mGovernance Initiative of the year : GADCHIROLI

Chapter 1: Introduction
Gadchiroli has traditionally been the most backward district in the state of the Maharashtra. On all the developmental indicators especially the HDI Gadchiroli has somehow remained worst off in the whole state. But the district administration is determined to reverse the situation. In last few years only Gadchiroli has progressed at various fronts simultaneously at very fast pace. The district has achieved ground breaking success in the implementation of the two flagship schemes of MGNREGS and Forest Rights Act 2006 in last two years. Especially in the FRA 2006 Gadchiroli is leading the state from the front. It has the credit of having maximum number of land rights being distributed in the state as well as in the country till now. The developmental schemes are being dovetailed with one another to extract the maximum benefit out of each one of them. Convergence is the Mantra of todays Gadchiroli, whether it is amongst various schemes or the intervention of IT in facilitating the implementation of the developmental initiatives. We have moved beyond the stage of e-governance and we introduce what should be called I-Governance i.e. Innovative Governance. In Gadchiroli the problems are huge and mostly unique in nature. Its been widely accepted that in such areas the traditional approach to the governance is not going to work.
1 |Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector, Gadchiroli

Therefore in Gadchiroli the focus has been shifted to innovation in every aspect of the administration, introduction of IT in various spheres has become just a facilitating mechanism to achieve the higher order of innovative efficiency. Out of the box thinking is the need of the day if we want to address the backlog of development that has set into the district due to the decades of neglect and misplaced priorities in the administration. In Gadchiroli we have made extensive deployment of ICT based systems to fill the gaps that exist in our service delivery framework. We have gone several steps ahead of the conventional model of Kiosk based certificates distribution to the public and implemented the services which have impacted the lives of the citizens very critically. Our model includes the guidelines specified for the e-District model of the NeGP, Govt of India, and goes beyond it. In the coming chapters we will see how we have gone around implementing the most modern of the technologies in some of the most backward, difficult and dangerous areas anywhere in the world.

2| Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Chapter 2: Innovations @ Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli is a highly challenging landscape for any kind of development exercise. The district is not only heavily forested, and hilly in terrain, but also dangerously infested with Naxalites who threaten any kind of development exercise in the district, In the face of such challenges we have managed to penetrate almost every nook and corner of the district using precise and context based IT applications. Our approach will become evident in the following projects that have been undertaken in the district to bridge the gap between the popular expectation and the results of administrative exercise. Our efforts have been based on two types of approach - Improvement of existing systems - Formulation of new systems and procedures

3| Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Following is the list of projects that have been implemented and running successfully in GadchiroliProjects involving Improvement of existing systems ICT based Disaster Management Plan- implemented by the Disaster Management Cell of the district Gadchiroli as part of its Disaster Management Programme
1.

e-Flood Alert Project- It consists of following innovative modulesi. Control Room for constant flood situation

monitoring
ii. CUG

Mobile

distribution

under

disaster

management cell iii. SMS based Flood Alert System (includes a query module to monitor in between scheduled alerts) 2. SMS based Water level monitoring in the Observation Wells 3. SMS based Blood donor information and registration system 4. Wild life monitoring system and automatic pumping system at bore well of drinking water for wild animals. 5. e-News Project e-Swasthya - Use of PDAs for monitoring and creation of MIS for the implementation of ICDS in the district on a pilot basis.

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

- PDAs given to the lowest level ground functionaries to report the progress of the ICDS on a real time basis - MIS including complete health profile of the children and expectant and lactating mothers created and made available online to everyone - On-call ambulance cum Maternity van: dramatically reduced infant and maternal mortalities in the areas of their operation - Central call centre equipped with VHF GPS tracking capabilities to track all the ambulances in the district and send the ambulance nearest to the call generating location.

Innovative Use of IT - IVRS and web based seed and soil testing Information and assistance system
-

Election IVRS (Integrated Voice Recording System) and SMS for live counting updates to the district citizens.

- MGNREGS Call Center In the coming chapters we are going to see the details about these projects.

