The District of Tonk in Rajasthan, surrounded by beautiful hills and caressed by the river Banas, is an erstwhile Nawabi State and a place of great historical importance. However, Tonk has fallen behind the times. Lacking proper communication links --- Tonk does not have a railway connection --- development has been very slow in all respects. Agriculture, the main source of livelihood, suffers from the same fate. Poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are some of the serious problems facing the District. And it is in this context that the science of informatics and NIC's services occupy a place of added importance for Tonk.

Organized Approach

In the six years since it first became operational in 1988, the NIC Tonk District Centre has strived tirelessly to lend a helping hand to the District Administration in developing and nurturing Tonk. From creating computer awareness amongst the District Officials to building up information databases, the NIC Tonk District Centre has left no stones unturned for the cause. NICNET has been a boon for information-starved Tonk, and NIC's GISTNIC has been a valuable source of information for

Gestures of Appreciation: Dr TS Murthy, DHI, Tonk, felicitated by Mr Badri Narain Sharma, Collector, Tonk, on Independence Day, 1994.

the District's common man. And NIC's efforts have not gone unnoticed. In an unprecedented gesture of appreciation, both the District Informatics Officer and the District Informatics Assistant of NIC were publicly honoured by the District Administration for the Organization's services for the cause of Tonk.

The approach adopted by the NIC Tonk District Centre is praiseworthy. It preferred to tackle each problem facing Tonk on an individual basis, and has achieved success in all its efforts.

Literacy

Realizing that illiteracy was a major cause behind Tonk's backwardness, the NIC Tonk District Centre, in consultation with the District Administration, decided to lend its services for the cause of the 100 percent Literacy Mission of the Government of India. To this end, NIC developed a wide-ranging Management Information System (MIS) to monitor the progress of the Mission. This was imperative as according to the 1991 census Tonk had 2,75,000 illiterates --- a figure too big to monitor through any manual system. The MIS incorporated facilities for compilation, processing and reconciliation of data. Up-to-date information could be provided to higher authorities. By feeding in data from the blocks, villages and tehsils, and analysing, monitoring and reviewing it through computers; a close watch could be kept on the overall performance of the Mission.

Communications

NICNET is an invaluable asset for Tonk. The District Administration utilizes this satellite-based computer-communication network to transmit and receive data from the State Headquarters. NICNET also provides them with the much needed link to keep in touch with the rest of the Country. NICNET is being fruitfully utilized by several Departments such as Civil Supplies, Small Savings, Soil Conservation and Treasury. Now, with the inauguration of the Web Server on the NICNET National Info Highway, the District Administration and the general public will be able to go globetrotting in search of information.

NICNET also played a vital role in the Rajasthan State Assembly elections of 1993. The network was utilized to convey various messages to the State Election Officer's office in Jaipur. Counting results were also fed in through NICNET for consolidation.

Office Automation

The NIC Tonk District Unit has been largely successful in ushering in computerization in the working of various government departments.

SI and GPF: In 1991, the District Centre took up a project to computerize the process of maintenance of State Insurance and Group Provident Fund (GPF) Accounts of nearly 14,000 employees in the District. The end-target was to implement a computerized system which would be able to process and print annual premium receipts of GPF for a stretch of four years. Thanks to the support accorded by the Group Insurance Fund and State Insurance departments, an appropriate software was developed and successfully implemented for the purpose.

Population Census: The NIC Tonk District Centre was approached by the District Statistical Department for compilation of death and birth records.

NIC wins Recognition: Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Minister Mr Natha Singh Gurjar honours Mr Ramesh Chand Jain, DIA, Tonk, on Republic Day, 1994.

Taking up the challenge of providing informatics services for this effort of national importance, the District Centre came up with a software package to feed the data and generate 20 different types of reports. And since 1990, the Statistical Department has been using the package for compilation of population census reports.

Cattle Census: For a district like Tonk, the cattle count holds as much importance as the human population. The NIC Tonk District Centre took up work for cattle census with the help of the Revenue Board, Ajmer. Data was collected and fed into the system with the help of patwaris. After due processing, this data was transmitted to the Revenue Board, Ajmer.

The success story of Informatics in Tonk stands out as an example of the utility of advanced technology in relatively backward societies. However, it is not the technology alone but the people behind it, who matter most. Special mention must be made of Mr BN Sharma, Collector of Tonk, who took upon himself the responsibility of ensuring that the people of Tonk benefit from the services NIC has to offer. Add to that the unwavering confidence of NIC professionals, and we have the right mix for success.