IT Chandigarh

IT Policy of UT Chandigarh

IT is revolutionizing our lives. It is also redefining the perspectives and themes of development & progress. Breaking down the barriers of time and space, IT has transformed the Government’s role of a facilitator. Chandigarh Administration has now resolved to offer more meaningful delivery systems.
# Introduction
Information Technology is an important and extremely effective tool through which development and progress can take place with the co-operation of all strata of society including government and public. Chandigarh Administration is committed to provide responsive and effective administration for the welfare of the public keeping in view the national objectives. Chandigarh Administration recognises the need to harness the growing power of IT for the betterment of residents of Chandigarh.
# The IT Vision of Chandigarh Administration
The vision of Chandigarh Administration is to create a knowledge-based society through extensive use of Information Technology. Chandigarh Administration envisages a scenario wherein every citizen shall be able to access the benefits of Information Technology by the year 2005. The residents of this UT are enlightened enough to realise the significance of the IT revolution and it is expected that they shall wholeheartedly participate in this movement. The ultimate goal is to use IT as a medium for effective interaction between the Administration and the public so that the exchange of information and access to government departments is speedy and easy leading to a better quality of life.

# The IT Mission of Chandigarh Administration
* To provide public service for the residents through e-Governance which is efficient, speedy and cost effective
* To promote Industrial development through Information Technology. Creation of IT infrastructure would be given emphasis so that Industry can utilise this infrastructure for modernisation and to increase productivity.
* To reduce unemployment by generating more jobs in Information Technology. The requirement of trained IT Professionals is far in excess of the availability and therefore institutions would be created to bridge this gap.
* To increase exports in the field of Information Techonology by creating a platform for excellence in software development by utilising the services of software professionals.
* To make Chandigarh an ideal IT destination.

# Chandigarh - An ideal IT destination
Chandigarh provides an ideal stage for the growth of the IT culture and optimum utilisation of the benefits of the IT revolution. The following features make Chandigarh a potential IT leader :

* A Planned City like no other - Chandigarh is one of the successes of modern architectural planning and its planned infrastructure provides the ideal foundation for the growth of the IT Industry.
* A Micropolitan City - A city where the quality of life is excellent, and the disadvantages of large metropolitan cities are not present.
* The farthest point from anywhere in Chandigarh is only 9 kms.- A pollution free environment exists. Geographical Advantage - The city is very close to the national capital and is well connected with the rest of the country. Excellent road, rail and air links exist.
* The Institutional Edge - The educational environment of the city is highly conducive to the growth of the IT Industry. A University, an Engineering College, Medical Colleges, Polytechnics and major Computer Institutes already exist. Computer education has been introduced in schools as well.

# Advisory Committee on IT Applications
This committee shall be setup in order to ensure optimum use of the IT potential of UT Chandigarh. The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide a vision and direction to the IT Implementation Committee so that the aims and objectives of the IT policy can be achieved. The details of the committee are given at Annexure ‘A’.
# Salient features of the IT Policy

* IT Infrastructure
The creation of a suitable base in the field of IT infrastructure is essential before further progress can be made. Chandigarh Administration shall endeavour to create infrastructure which shall provide an ideal platform for the growth of the IT sector.

* Wired City
Chandigarh shall be developed as a “Wired City”. The Administration shall create a connectivity Backbone Network within the city of Chandigarh. Internet access and establishment of a Wide Area Network (WAN) for the entire Union Teritory including all government/corporate offices and Private institutions and individuals, shall be given priority. A Local Area Network (LAN) would also be setup in all important government offices.

* Software Development Units
Setting up of Software Development units in the UT in large numbers. A single window scheme will be started to consider requests for public/private sector Software Development Units on priority basis.

* Information Centres/Kiosks
Setting up of Software Development units in the UT in large numbers. A single window scheme will be started to consider requests for public/private sector Software Development Units on priority basis.

* ISPs/Gateway
Promotion of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operations including provision of real time connectivity to international gateways. DOT shall be requested to lease the spare capacity of the existing fibre optic network for data transmission to ISPs.

* Internet through cable
Establishment of Internet Access through the Cable T.V. Network shall be done throughout the UT so as to provide speedy connectivity to all the residents of the Union Teritory.

* Multimedia
To promote further the use of multimedia services including Fax/e-mail and Internet. The aim shall be to reach out to the maximum number of residents who shall benefit from the IT revolution.