Chapter 3: ICT based Disaster Management Plan

5| Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

In the field of systemic improvement, our main focus has been to introduce the innovative use of Information technology in ensuring better efficiency and service delivery to the citizens. We have realized that the IT can be most useful in speedy information processing and dissemination. So we saw it fit to integrate most of our IT based initiatives with the districts disaster management system. Thus, the Disaster Management Cell of the district undertook various initiatives to strengthen its disaster handling capacity. Our mission is vulnerability reduction with respect of all types of hazards, be it natural or manmade. This is not an easy task to achieve, keeping in view the vast population, and the multiple natural hazards to which this country is exposed. However, if we are firm in our conviction and resolve that the Government and the people of this country are not prepared to pay the price in terms of massive casualties and economic losses, the task, though difficult, is achievable and we shall achieve it. District Gadchiroli is situated at the east and extreme end of the Maharashtra state and is well known for dense forest, beautiful hills and rivers. However now a days the district comes into limelight only because of naxal activities. Gondia district is situated on the north side towards east shares borders of Rajnandgaon Baster District of Chattisgad state; towards south it shares borders of Karimnagar, Adilabad district of Andhra
6| Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Pradesh. All these neighboring districts are Naxal affected. Gadchiroli is a tribal district and mainly includes gond, pardhan, madia, rajgond tribes. The Total Population of Gadchiroli District is 11.03 lakh and tribal population is 3.72 lakh i.e. 38.35%. Gadchiroli district is well known about tribal people and most of the peoples are farmer. Specialty of this district is the number big and small rivers that cross through this district, so in rainy season all the rivers having huge quantities of water flow very violently and make it a very vulnerable situation for the river bank of the people. Rivers are as follows in district Gadchiroli S.N o 1 Name of Affected Area Wadasa Sawangi,Armori,Dongargaon, Wagala,gadchiroli,Markanda, 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7| Gadchiroli

River Wainganga

Godavari Indravati Gadvi Sati Khobragadi Kathani Pranhita

Gadaheri Somnur Somnur,Damrancha,Hindur Vichiro,Shankarpur,Mohgaon,Ara trodi Kurkheda,Manapur Malewada Gadchiroli Mrudukrishanapur,Gadaheri,Siro

ncha Parlakota Bhamragad Palamgouta Lahiri

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

m Every year due to heavy rainfall, the floods cause substantial loss to people and property. Administration has to rehabilitate thousands of people to safer place. So, for the prevention from the damages arising due to natural calamities and also to reduce cost on rehabilitation of the river bank people, we have made extensive IT made interventions. Strategy adopted: District administration has taken preventive measures for to provide the services under disaster management cell like Control Room of disaster management cell, collector office Emergency Ambulance services with VHF-GPS for flood havoc river bank area people. CUG Mobile distribution to head persons of the villages that were living in river banks. GSM based flood monitoring system for pre-alert SMS of current water level of river. Automatic water level measurement system through Mobile SMS on OB(Observation) well for groundwater survey and development agency.

Wild life monitoring system and automatic pumping system

at bore-well of drinking water for wild animals

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

 E-News system for daily updates of flood in media person of district and state level. 3.1: e-Flood Alert
I.

Control Room: An Emergency Operations Center (Disaster Management Cell) exists in collector office, Gadchiroli, which functions round the clock, to assist the divisional commissioner office in the discharge of his duties. The activities of the Control Room include collection and transmission of information concerning natural calamity and relief, keeping close contact with governments of the affected relief, villages, maintaining interaction records with in other connection all state with relevant Ministries/Departments/Organizations

containing

information relating to action points and contact points in state Ministries etc., keeping up-to-date details of all concerned officers at the State levels. District administration has provided the emergency ambulances in flood affected area because to provide health services immediately to the victims. Through VHF-GPS fitted in the ambulances, control room keeps track of the information about their current situation.
II.

CUG Mobile distribution under disaster management cell In Gadchiroli district, 42 villages are flood affected, so district administration has given the CUG mobile to villages

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

people like Sarpanch, talathi, Gram Sevak. In case of emergency, villagers could be directly connected to control room or vice versa. The first step in implementing an efficient flood damage control programme is developing a fast and least error alert and information system.
III.

