familiarization with the versatility and potential of computer and communication networks applications. The effort bore fruits and today more than 30 User departments are regularly utilizing NIC facilities.
Projects Profile
No sooner was computer awareness generated and the needed culture developed, NIC found itself in the midst of a number of projects. NIC successfully implemented a number of National and State level projects. As a gift for the hardwork, Raigarh has been selected as a model district to implement developmental Projects of the Government for Madhya Pradesh along with two other districts. NIC, Raigarh also undertook data collection, compilation and report generation of DISNIC-PLAN. Computerization of work under Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission, and monitoring of several national-level projects viz NWDPRA, PACS, PMRY, SIRIS, etc has been successfully completed by the NIC District unit of Raigarh. Raigarh has also successfully implemented various state-level packages developed by NIC, Madhya Pradesh.
Extending Help
Madhya Pradesh was the first to implement the Panchayati Raj System in India and NIC District Centre has extended a helping hand for this purpose.
NIC, Raigarh has designed and developed many computer-based information and monitoring systems for application at the local level. Besides this, computers are being used for monitoring the proper utilization of the funds allocated to the 1,083 panchayats in the district under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana. This is not all, the job of disseminating varied information on over 990 project profiles, which have been identified for consideration for the purpose of financial assistance by the Government, for the unemployed under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna Programme is also done with the help of computers.
Fulfilling the Purpose
It would be right to say that the computer and communication facility established at NIC District Centre Raigarh is fulfilling its purpose by aiding the district administration to function with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Overcoming Hurdles
Madhya Pradesh being a tribal district, NIC had to overcome a lot of hurdles, in the initial stages. But the ever increasing enthusiasm and awareness shown by the various organs of the District administration and the sincere and dedicated approach of the NIC staff at Raigarh, has made NIC, Raigarh an indispensable part of local administration, in a short span of time.
NIC district centre, Raigarh today stands out of the crowd, and has proved that where there is a will there is a way. All that is required in order to attain success is a zealous outlook, dedication and a conceited effort. All these factors are very prominently embedded in the success story of Raigarh, which despite being a tribal and remote district has not only successfully implemented a number of projects, but also established itself as a model district for technological development.