Sikkim Marching Ahead in Digital Transformation with NIC as Strong Technology Partner

On 18th July 2023, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India organized a daylong “Media Workshop – Vartalap” for the journalist of Sikkim with the theme “Nine years of Seva, Sushasan and Garib Kalyan”. Dr. L.P. Sharma, State Informatics Officer (Sikkim), National Informatics Centre, presented on the topic “Digital Transformation – India Marching Ahead” showcasing the commendable efforts undertaken by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Sikkim in propelling the country towards a digital future.

According to him, digital transformation has emerged as a defining aspect of modern societies, and India’s ambition to harness the power of technology to drive development has been increasingly evident. During his presentation, Dr. L.P. Sharma highlighted the indispensable role played by NIC in supporting various state and central government offices in Sikkim through an array of cutting-edge services. These services include Networking services, Video Conferencing services, Cloud computing services, and efficient e-Governance solutions.

Networking services have facilitated seamless communication and data sharing among government departments, enhancing overall efficiency and collaboration. Video conferencing services, especially in the post-pandemic world, have become a lifeline for remote meetings, enabling officials to connect without the constraints of physical presence. Honourable Prime Minster, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, conducts his highly popular Pragati VC, connecting all state stakeholders through NIC video conferencing services. The adoption of cloud computing services has revolutionized data storage and management, ensuring accessibility and security of information at all times. Additionally, e-Governance services have streamlined administrative processes, making public services more accessible, transparent, and citizen-centric. Through online platforms, citizens can actively participate in governance, while governments benefit from streamlined processes and cost savings.

State Informatics Officer informed the media that in order to facilitate connectivity in Government departments, NIC has brought a 10 Gigabyte bandwidth fibre connectivity from Kolkata to Gangtok which is then shared to all the government departments and the academic institutes.

Dr. Sharma informed the media about a host of e-Governance service solutions developed and hosted by NIC that have helped in making the governance easy and accessible to the people of Sikkim. Some of these projects are discussed as follows:

SBS Core Banking Solution that connects all branches of State Bank of Sikkim enabling cross banks transactions, RTGS and ATM services. He elaborated about the popular e-District/Service Plus platform of NIC which is used for providing all certificates to the citizens from districts and the sub-divisions. Online Trade License software of NIC used by Gangtok Municipal Corporation facilitates all business holders of Gangtok to apply for new trade licenses and facilitates renewal of old licenses. e-Abkari is another software solution from NIC that manages liquor supply and manufacturing licenses, importing of raw materials and the supply chain of all types of liquors. The e-Abkari project is being implemented by Excise Department, Government of Sikkim. Under Transport project, ‘Vahan’ is a popular NIC-enabled platform implemented by the Transport department of Government of Sikkim that facilitates dealer point registration of vehicles, renewal token tax payment and many other allied services. ‘Sarathi’ is another project in the same category that manages the driving license issuance and renewal system. The Next Gen mParivahan App is a mobile application which all citizens can download and use for availing all sarathi and vahan related services. Next Gen mParivahan mobile application with thirty one ‘Vahan’ and ‘Sarathi’ services like change of address, hypothecation, termination, update mobile number, verify status, payment status, renewal of DL, duplicate DL, payment of MV tax, and Faceless Learner License (LL) related services have been made live with access through nearly 600 odd common service centres(CSC) of the state was formally inaugurated on 27^th July 2023 by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Sikkim along with Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) project. Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) project is an initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India and the software solution along with mobile app is developed by NIC with an objective to improve road safety in the country. The software works in collaboration with four main departments namely Police, Transport, Health, and Highways agencies of the State to have a robust accident related database. NIC also offers an e-tendering software solution through which all departments of Government of Sikkim upload tenders worth more than One Crore. Manav Sampada is a Human Resources Management System solution of NIC developed by NIC Himachal Pradesh and implemented by many states across the country. Sikkim has also started implementing Manav Samapada in phased manner. The software facilitates employee data management including service books, increment, leave, tour, transfer training and allied G to G services. These projects and many other services are also listed in the NIC Sikkim’s website NIC Sikkim | India

Under the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) initiative, NIC has collaborated with several departments of the Government of Sikkim to launch numerous citizen-centric services. These services are related to trade license applications and renewals and applying for various types of permissions building construction permission, event organizing permissions, banner display permissions etc. and some manufacturing permissions etc. NIC project on Electronic Public Distribution System takes care of ration card management, supply chain of commodities and the distribution of rice from the fair price shop through the Point of Sell (POS) Devices. Jiwan Pramaan is another important initiative of NIC that facilitates pensioners to get their pension without any hassle. The Jiwan Pramaan software system replaces the old system of manual submission of paper based live certificate by the pensioners. It captures finger print or IRIS through the software portal which serves as a live certificate of the pensioner and enables direct crediting of their pension to their bank account. Sikkim may be one of the few state in the country to on-board cent percent of pensioners in this system. Other projects include Land Record Modernization, Water and Sewerage Online Billing Services, Sikkim Integrated Financial Management System, e-Panchayat, SPARROW, National Social Assistance Program, National Scholarship Portal, MGNREGA-MIS, Online Consent Management, Immigration Visa and Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT), ALIS (Arm licenses Issuing system),  E-Prison, E-Prosecution, E-Forensic, E-Courts, Consumer Forum Network System, E-mail services, SMS Services, Webhosting Services, E-Office, Sikkim House Reservation Systems, Online Building Permission System, File Tracking System, Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Track the Missing Child, etc.

With NIC as strong technology partner in providing innovative solutions and services, the state of Sikkim is undoubtedly marching ahead towards a future where technology empowers and uplifts every citizen. When all citizens embrace these advancements and work hand in hand with the government, we can strongly move towards building a truly digital and prosperous India.

(A PIB feature. With inputs from NIC, Gangtok )