District Administration implemented GSM based E-Flood monitoring systemDisaster Management Cell has installed and commissioned GSM based E-Flood monitoring system on 13 destinations which have been chronically flood affected. Before installing this system, DMC had surveyed the area which has been flood affected in previous years and selected most vulnerable 13 destinations for installation. The system consists of following three main modulesa) GSM based flood monitoring equipment With solar panel b) Flood server for collecting data of current water level through GSM module c) Web portal for live updates of current water levels of river. GSM based flood monitoring equipment is a completely customized one consisting of various electronics equipment integrated with the help of mobile technology. We have installed and commissioned flood detection equipments at all the destinations most of which are very remote and affected by naxal activities. Basic concept of behind this project was to give prior intimation of current water level of

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

river on mobile through SMS. In this system, we have prepared the four water level alert like 1) River water flow is normal level : means it is safe for transportation, no need to panic 2) River water flow is above normal level: means it is safe but be alert 3) River water flow is danger level : means be alert for flood situation 4) River water flow is above danger level: Flood Alert All of the above mentioned levels automatically fired the message through flood monitoring server. Flood GSM based equipment immediately message to the server like Gosikhurd Vainganga River water flow is normal level. The Server immediately blasts the alert message to desired stored mobile numbers within 5 Min. And with help of this message, concerned disaster management authority comes to know as to where to provide the help or communicate this message to all river bank area people. How it works: GSM based flood equipment is installed and commissioned on a high point from river bed like bridge, structure of irrigation department besides the river bed or on the top of well besides the river. Height of equipment from the river bed has been calculated by using measuring instruments
11 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

and decided the water level like, if total height of equipment from the river bed is 10 meter then 1) Normal level is set on 2.0 Meter 2) Above Normal level is set on above 2.0 to 5.0 Meter 3) Danger level is set on above 5.0 to 7.5 Meter 4) Flood Alert More than 7 Meter As per the above mentioned levels format, water sensor has been commissioned to desire destinations. In rainy season, if water flow of river increases and touch the first water sensor, sensor immediately response to the equipment and equipment searching the network and send immediately request to the flood server which is situated at disaster management cell. Server takes the request from the remote flood system and generates SMS like. River flow of water is on normal level and sending to stored mobile numbers. If the water level is decreases then sending the SMS like River flow of water is below normal level Adjacent given is of the the

representation flood warning

process that goes in the system developed and deployed in Gadchiroli

12 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Flood Monitoring equipment on Wainganga River, Wadsa

On Wainganga River, Armori

13 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

On Wainganga River, Gosikhurd Dam, Bhandara We have designed the special server for message data collection and generate SMS notification and send to the stored numbers. We have collected the cell no list from divisional commissioner office, Nagpur; police department, Gadchiroli; and BSNL. With help of this list, we inserted cell no of district administration officers of 6 districts, police departments, Gadchiroli and also gram Sevak, talathi, NGO who works in Gadchiroli. About 7 thousand numbers have been stored in flood server for the purpose of sending flood alerts.

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Flood Server Screen One more add-on technology we have adopted here, this server is attached to the SMS gate way server, if you want any information about the water level of Specific River, we have made separate keywords with specific promotional number 54242. These keywords are as follows o Gad Mark (Markanda Vainganga)
15 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

o Gad Gadv (Vichora Gadhavi) o Gad Sati (Kurkheda Sati) o Gad Wani (Wadsa Vainganga) o Gad Mrud (Mrudukrishnapur Godavari) o Gad Dam (Damrancha Indravati) o Gad Bham (Bhamragad Palamgoutam-Parlakota) o Gad Shi (Shivani Potphodi) o Gad Gadaheri (GadAheri Pranhita) o Gad Hin (Hindur Indravati) o Gad Som (Somnur Godavari) o Gad Gose (Gosekhurd Vainganga)

16 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

3.2: GSM based water level measurement system in the Observation Wells through Mobile SMS It is again very important innovation made which works on the reverse principle of the flood alert system. While the flood alert measures the rise in the river water level, this equipment measures the sinking of the water level. Thus it can be very useful in sending out the warning regarding an impending drought. If the water levels sink dangerously low, the situation will be reported to the district administration in real time, thus enabling us to make necessary relief provisions to address any situation of water scarcity immediately.
17 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Kurkheda OB well

