e-governance in karnataka: an introduction
DESCRIPTION
Slides from a presentation delivered at the Dayananda Sagar college, Bangalore, on April 27, 2007.TRANSCRIPT
About Comat10 years old
Primarily in e-Governance
Startup-like growth curve
Three divisions:
Go Digi – computerisation projects
Go Rural – rural technology projects
Rural BPO – rural work opportunities
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Of the various e-governance projects Comat
has been involved with in Karnataka, the Bhoomi rural land records
system and Nemmadi rural
information telecentre projects deserve attention.
Bhoomi:Rural Land Records
Land Records:
Property RightsWhy is property important?
Means of economic production
For example, farming:
Fertility of soil, size, proximity to market are important
Land generates revenue. Who benefits from this revenue?
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“Land Tenure”
“Land Tenure”
“The conditions under which land or buildings are held or occupied.”
Property Rights aren’t absolute. They’re bounded by the
community. The term
“tenure” captures this balancing of rights.
Huh? Take an example: an
independent house on a plot of land, versus a flat in a building.
You can rebuild the house and make it
bigger. You can’t expand the flat.
The “community” of the building defines your rights.
Road
Boundaries of Property
Trade
Your House
Plot Plot Plot PlotPlot
Plot Plot Plot Plot
Division of Property
Division of Property
Division of Property
No Access To Road
No Access to Road, Really!
The “nail house” of Chongqing, China
Fighting it Out
Yang Wu and Wu Ping fought for a fa ir price for their property when a developer tried forcing them to sell cheap by digging a deep ditch around the house. Their story received worldwide attention. Eventually, they won.
What about a joint family? How
do you cut up the house? Does it
make sense to define property in terms of individuals? What if property is defined
as owned by the “family?”
Community and Land Tenure
Tenure is defined by community
Family, neighbourhood, type of land
Distinct communities develop distinct tenure systems
Tenure is like language and dialect
Tendency to fragment; variations depending on local conditions
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Administrative Reform: DefragmentationAdministrations prefer simplicity in the interest of manageability
Historic tendency (through centuries) to unify similar tenure systems across regions into a common definition
Like language again: Hindi and English across India; English across the world
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Introducing Bhoomi
Bhoomi is:
1. Computerisation of oral and paper-based records
2. Simplification of tenure systems from over 1200 known types in Karnataka, to 256
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Translations Aren’t Easy
“Please close the door.Dayamadi gate muchi”
Literally Translated:
“Take pity, close the gate”
Elevator Announcement:
Tenures get similarly mangled in a translation process
Computerisation has effects that go far
beyond putting computers in front of babus. Effects can be both positive
and negative.
Positive Effects of Bhoomi
Created Transparency
Single repository of authoritative information on land ownership
Reduced Corruption
The village accountant is no longer master of the database; is perfunctory
Improved Speed of Processes
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Nemmadi:Rural Telecentres
Where do you get a copy of your land records?
Common FallacyWhy does rural need special attention?
Rural = Poor = Stupid, backward, need to be told what’s good for them
Do not fall for this!
Rural citizens are perfectly normal people. Examine the circumstances, not the people
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Road Network DensityDetermines Access to Conveniences & Necessities
Information Network?Map from 1986: most of the world is offline
Nemmadi expands the
geographical reach of the information network
800 telecentres27 districts177 taluks
All major habitation
centres
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Most locations have barely four hours of
electric supply at 100 volts, let alone
internet access.
How do you setup a kiosk in such a
location?
By investing in technology
The Internet
75% Telecentres with VSATPrivate IP Range
48 kbps
Hughes Downlink, Gurgaon
25% Telecentres with CDMAPublic Non-Static IPs
112 kbps
Tata Indicom CDMA Network
BackofficeNo Internet Access
GoK Taluk Server
GoK SWAN
LAN
RDS, Bhoomi Servers
Private Network
Nemmadi Telecentre Network Architecture
The Nemmadi Network
(This diagram is a few months old and may no longer be accurate)
VSAT – Internet via satellite + UPS
Government services:
Bhoomi RTC certificate
Revenue Dept certificates and services
Other departments soon
Education: Sarva Shikshana Abhigyan
Private services
Internet browsing, banking products
Several others upcoming
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Any Questions?
Q&A