* Rural Areas
Internet penetration in rural areas shall be increased and efforts shall be made to educate the rural population about the benefits of Information Technology. Various departments like Agriculture and Health shall be urged to enlighten the people of rural areas about the benefits of IT.

# Development of IT Industry and Business
The following incentives and facilities shall be provided for the purpose of encouraging companies to come forward for setting up IT units in the UT.

* IT Towers :
Construction of IT Towers shall be undertaken for the software industry. Plug and play facilities shall be provided, with real time connectivity. These IT Towers shall provide an ideal platform for software units to be set up in large numbers in Chandigarh.

* Exemption from Inspections :
Companies providing IT services shall be exempted from inspections under the Factories Act and the Shops & Establishments Act.

* Depreciation Norms :
These shall be as per approved Govt. of India Policy.

* Loaning by Financial Institutions:
Loans for Capital Investment and working capital requirement would be given as per GOI policy by the Delhi Financial Corporation (DFC). Priority shall be given to IT services for provision of financial aid. A number of attractive schemes shall be introduced for the IT industry.

* Investment and Venture capital:
Financial Institutions and Banks shall be allowed to invest in the IT sector in the form of equity. A fund has already been set up by the Delhi Financial Corporation (DFC) to provide venture capital for the IT sector.

* Single Window Clearance:
Single Window Clearance shall be provided for all IT companies interested in setting up units in Union Territory of Chandigarh.

* Annual Awards :
Annual awards of excellence shall be given by the Chandigarh Administration for outstanding performers in IT These awards shall be given in the fields of software exports, training and e-commerce.

# e-Governance
A Committee for implementation of the IT policy in Administration shall be set up in order to make optimum use of the power of IT (Annexure ‘B’). The Committee shall ensure that e-governance provides the ideal environment for the welfare of the public by facilitating easy access to government offices through networking. A Task Force shall be set up in each department for this purpose (Annexure ‘C’).

* Departmental Plans
Each government department and agency in U.T. Administration shall prepare a five year IT plan which shall broadly define the goal of the department in specific sectors using.

* Excise and Taxation Department
The implementation of the taxation system prevailing in the UT shall be modified in accordance with the increasing usage of IT Online connectivity shall enable simplified procedures for levying of commercial taxes. This shall eliminate delays and bottlenecks in the taxation procedures. A database of registered dealers shall be maintained. Issuance of licences (ST No. & CST No.) shall be computerised and STV registers (Both CHA and CST) shall be automatically updated. Automatic generation of notices, defaulters and pending payments shall be possible.

* Education Department
All colleges and schools shall be fully computerised and all students shall be encouraged to be IT literate. The Education department shall be connected online with all educational institutions including Medical and Engineering colleges. A data bank of students who are IT literate shall be maintained and a tie-up with industry for employment shall be ensured. More courses will be introduced in all institutions to produce IT Professionals.

* Municipal Corporation
The residents of Chandigarh shall benefit from the introduction of the IT culture in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh. All services provided by the Corporation shall be computerised and residents shall be able to access the various departments of the corporation online from the kiosks, which shall be set up throughout the UT. Public grievances shall be given priority and shall be resolved speedily by the use of computers and interconnectivity. Mapping of the whole area of the UT shall be done and co-ordination between the various departments shall be ensured to prevent repeated inconvenience to the public as and when digging or construction activities are carried out.
* Estate Office
For the benefit of the residents of Chandigarh, the Estate office shall provide information to all residents via terminals, which shall be set up throughout the UT. Procedures shall be simplified through the use of computers and interconnectivity. Various forms and instructions shall be available online to the general public. All the files of the Estate office shall be computerised and information from them as per requirement shall be made available to the public, while keeping in view the necessity for keeping certain documents confidential.

* Driving Licences and Registration
All driving licences and Registration certificates shall be computerised and procedures for issuance of new licences and registration certificates and also for their renewal shall be made convenient for the public through online connectivity. Delays shall be totally eliminated and an effort shall be made to provide these documents the same day as the application is made. Smart Cards shall be introduced for registration certificates and driving licences.

* Treasury
The government treasury shall be computerised and connected online with the UT secretariat and other important offices. All bills and other documents shall be computerised and manual processes shall be minimised. Necessary security checks shall be carried out and a foolproof system shall be introduced.