Leka Menda OB well

This project is first of its kind in India, which is implemented in the district of Gadchiroli. This is a GSM based equipment and tailor made mechanism as per the conditions of the installation site. In Gadchiroli most of the OB wells are very far from the district headquarters because area of Gadchiroli is 14412 sq. km. and 80% is under dense forest cover. So in summer or rainy season, when it is not easy to go to the OB well, this innovative mechanism comes in very handy. Whatever be the water level it is sent by way of an SMS by the GSM based equipment fitted inside the OB well.
18 | Gadchiroli

For

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

example water levels in Kurkheda Bazar OB well is shown below

III.3 Wild

life

monitoring

system

and

automatic

pumping system at bore well of drinking water for wild animals Another very useful variation of above mechanism has been implemented in the form of water level observation system in the drinking water stations of the wild animals inside the forest. In summer season, for drinking water wild animal comes outside the forest area and due to thirst most of the
19 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

animals

died.

So,

district

administration

developed

automatic pumping system through Mobile SMS at forest bore well for drinking water. Inside the forests drinking water ponds have been

constructed and are filled with the bore wells and electric pumps. The electricity for them is supplied from the solar panels fitted at the site itself. If the water level in the pond goes down due to the evaporation in summers, the sensor immediately causes the site equipment to send an alert SMS to the monitoring server in the control room. And the server sends another SMS to the equipment which switches on the pump and fills the soccer pot at the site. Once the pot is full the sensor again causes the equipment to send an Off SMS to the server, server then sends the OFF SMS to the pump and it turns off. The whole process is implemented through the control server which logs the fluctuations in the water level for the officials to monitor in the control room.

20 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Proposed- We are also planning to install video cameras at which will also be senor activated and whenever an animal drinks water from the pot it makes a clip and helps in the counting of the animals especially the tiger. It can act as a very effective monitoring system as animals come to drink water anyway. The more such sites are created inside the jungle more the accuracy of the monitoring mechanism will increase.
III.4 E-news system for daily updates of flood, wild life

reports

to

local

people

of

Gadchiroli

,district

administration and state level

media person of district and

District administration has launched E-news project under disaster management cell. Project features are as follow

Launched web portal www.e-warta.org, in this portal Started E-SMS system, collected the cell no data from

district administration upload the latest news of gadchiroli.

BSNL and subscription facility on web portal, up till now more than 10000 cell no has stored and daily short news updates or various types of messages can be broadcast on behalf of the district administration through SMS.

21 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

A screen shot of the e-news website As mentioned earlier we tried to develop an integrated system with the help of IT interventions. In this setup to fully exploit the potential of SMS based information management system, we further developed an important module to maintain an inventory of the information about the potential blood donors. As Gadchiroli does not have any significant blood bank facility this information bank can prove to life saving in times of need. Following is the description of this facility. III.5 SMS Based Blood Donor information and

Registration facility This, essentially, is a mobile based application using the SMS facility to provide information on the blood group donors in the district.
22 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

District administration develops following two systems for the citizens of Gadchiroli which is very helpful for providing instant health services to victims of any accident, requirement of blood and eye. Blood Donor Information System through Mobile SMS Registration of Blood and Eye Donor through Mobile SMS Blood Donor Information System: with SMS gate-way server. This system is completely web based customized solutions and integrated Up till now we have collected database of blood donors more than 1500 of various blood groups and it is randomly selection process in web based software. Whenever anybody send the SMS for blood that time web based software select the three numbers randomly and send reply to request mobile number.

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

The system also takes care that the contact for one blood once sent is not sent again for the next three months, giving the donor time to replenish the blood supply in his/her system. For this system, 54242 promotional number is hired and under the main keyword of Gad sub keyword are made blood group wise. These keywords are as follows Gad Apositive Gad Anegative Gad Bpositive Gad Bnegative Gad ABpositive information

For A+ve blood donor information For A-ve blood donor information For B+ve blood donor information For B-ve blood donor information For AB+ve For AB-ve blood donor

Gad ABnegative

blood donor information

Gad Opositive Gad Onegative For Ex : To : 54242

For O+ve blood donor information For O-ve blood donor information

Massege : Gad<Space>Blood Group like Apositive ,Anegative, Bpositive,Bnegative, ABpositive,ABnegative,

