Development Administration in Tamil Nadu Part 7 in English

TNeGA established a Centre of Excellence in Emerging Technologies (CEET), taken a huge step forward by taking advantage of the Emerging Technologies.

Emerging Technologies include blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of things, drones, augmented reality, virtual reality, additive manufacturing, analytics, geographic information system (GIS), etc.

A State Family Database (SFDB) that is being created will ensure correct targeting of individual beneficiaries and households while extending Government welfare schemes. ERP driven Offices, predictive and data driven governance will become the order of the day. The right data is key to taking the right decisions, so that scarce resources are put to optimum use.

Tamil Computing will also get a fillip through the Tamil Virtual Academy (TVA) as they exploit emerging technologies.

The Government of Tamil Nadu has taken a huge step towards ensuring e-security of Government transactions by creating a Cyber Security Architecture for Tamil Nadu (CSA-TN). This will culminate in the creation of CERT-TN (Computer Emergency Response Team – Tamil Nadu), SOC-TN (Security Operations Centre – Tamil Nadu), CCMP-TN (Cyber Crisis Management Plan – Tamil Nadu) and SAF-TN (Security Architecture Framework – Tamil Nadu).

For any e-Governance activity, the backbone is the IT infrastructure which includes the State Data Centre, State Disaster Recovery Centre, Cloud Infrastructure, State Wide Area Network, State Portal, etc., with bandwidth being the critical component.

Tamil Nadu Fibre Net Corporation (TANFINET) has been established to implement a 55,000 km optical fibre network under the Bharat Net and Tamil Net projects which will ensure at-least 1 Gbps connectivity to each of the 12,524 Village Panchayats, 528 Town Panchayats, 121 Municipalities and 15 Corporations.

Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) which provides digital cable TV services to our Citizens, will in the near future also provide IPTV services, Over The Top (OTT) services and Internet connectivity to rural and urban households, taking advantage of the Bharat Net and Tamil Net infrastructure respectively.

Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu, commonly known as ELCOT, registered under Companies Act, 1956 on 21.03.1977 is a wholly owned Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of Tamil Nadu constituted with the main objective of assisting development of electronics in the State.

In order to have a Disaster Recovery Centre of its own in a different seismic zone for data and services, TNDRC has been established at ELCOSEZ, Tiruchirappalli at an estimated cost of Rs.59.85 crore.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) over Broadband is a cost-effective alternative for providing Intranet access at lower bandwidth. ELCOT provides VPNoBB connectivity to around 600 Government offices.

Multi Protocol Label Switch Virtual Private Network (MPLS VPN) (1:1) connectivity is being provided not only as redundant connectivity to TNSWAN connectivity at Vertical POPs but also for other departments that require committed intranet bandwidth. ELCOT provides MPLS VPN connectivity services to around 100 Offices of Government Departments.

Primary connectivity for TNSWAN Tier-II PoP at Taluk, BDO and RDO level is provided by BSNL. In order to ensure uninterrupted connectivity at these Tier-II PoPs, a secondary 2 Mbps MPLS-VPN (1:1) redundant connectivity has been implemented. Redundant links have been provided at 210 Tier-2 Vertical PoPs.

National Knowledge Network (NKN) is a State-of-the art, Multi Giga Bit Network aimed at connecting all universities, colleges and research establishments across the country. Both TNSWAN and TNSDC have been provided with 1 Gbps connectivity through this network enabling the user Departments to access applications hosted at the national level.

Initially, TNSWAN commenced its operations with 708 PoPs (Points of Presence). Currently there are 821 PoPs in the network. The Network Operation Centre (NOC) is located at ELCOT, Perungudi.

Currently, the Tamil Nadu State Wide Area Network (TNSWAN) scheme is in operation with state funding.

TNSWAN commenced its operations on 01.12.2007 as a shared scheme between the Central and State Governments.

ELCOT has developed 8 IT/ ITES SEZs in the Tier-I & Tier-II locations, to ensure an even spread of IT/ITeS industry across Tamil Nadu. 1. Sholinganallur in Chennai 2. Vilankurichi in Coimbatore 3. Ilandhaikulam in Madurai 4. Vadapalanji in Madurai 5. Navalpattu in Tiruchirappalli 6. Gangaikondan in Tirunelveli 7. Jagirammapalayam in Salem 8. Viswanathapuram in Hosur.

ELCOT is developing a software for reviewing the projects handled by five HODs (ELCOT, TNeGA, TACTV, TVA and TANFINET) under the control of Information Technology Department.

The e-Attendance System has been established in ELCOT during 2015, using the Biometric finger print device. The e-Attendance System is integrated with Access Control System.

ELCOT has also created IT infrastructure including Tamil Nadu State Wide Area Network (TNSWAN), Tamil Nadu State Data Centre (TNSDC), Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC), Cloud etc.