* Police
Officers and officials of the Chandigarh Police shall be made IT literate. Connectivity between all the police stations and the police headquarters shall be ensured and these offices shall be connected with those of the district magistrate and also the sub divisional magistrate. The UT secretariat and the Police Headquarters shall also be connected online for speedy communication and exchange of information for ensuring greater efficiency in policing.

* Other Applications
Computerisation of Ration cards, Arms licences, and Births and Deaths certificates shall also be done. Other departments shall be taken up in a phased manner.

* Web site
The Chandigarh Administration already has its own web site (http://chandigarh.nic.in). Comprehensive information about Chandigarh and its various aspects, including the IT policy of Union Territory Chandigarh, shall be available on the web site. Interactive web sites shall be developed for all major departments of the Administration.

# Budget
At least 1% of the Plan Budget of the Administration shall be earmarked for IT applications in the Administration every year. The investment would include expenditure on IT Hardware, software, IT services and IT Training.
# Provisions
The re-appropriation of each Department’s IT budget will be done by its Administrative Secretary. The IT budget sub-head shall be within the delegated powers of the HOD, subject to the condition that not more than 65% of the IT budget shall be spent on hardware and peripherals.
# Accessibility
U.T. Administration will establish a central repository of data elements in government and make it accessible as per Govt. of India policy.
# New Appointments
U.T. Administration would give preference in appointment to IT literate persons for employment to all public sector and government postsa.
# LAN/WAN
The UT Secretariat and other government offices shall be intra-connected and interconnected to increase efficiency. In a time bound program personal computers and mobile E-mail/Fax communication will be provided to senior government officers. UT Secretariat will be linked with all departments at other locations in Chandigarh using FO link.
# Government Notifications
All government circulars, instructions, notifications, tenders shall be published on web site of Chandigarh Administration.
# File Management
An automated, transparent file movement system shall be introduced at various levels of each department/PSU.
# Awards
Awards shall be given to the departments/PSUs, which carry out outstanding work in the IT field.
# Human Resource Development (Training)
For creating a conducive IT environment, Human Resource Development shall have to be given great emphasis. The success of any new technology revolves around the success of this activity. To develop the required manpower in terms of expertise and number the following shall be pursued.

* Infrastructure
All educational institutions will have computer laboratories and access to Internet. An IT course module shall be made a compulsory component of all degrees/diploma courses in educational institutions. Courses will be designed to meet current requirement in IT industry. IT training will be made compulsory for all the students as part of their course in the ITIs/Polytechnics.

* IT College
The demand for IT professionals is growing tremendously in the region. The setting up of an IT College, with advanced centres for IT, shall be given priority. B.Tech. (Information Technology) courses shall be started. Professionals from IT industry will also be engaged as faculty to provide practical exposure to the students. Regular visits to IT industries in the region will also be arranged to provide practical training. Special courses on Project Management, Software Technology, and Software Marketing, shall be offered by the IT College. The courses will be redesigned and restructured regularly to train the students in the latest technologies.

* IT in Schools
An IT course module shall also be made available in schools. The infrastructure created in schools shall be used as a training centre for the public after school hours by the institute, in return for free training to a proportionate number of students from weaker sections. A centralised library with educational CD-ROMs shall be set up, from where the schools can obtain CDs. Schools in rural areas shall have multimedia labs where regular demonstrations in English, Hindi and Punjabi language shall be given, to spread the IT culture.

* Digital Library
The U.T. digital library project will be launched. Efforts shall be made to make available the database of Central State Library and other major libraries - Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College, etc. This shall also be made available on the Net.

* Training for Government Employees
IT training shall be made mandatory for all government employees. Courses with different skills shall be conducted for officials at different levels of different departments. Two or three officials from each department shall be identified and trained for in-house Systems Administration. These officials shall be nominated for short-term courses organised by reputed IT training institutes at departmental expenses. A few important areas of training at different levels shall include :

o Management Information Systems
o Office Automation
o Project Management
o Technology Trends
o Intranet & Internet
o Networking Tools
o Web Technology

Infosys to set up large Software Development Centre at Chandigarh Technology Park

Chandigarh Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Infosys Technologies Limited for allotting 20 acres of land to the IT major which would be the Anchor Company of the Chandigarh Technology Park. As per the Agreement, Infosys would set up a Rs. 100 crore Software Development Centre at the Chandigarh Technology Park in the next 5 years and would employ upto 2400 professionals at the Campus. During the first phase, Infosys would invest Rs. 30 Crores and would employ 600 professionals. This would be the first large Software Development Campus to be set up by Infosys, in North India.