24 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Opositive,Onegative Registration of Blood and Eye Donor: For Blood Donor Registration System:

Using this facility the interested blood and eye donors can register themselves with the system. For Ex: To : 54242 Massage Type : Gad<Space>BD<Space>Name of Donor<space> Blood Group<Space>Mobile Number This data is connected with blood donor information system. Blood donor information data is increases as per registrations of blood donors. For Eye Donor Registration System:

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

For Ex: To: 54242 Massage Type: Gad<Space>ED<Space>Name of Donor<space>Mobile Number Development Tools: For developing these applications open source platforms have been used making it easy and affordable for any district to adopt this facility PHP open source platform MySQL database open source Crystal Report 08 for reports After the successful implementation at district Gadchiroli, the door is open to replicate it in other districts affected by the floods. This solution is developed on mobile technology and open source platforms viz Linux, Development Tools used are J2EE, MySQL; besides we have used SMS server and GPRS Modem for massage sending.

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Chapter 4: Project e-Swasthya

This is a comprehensive health care delivery project with extensive ICT interventions. The central goal of this project is to bridge the gap that exist in the health care delivery and monitoring infrastructure in the district. We started with two talukas of Dhanora and Kurkheda which are also the most naxalite infested talukas of the Gadchiroli district. The most
27 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

important component of this project was the PDA based monitoring of the ICDS. I. PDA based Monitoring of ICDS PDAs are given to all the AHSA workers and ANMs and they have to regularly send the medical data regarding the ICDS beneficiaries to the higher authorities in the Zilla Parishad. A brief schematic of this project is shown as below-

Modus

Operandi-

All

the

PDAs

are

preloaded

with

the

customized software, which has all the reporting formats loaded in the PDA itself. The ASHA workers, takes the data of the ICDS beneficiary regularly and sends an SMS which is received by the central server. This server has a central MIS of all the ICDS
28 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

beneficiaries of the project talukas. This data is updated as soon as the SMS arrives. The District Health Officer of the Zilla Parishad maintains reports generated by the system. The system ensures that the accountability is fixed in real time. If the health status especially the malnutrition status of the child and mother are not improving, it shows faulty implementation ICDS. This has drastically improved the implementation of ICDS in these two talukas
II.

MIS- all the children and new mothers were given smart cards. This smart card stores all the health related information of the beneficiary. This information is regularly updated in the MIS which is available online as well. A screen shot if the web site is as following

The MIS of the individual beneficiary looks like following-

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

The MIS thus created is used to generate reports which are used to track the health status of the ICDS beneficiaries-

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

III.

VHF GPS Based Tracking of the Ambulances- The Central Call centre cum Control room has been established at the District Civil Hospital. It not only tracks all the ambulances operating in the district but also allocates the ambulance depending on the proximity of the ambulance.

As is typical of most of the naxal infested areas, Gadchiroli has most of its health infrastructure, deep in the dense forests. These are interior and dangerous zones. No communication provider comes forward to install their communication infrastructure in these areas. In past there have been many cases of naxal attacks and bombings of the mobile towers and telephone exchanges in Gadchiroli as well as other naxalite zones. Therefore there are no communication facilities available in the interiors. In this kind of scenario satellite communication is the only way out. But there are patches of forests which are so dense that even the satellite
31 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

signals are unable to penetrate the thick canopy of the tree cover. In such scenario the VHF based GPS offers the solution as it can be used to track vehicles even inside dense forests. The server screen looks as following-

The ambulance can be called from across the district at following numbers Toll free number- 1056 Alternative number- 223060 The services of these ambulances have benefitted the people of these two talukas immensely. The institutional delivery increased
32 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

to more than 85% and the maternal mortality and the infant mortality has almost dropped down to zero in two talukas.

