KSWAN Launched in Karnataka

Bangalore, Dec 7: E-governance administration will be introduced at the offices of the Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada and Shimoga on a pilot basis as part of the Rs 180 crore Karnataka State Wide Area Network (KSWAN) launched by the state government in Bangalore on Monday.

Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who launched the project as part of the national e-governance programme to establish a State Information Highway connecting the government from the State level to the taluk level administration, said the e-governance in the administration would be extended all other districts in a phased manner.

The ultimate mission of the project is to have a ``connected government’’ to transform the way the government interacts with its citizens and provide a responsive and people-friendly administration at all levels, the chief minister said.

The Rs 180 crore KSWAN project is being implemented by the state government’s Centre for e-governance, Yeddyurappa said after holding a videoconference with state governor H R Bhardwaj.

The main objective of the project was to establish a reliable, robust and secure communication corridor at all levels of the Government - state, district and taluk. It would help the government to take quick decisions and ensure delivery of servicesto the people effectively and efficiently.

The system would facilitate connectivity to all e-governance applications of the State and facilitate electronic delivery of the Government to citizen and Government to business services.Bhardwaj, in his inaugural address from his office in the Raj Bhavan, congratulated the state government for successfully launching the project which would provide data, voice and video services across the state. KSWAN has established connectivity for 2,300 government offices spread across the state, covering 70 departments. Additionally, occasional users groups can get connected to KSWAN through Dial-Up facility.Major departments connected through the KSWAN facility are: 176 taluk offices, 203 Bhoomi offices, 216 treasuries, 213 urban local bodies, 270 offices of the sub-registrars and other officials of the Department of Stamps and Registrations, 52 RTA Offices and 15 check-posts of the Transport Department, 245 offices of the Public Works Department, including the offices of all assistant executive engineers, 159 courts, including the Karnataka High Court and district courts, 29 prisons, including the Bangalore central prison, 30 Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) offices, and offices of the Departments of Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies, Energy, Health and Family Welfare.With this, the Karnataka has joined the select band of Gujarat, Goa and Tamil Nadu in the implementation of e-Governance at all levels of administration in keeping with Bangalore’s reputation as the knowledge hub of India.M N Vidyashankar Principal Secretary, Department of e-Governance, said the system also helps the Government to deliver services with speed and more transparency and accountability which will also serve in checking corruption and delays.Each connected office will be provided with by Internet Protocol (IP) phones, through which users can dial and speak to all offices connected with KSWAN free of cost. Facilities have also been crated to provide video conferencing services, connecting state headquarters to all districts. The system would help each department to hold review meetings with officials at the district and taluk levels, Vidyashankar explained.(Daijiworld)