ELCOT branched out to establish IT Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and has set-up 8 IT SEZs in Chennai and in Tier-II cities of the State viz., Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tirunelveli and Hosur.

ELCOT has taken significant steps towards successful implementation of e-Governance since 1996. ELCOT has been developing websites and application software development for Government Departments.

Samagra Shiksha has requested ELCOT to submit proposals to run Aadhaar Enrolment Centres in 385 Blocks (two counters per block in 120 Blocks and one counter per block in 265 Blocks) on behalf of SamagraShiksha for the benefit of school students. ELCOT will be establishing the centres soon.

Smart Classrooms are technology enhanced classrooms that foster new teaching and learning experiences for teachers and students. The Smart Classroom assimilates  Attractive and effective Presentation  Digital 2D/3D Animated Content  International Learning Environment.

ELCOT has so far implemented e-SCR project in 256 schools in Tamil Nadu for standards VI to XII.

Amma Call Centre with toll-free number 1100(24x7) that was launched on 19.01.2016 initially functioned under the administrative control of the Public Department.

From 15.02.2018 onwards, it has started functioning under the administrative control of the Information Technology Department. ACC enables the public to submit grievances at any time and anywhere through to mobile phone.

The calls are attended by agents employed in the Amma Call Centre. Each grievance is registered and numbered. The receipt of the grievance is acknowledged to the petitioner by SMS and the same is forwarded with a gist of the grievance by SMS to the concerned Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO) for redressal.

Adequate infrastructure facilities have been created at ELCOT, Perungudi, Chennai with 75 seats and minimum of 15 seats at district level except Madurai and Tiruchirappalli, which have 30 seats.

Inauguration of 197 welfare schemes from May 2016 to June 2019 through Video Conferencing by the Hon’ble Chief Minister.

Supply and Maintenance of Digital synchronized clocks at Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Maintenance of Secretariat Network (SECNET) on 24x7 basis, Upgradation and provision of network infrastructure (SECLAN) at Secretariat.

ELCOT is drafting a policy on Fintech for making Tamil Nadu a leader in Financial Technology.

The Commissionerate of e-Governance was created in 2006 to lead all e-Governance initiatives of Government of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) was created as an autonomous Society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 to align and implement the National e-Governance Plan.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister in his reply to the Governor’s Address in January 2019 announced the creation of a Centre of Excellence in Emerging Technologies in TNeGA.

CEET is envisaged to act as a catalyst for diffusion of innovation into the targeted Departments.

State e-Mission Team (SeMT) is one of the capacity building initiatives under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to provide e-Governance expertise to State Governments.

State e-Mission Team (SeMT) is funded by MeitY and is functioning under TNeGA. The SeMT is a core group of IT Consultants specialized in the areas of Programme Management, Technology Management, Financial Management and Change Management.

District e-Governance Societies have been constituted in all Districts. This Society is headed by the District Collector.

District e-Governance Societies is headed by the District Collector, except in Chennai, where the Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation acts as the Head.

Information Technology (IT) Cadre has become essential to guide, standardize and implement e-Governance projects in an integrated and secured IT environment. Accordingly, an IT Cadre of Assistant System Analyst / Assistant System Engineer, System Analyst / System Engineer, Senior System Analyst/Senior System Engineer has been formed with 98 posts.

AI based facial recognition technology has been deployed for marking employee attendance under e- Attendance.

e-Repository software will be developed for the use of Government departments as a centralized software repository tool.

As a part of continuing technological innovation programme, the TNeGA has entered into agreements with various eminent academic and non-academic institutions. The following MoUs have been signed. MoU between TNeGA and IIM, Tiruchirappalli, MoU between TNeGA and Virginia Tech University, MoU between TNeGA and Pontaq-UK India Innovation Fund.

Virginia Tech University of USA will support TNeGA in research and solution finding mainly in the areas of agriculture and drones.

Pontaq – UK India Innovation Fund will assist promising start-ups working on the problems identified by TNeGA, and in rolling out solutions for other Government Departments.

The IIM, Tiruchirapalli will support TNeGA on impact assessment of various departments’ interventions using advanced data analytics.

Hon’ble Minister for information Technology announced Namadhu Arasu Scheme during the Assembly session 2017-18.

Namadhu Arasu aims to promote active online dissemination of information to Citizens regarding Governance. The citizen-centric platform empowers people to connect with the Government & contribute towards good governance.

The Arasu e-Sevai Centres are run by agencies like Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACCS), Village Poverty Reduction Committee (VPRC), Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd. (TACTV), TACTV Franchise, International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).