Chapter 5: Innovative Use of IT

We understand that IT is not just computerization of departments. As we have maintained again and again the any IT based intervention devoid of a human goal will never be a success in administration. Acting on these lines only we have introduced IT where it mattered the most. Following two projects will demonstrate our intentions aptly1. IVRS and web based seed and soil testing Information and assistance system
2.

e-Vidya- Computer education and long distance education

using V-Sat facilities in remote and inaccessible location

Let us have a look at these projects in a little more detail. IVRS and web based seed and soil testing Information and assistance system Gadchiroli is spread over an area of almost 15000 sq kms. From North to South the distance is around 350 Kms. There is only one Soil testing laboratory which is located at the district headquarters
33 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

in Gadchiroli. For any kind of seed or soil testing the farmers have to travel great distances and go through a lot of inconvenience. To ameliorate this situation we decided to automate the whole procedure of Soil testing. The sample of soils are collected by the Agricultural assistants in the villages and a PNR number is issued to the farmer and affixed on the soil sample. This sample is then taken to the central soil testing laboratory. Along with the soil sample a whole lot of information is taken from the farmer regarding his farming practices. A user account of the farmer is opened and all the information relating to him is stored in this account. All this information is fed into the central database. After testing of the soil sample the results are uploaded in the user account of the farmer. The farmer can access these results from anywhere over the internet or by simply dialing the contact number of the IVRS based system which is programmed to operate in local languages like Hindi, Marathi, Madia etc. The website for accessing the results online is www.seedsoiltesting.com

34 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

This website has been divided into three parts1. User Section 2. Administration Section 3. Visitors Section

User Section- in this section a farmer can login using his username and password and retrieve the information regarding their soil testing results. This username and password can be procured either through the administration section or by calling the landline number 0712-2705738. User Section has following modules
35 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

i.

Registration- this option is used to register the soil testing sample alongwith the required information. After this form is submitted online, a PNR number is generated automatically.

The Registration Screen ii. Registration register- this option is used to view the registered information

36 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

iii.

Search PNR No- this option can be used to search exclusively a particular PNR if it is known already

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

iv.

The result screen

v.

Result register- this section contains the list of all the farmers whose soil reports are ready

38 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

vi.

Non-Result register- this section contains list of all the farmers whose results are yet to come.

vii. Create/Edit New/Existing taluka or district- this section is used to create new taluka or district, or editing the information about existing taluka or district entered in the system already

Adminstration Section- this section has the options to manage all the testing stages viz
39 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

i. Sample inward- this option is used to enter the information regarding the soil sample which is received in the lab for testing

ii.

Soil Sample Reading- this option is used to enter the test results of the soil sample in the system

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Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

iii. Crop Entry- In this section the experts can enter the recommended NPK fertilizer ratio for a certain crop-soil combination

41 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

iv.Crop Stage Entry- Which crop needs how much NPK and at what time intervals, the information regarding this can be entered here

v. Create User- this section is used for creating new users and creating username/password for them

42 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

vi.Edit user vii. Delete user

Besides this web system the mainstay of our soil testing module is the IVRS based help line. Farmers can get the information on their test results using their PNR numbers over the automated helpline by dialing 0712-2705738.

This system works as follows After connecting, for select language please dial
43 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

 1 for Marathi 2 for Hindi 3 for English

Please dial for getting the information whatever you want 1 for Soil 2 for Seed 3 for Krishi Visheyak Salla 4 Whether forecast After dialing this please enter the PNR number After inputting the PNR number, you will get the telephonic result of particular PNR soil testing result.

This service has certainly opened new vistas in field of government service delivery. Right now only soil testing has become operational but soon seed testing as well weather information services will also start on the same IVRS module. Thus it will become a full fledged farmer helpline

2. Election IVRS (Integrated Voice Recording System) and SMS for live counting updates to the district citizens. Besides the above facilities IVRS facility was also provided to the voters where, by just dialing a number, voters could access following informationthis facility provided following services
44 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

1. Information about Sr. No., part No. of electoral roll and name of polling station in local languages. 2. Alternate document required for voting when epic is not available. 3. Lodging complaints for violation of model code of conduct.