The Agreement was signed at the Punjab Raj Bhavan, Chandigarh, on November 15, in the presence of Lt. Gen. J.F.R. Jacob, PVSM (Retd.), Governor Punjab, and Administrator, Union Territory Chandigarh, by Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, Secretary I.T., Chandigarh Administration, and Mr. H.R. Binod, Associate Vice President - Commercial and Facilities, Infosys Technologies Limited. On November 15, 2002.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Gen. Jacob said that the Union Territory of Chandigarh was fast emerging as the Technology hub of North India, and it was a matter of pride for the residents of Chandigarh that Infosys had decided to set up a large campus here. The advent of Infosys would provide high quality employment to the young professionals of Chandigarh and the region. He said that the Chandigarh Technology Park would provide state of the art infrastructure to I.T. and I.T. Enabled Services Companies to set up their facilities. He said that the Software Technology Parks of India (S.T.P.I.) was helping the Chandigarh Administration in promoting software exports from the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which were expected to touch Rs. 100 crores this year, and would increase significantly with the entry of Infosys here. STPI would also set up High Speed Data Connectivity facilities at the Technology Park.

Conference on Business and Challenges in ITES-IT/BPO and IT mantras for Success.

Chandigarh’s biggest event of its kind, a “Conference on Business and challenges in ITES-IT/BPO and IT mantras for success” was held on 24th April, 2004 at Hotel Shivalik View. The Conference was inaugurated by Adviser U.T Sh. Lalit Sharma. Mr. Kiran Karnik, President of Nasscom, was the keynote speaker at the inaugural session.

The conference was organized by Chandigarh IT Club, in association with NASSCOM , SPIC and TiE – Chandigarh, with Quark Media as the major sponsors.

Mr. Kirna Karnik expressed the view that Chandigarh has all elements to be the next IT/ITES destination in the country. After Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi, it was the turn of Chandigarh to become the most attractive destination for IT/ITES industry in the country because of its salubrious environment, availability of trained and skilled human resources, reasonably good weather, proximity to hills, and more importantly, a very good quality of life.

INFOSYS Development Centre at CTP

Information Technology giant Infosys will set up a 2400 persons software development centre at the upcoming Chandigarh Technology Park. Infosys, which will set up a campus spread across 20 acres, handed over the first instalment towards the cost of land on 24th May, 2004. A Cheque of Rs 3 crore was handed over to the UT Administrator , Justice O.P. Verma ( retd), by the vice-presidentof Infosys, Mr. H. R. Binod. The Infosys team also met the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, the Finance Secretary-cum-Secretary IT, Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, and the Director, Information Technology, Mr. Vivek Atray.

Construction at the 20-acre site is to start by July this year. During the first phase, Infosys will employ 600 professionals. The first phase is to be completed by April, next year. Infosys is the anchor company for Chandigarh Technology Park which is spread over an area of 111 acres. An MOU was earlier signed by Infosys with Chandigarh Administration in this regard. Meanwhile, DLF Limited is constructing the ready-built space, which will be on offer to companies. About 6 lakh square feet of space will be on offer from July 31, this year.

IT Vision Chandigarh

Chandigarh Administration declared its I.T. Policy in April 2000 to promote the application of Information Technology for the benefit of the residents of Chandigarh, by implementing e-Governance and by promoting investment in the field of technology, for generating employment. The IT Enabled Service Policy of Chandigarh Administration was announced in January 2003 in order to promote the IT Enabled Service/BPO Sector which is growing at a rapid rate. Training tie-ups, upgradation of educational facilities and promotion of IT infrastructure were emphasized in this policy.

With the launch of the Sampark Project, the first phase of e-Governance was implemented in Chandigarh in August 2004, followed by the commencement of financial transactions through Sampark Centres from November 2004. Sampark Centres have been set up in six locations at present i.e. Sector 43, 18, 10, 15, 23 and Mani Majra. Two more Sampark Centres are to be set up in various locations in the city by June 2005. The Sampark Website/Portal also provides these services for the residents.

With this background, the stage is set for the second phase of the transformation of the society in Chandigarh to a Techno – Enabled Society. Thus it is necessary to announce an I.T. Vision – 2010 statement, so that the road map for the next five years can be laid out.