List of services offered through Arasu e-Sevai Centres Revenue and Disaster Management Department (No. of services - 34) Income Certificate Nativity Certificate Residence Certificate Community Certificate First Graduate Certificate Deserted Woman Certificate Family Migration Certificate Unemployment Certificate Widow Certificate Agricultural Income Certificate Certificate for Loss of educational records due to disasters No Male Child Certificate Unmarried Certificate, etc.

The Directorate of e-Governance (DeG)/ Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) was appointed as Registrar for Aadhaar enrolment.

Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd. (TACTV) and Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) were appointed as Enrolment Agencies under TNeGA by UIDAI to operate the PECs in Tamil Nadu.

PECs are located in District Collectorates, Municipal Corporation HQs, Municipal Zonal Offices and Municipalities across the State of Tamil Nadu for Aadhaar Enrolment.

The Aadhaar Enrolment and Mandatory Bio-metric updation was done offline from 03.10.2016 onwards and State Population Register (SPR) Online Software from 07.11.2016 onwards. The services are offered to the residents free of cost.

Accordingly, TNeGA has taken up the work. SFDB will be the single source of resident data for Tamil Nadu.

Accordingly, TNeGA has taken up the work. SFDB will be the single source of resident data for Tamil Nadu. SFDB will be maintained in a digitized, centralized and secured manner for the purpose of seamless beneficiary identification to disburse benefits provided by different welfare schemes to eligible Citizens.

KYG will provide a single window access to information and services being provided by the Government of Tamil Nadu to Citizens and other stakeholders. This will be an AI and mobile app-based service.

Tiny URL enables departments to send approved documents via SMS, to help Citizens to download approved certificates ‘anytime, anywhere’. So far, 83,08,842 persons have benefited.

All 32 District websites of Tamil Nadu were revamped using the S3WaaS (Secure, Scalable and Sugamya Website as a service) framework to make them responsive, accessible and adhere to Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) and Security guidelines.

Secure, Scalable and Sugamya Website as a Service (S3WaaS) is a website generating and deployment product hosted on the National Cloud of National Informatics Centre (NIC).

TNeGA has created a Makkal Portal in which for each resident of Tamil Nadu an unique number has been created called “Makkal Number”. This Number will be the base for creating the State Family Database (SFDB) announced by the Hon’ble Chief Minister during his reply to the Governor’s Address in January 2019.

Tamil Nadu Geographical Information System (TNGIS) refers to a system where geographic information is stored in layers and integrated with geographic software programs so that spatial information can be created, stored, manipulated, analyzed, and visualized as a map and present the results of all these operations for policy decisions.

To protect sensitive information and critical data of organizations from unauthorized users, hackers, malicious web application, IT security audit of the websites and Applications is being done by TNeGA for which a sum of Rs. 1.76 Crore have been sanctioned. CERT-IN approved empanelled vendors of TNeGA are engaged for carrying out the security audit of the Government Websites/Applications.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister had announced the scheme “Amma e-Gramam” on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly under the rule 110 of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly rules. Tele-medicine, tele-education, LED lighting, Wi-Fi hotspot, Skill Development, Digital Knowledge Centre and Common Service Centres will be made available at the selected villages.

This Project will be executed through Corporate Social Responsibility funds of public and private companies. Till date, Rs.1.62 crore has been received. In Phase-I this scheme will be implemented in 6 villages.

G-IT (Group for IT) Forum is a monthly forum conducted at the Secretariat to enable officers at the helm of affairs, to listen to a thought leader in the Technology Domain.

Online Exam as a Service (EAAS) can be utilized by various Government departments to fill their vacancies in a shorter span of time and in a secured manner. It includes Pre-examination, Examination and Post examination activities. TNeGA has selected M/s.NSEIT Limited (National Stock Exchange Information Technology Limited) as the System Implementation Partner.

The Higher Education Department proposed to conduct an Online counselling for candidates opting for studies offered by institutions functioning under Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE).

e-Office is a tool of applications for conducting office procedures electronically. The e-Office would enable the Electronic File Management System for speedy disposals of files.

The workflow management through e-Office helps in creation, movement, monitoring and approval of files electronically resulting in better utilization of manpower, thereby avoiding delays, leading to better governance.

Adangal is considered as an important base Revenue Department document for arriving at the agricultural production at village / taluk / district and State level. It is village account No.2 that is maintained by the Village Administrative Officer (VAO). TNeGA has developed the web version of the “Adangal”.

Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency has developed the mobile application for Adangal. This was launched on 05.03.2019. The entire gamut of life cycle of e-Adangal services are provided through the mobile App for ease of use for both farmers and officials.

Digital India Awards have been instituted by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to promote exemplary initiatives in e-Governance using the medium of World Wide Web. Websites and Portals with enhanced accessibility to meet citizen’s expectation at various levels has been given “Web Ratna” under various categories.Digital India Awards have been instituted by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to promote exemplary initiatives in e-Governance using the medium of World Wide Web. Websites and Portals with enhanced accessibility to meet citizen’s expectation at various levels has been given “Web Ratna” under various categories.

Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited, was incorporated on 04.10.2007, as a Company under the Companies Act, 1956. Before the advent of the Corporation, the market was dominated by a few private Multi System Operators (MSO), who were charging exorbitant subscriptions from the public.

The Vision of TAMIL NADU ARASU CABLE TV CORPORATION LIMITED is to provide high quality Cable TV, e-sevai and Internet services to the public at an affordable cost using the latest and emerging Technologies.

In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu revamped Arasu Cable TV Corporation to fulfil her commitment to provide livelihood to Local Cable TV Operators (LCOs) and also high-quality Cable TV service to the public. The Corporation was renamed as the “Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited” (TACTV).

To reach out to the maximum customer base under the regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for distribution of digital cable TV services.

Head Ends for providing Cable TV Services were established by TACTV at five places i.e Chennai, Coimbatore, Tanjore, Tirunelveli and Vellore.

Head Ends for providing Cable TV Services were established by TACTV at five places i.e Chennai, Coimbatore, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli and Vellore. In addition, Control Rooms were taken on lease from the District COs/Taluk COs in another 77 places to provide Analog Cable TV services of the Corporation throughout Tamil Nadu from 02.09.2011 and from 20.10.2012 in Chennai city.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has mandated that the Cable TV operations have to be digitalized in four phases all over the Country, with the last phase deadline stipulated as 31.3.2017

Under the new Tariff order, TRAI has recommended a revenue sharing between TACTV and LCO in the ratio of 55:45 of NCF. However, considering the livelihood of the LCOs,65% of NCF is given to them.

Certain Departments and Undertakings of the Government of Tamil Nadu also have contacted TACTV for printing of ID Cards for their staff through Arasu e-Sevai Centres.

In order to expand the reach of Arasu e-Sevai Centres, TACTV floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) on 13.01.2018 to empanel interested private internet browsing centres to act as Arasu e-Sevai Centres on a revenue Sharing model. Accordingly, 500 applicants were given user Id and password to provide Government services through their Centres.

one “Mobile Aadhaar Enrolment Unit” is functioning within the limits of the Greater Chennai Corporation to enable the Persons with Disability for Aadhaar enrolment.

TACTV obtained Internet Service Provider (ISP) License (Class B) from the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology on 14.09.2015.

Tamil Nadu FiberNet Corporation Limited (TANFINET) implements BharatNet and TamilNet Projects across the State, TACTV will increase the revenue and subscriber base and compete with the major ISPs.

Tamil Virtual University (TVU) was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu on 18th May 2000 under the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act, 1983 and is functioning under the administrative control of the Information Technology Department. The TVU was renamed as Tamil Virtual Academy (TVA) with effect from 16th July 2010.

TVA offers academic programmes like Certificate, Diploma & Degree courses in Tamil and also Diploma in Tamil Computing.

Primary course lessons are audio-visual in nature and are designed with pictures, sceneries, picture stories, poems and songs.

Higher Certificate Course is offered at three levels as below: Grade 1 (equivalent to classes 7 & 8) Grade 2 (equivalent to classes 9 & 10) Grade 3 (equivalent to classes 11 & 12)

Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation Limited (TANFINET) is a Public sector undertaking of the State Government incorporated on 08.06.2018 under the Companies Act, 2013.

Bharat Net, a project of the Government of India, envisages connecting all Village Panchayats of the country with high speed bandwidth using Optical Fibre Cable (OFC).

Under TANFINET project, all 12,524 Village Panchayats of the State will be provided with a minimum scalable bandwidth of 1 Gbps.

State Level Implementation Committee (SLIC) was formed under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu with members from Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), to overview the BharatNet Phase II Project in Tamil Nadu.

Integrated Digital Infrastructure (IDI) is a comprehensive state-of-the-art network across Tamil Nadu to be built by integrating Bharat Net and Tamil Net.

To collaborate with public and private organizations, to create, integrate and disseminate knowledge in the field of ICT to bridge the gap between academic output and industry requirements thus providing every learner an equal opportunity to become industry ready.

ICT act as an Assessment and Certification Body for Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (PMGDISHA), a scheme of Government of India has assessed and certified 7,66,772 candidates in 2018-19.

Employability Skill Training for 80 Students in Social Welfare Homes - Department of Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Program, Government of Tamil Nadu Advanced IT/ITES training provided to 700 college students - Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, Government of Tamil Nadu Employability Skill Training Program for 90 college students- Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation Limited, Government of Tamil Nadu Entrepreneurship Development training provided for 500 college students -Small Industries Development Bank of India, Govt. Of India.