Worked as follows : After connecting, for select language please dial 1 for Marathi 2 for Hindi 3 for English 4 for Gondi 5 for Madia Please dial constituency number 1 for Aheri 2 for Wadsa 3 for Gadchiroli After dialing constituency number 1 for booth information 2 for information of epic card
45 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

 3 for election related complaints 4 for operator System replied the complete address of polling booth to the voter by Telephonic system. GIS- for efficient area mapping and placement of various types security and other resources. Satellite phone- for ensuring communication in the areas uncovered by mobile or landline telephone network. Live training- using the Video Conferencing facilities the polling officials were trained in their respective talukas itself. Use of mobile and DTH TV

Chapter 6: Innovations in the Existing Procedures

This was the portion which heavily depended on the intervention which was IT based. In this part innovations were made into the existing procedure without changing them much. Next we see the measures that required change in existing procedures and systems. This also involves IT intervention but the formulation of new systems is more important. Following are such initiativesI. Innovations in the Public Distribution SystemImplemented and Proposed Public Distribution system in Gadchiroli remains ridden with various problems. Besides the usual problems of pilferage of
46 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

the PDS grains, there are unique problems associated with PDS in Gadchiroli due to inaccessible areas and presence of TDC as an additional player along with the FCI and the FPS system. We have taken following steps to improve the PDS in Gadchiorli
ii.

GPS tracking- All the trucks carrying PDS supplies have been fitted with GPS devices both GSM based as well as VHF (Very High Frequency) based. These GPS devices enable tracking of the trucks in real time and provide information about the delays en route so that possible causes can be looked into. Generally for the pilferage to take place the truck has to halt somewhere. With the GPS tracking enabled we can know in real time how many times and where the truck halts. We have established a control room in the district headquarters to track the movement of the trucks. The GPS have been fitted not only on the kerosene trucks as per the government regulations but have also been fitted on grains carrying trucks as well. Installing GPS on the PDS trucks is part of bigger exercise of installing GPS devices on various types of vehicles like ambulances, vehicles of important officials, etc.

47 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

The tracking is done in real time using the Google Maps application. We have used VHF based GPS devices because in large areas of Gadchiroli there is not mobile coverage and due to dense forests even satellite rays cannot penetrate at many points. In such a scenario using VHF based GPS gives us the power to track vehicles fitted with such GPS device.
iii.

SMS based information system- As soon as the truck leaves the FCI go-down all the concerned people like the FPS dealer and some eminent persons of the village to which the truck is destined get the SMS along all the information about the truck viz its make, registration number etc. This helps in ensuring the public surveillance against any theft or other mischief on the part of the trucker.

48 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Despite the steps taken at the district there remain lot of anomalies in the public distribution system. To rectify some of which we have proposed following modifications in the PDS systemb.

Mobile ration shop- this concept involves mobile vans carrying PDS material, and acting as FPS. This initiative will be really useful for the tribal people living in the extreme interior of the forest and cannot come to the nearest Fair Price Shop due to the large distances involved. DWAR POCH for whole district- we have propose to introduce dwar poch for the whole district Direct supply of grains from FCI godown to the FPS- this is the most important proposal of all. Till now as per the FCI systems, the PDS grains come first at the FCI godown. From there are loaded into trucks destined for various talukas. In talukas they are unloaded and loaded back into several trucks meant for different villages. Besides first the truck comes to the taluka HQ and the trucks from taluka HQ may go back on the same route to some village which fell on the way of FCI truck itself. Due to this duplication of work, FCI spends more in transportation expenses than in actual procurement or grains. This situation can be improved if the trucks

c.

d.

49 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

leaving FCI godown directly proceed to the FPS in the villages. This will eliminate the need for unloading and loading at the taluka go-down. Another option can be that FCI take over all the go-downs at the taluka level and all the PDS supply meant for that taluka should directly come to that taluka instead of first going to the central FCI go-down. This again results in cost savings. e. Increase the remuneration for the truckers plying on the difficult and long routes into the sensitive talukas.

Chapter 7: Analysis for the purpose of evaluation

Simplification of the Procedure- while executing various procedures we encounter difficulties and to address them the innovations are made. The spirit behind the innovations that we have effected in the district of Gadchiroli is to simplify and demystify the systems. SMS based flood alert system has simplified the flood management plan. The evacuations become timely and effective. The single number for all types of emergencies makes it easier for the citizens to get the relief through one single window. The GPS tracking of the vehicles viz

50 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

PDS trucks and ambulances ensures the accountability of their movement makes the tracking much simpler and more effective. e-Governance- the technology is just a tool, what matters most is what we make out of it. Using simple innovations we have introduced technology at the crucial fault lines in the administration. The SMS based information system not only helps citizens in accessing information it also helps in ensuring the better decision making by the officials. The VHF based GPS tracking has effectively provided the solution to the lack of mobile connectivity in large areas of the district. The EGS helpline provides a very useful service to the MGNREGS in keeping track of the employment available. Reduction in unproductive expenditure- By using automated solutions based on the GSM SMS system, we have reduced lot of expenditure that was to be incurred in movement of persons to all the remote areas of the district. The system is powered by the Solar Panels thereby reducing the cost of electricity in the long run. The immediate feedback from the Flood sensors has helped the administration in avoiding costly rehabilitation in the event of loss of life and property due to floods. By implementing the proposed innovations in the PDS system we can save hundreds of crores every year which are spent by the FCI in unnecessary movement and loading and unloading of its trucks.

51 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

Making the administration citizen centric- the goal of all these innovations is to make the administration more citizen friendly. Due to the immediate response of the disaster management teams this year hundreds of citizens were saved from the fury of the floods in the district. Due to the GPS tracking of the PDS trucks the pilferage of PDS material has reduced. The SMS based system to track the movement of the trucks further instills confidence in the citizens regarding the PDS material destined for their village. The innovations made in MGNREGS in convergence with FRA have benefitted thousands of families in reaping the benefits of both the schemes. The facility of Mobile crche has enabled the mothers who could not come to work as they could not leave their children behind. Following is an analysis as to how our I-District initiative fared on objective parameters which are important to evaluate its success1.

Replicable-

The

innovative

practices

that

we

have

mentioned above are meant to be replicated in other districts. In these projects we have tried to make the existing systems more efficient on one hand and on the other creative innovative systems for getting things done. We have introduced ICT where it mattered the most viz tracking the vehicles with VHF GPS as GSM/Satellite GPS dont work inside the thick jungles; Used the SMS alert system in more than one ways by using the water sensors not only for flood
52 | Gadchiroli Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

alert but also for the water scarcity alert. And at every step we have documented each and every step involved in our innovations, that is why they are so replicable.
2.

Easily Implementable- Our innovations are not only simple in nature but are very easy to implement also. We have put together available pieces of technology to create customized solutions to the most basic problems of the administration. These solutions are easily implementable as they dont involve any expensive equipments and the documentation done by us for implementing this projects will certainly quite useful.

3.

Benefits which are measured quantitatively- this year Gadchiroli witnessed one of the severest floods of all times as the rains were excessive. Had the newly installed flood alert not been in place, we could have witnessed a massive damage of life and property. Due to the alert system, we could evacuate hundreds of people in time. There are already thousands of people registered on the blood donor SMS based information network. And it is just the start. The initiatives that we have launched are poised to create sustainable Gadchiroli. livelihoods for thousands of families in

4.

Implementable by all the levels/other departmentsthe innovation is not a technology, its a fresh way of looking
Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

53 | Gadchiroli

at the problems and by undertaking all the innovative practices in the district our larger goal is to make sure that all the departments understand their interlinkages and most importantly learn to innovate on their own. Our initiatives are aimed at not only creating innovation centers in the administrative machinery but in the general public as whole. Throughout the implementation we have learnt from the people and provided them with the solution they are asking for.
5.

Direct benefit to the public- these initiatives are aimed at providing direct benefit to people. The video conferencing using VSAT technology is benefitting thousands of students across the district. The SMS based alert system is not only useful in water level measurement but it can act as a drought alert as well. The SMS based pumping stations in the forest going to provide a facility for counting tigers in the sanctuary. The blood donor information and registration facility can be God send in times of need, as there is no blood bank in the district.

6.

Successful

implementation-

the

project

has

seen

implementation of many of its major initiatives but many more are proposed. And as goes with the innovation, the more you innovate the more feel like innovating. One out of

54 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,

the box solution leads to another and thats what has been our experience in the innovative district of Gadchiroli.

55 | Gadchiroli

Project submitted by Atul Patne, Collector,