UNIT 5

Application Domains

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5.1 Impact of computers in society: Computer applications in office automation, book publishing, data analysis, accounting, investment, inventory control, graphics and multimedia, air and railway ticket reservation sites, robotics, cyber security, Audio and Video-conferencing, social networking, surveillance

Everyone knows that this is the age of computer and vast majority of people are using computer. Development of science and technology has direct effect on our daily life as well as in our social life. Computer technology has made communication possible from one part of the world to the other in seconds. They can see the transactions in one part of the world while staying in the other part. Computer development is one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20 th century. Computers are used in various fields as well as in teaching and learning. Some of the major computer application fields are listed below.

1. An aid to management: The computer can also be used as a management tool to assist in solving business problems.
2. Banking: Branches are equipped with terminals giving them an online accounting facility and enabling them to information as such things as current balances, deposits, overdrafts and interest charges.
3. Industrial Application: In industry, production may be planned, coordinated and controlled with the aid of a computer.
4. Engineering Design: Computer help in calculating that all the parts of a proposed design are satisfactory and also assist in the designing.
5. Meteorology: Data is recorded at different levels of atmosphere at different places, using remote sensors carried on a satellite.
6. Air Travel: Small computers are installed as a part of the plane's equipment.
7. Road Traffic Control: Computers assist with the control of traffic lights.
8. Telephones: Computerized telephone exchanges handle an ever increasing volume of calls very efficiently.
9. Medicine: Computers are widely used in hospitals for such task as maintaining drugs, surgical equipments and linen, for payroll and also for checkup and treatment of diseases.

In addition computers are also used for recording and film studios, research, military, etc.

Computers have both positive and negative impact in our daily life as well as in our social life. But the gross development of the nation is faster with the application of computers in industries and education. The both positive and negative impacts of computers are listed below.

Positive Impact of Computer -

• The work can be done in very less time.
• More information can be stored in small space.
• Multitasking and multiprocessing capabilities of data.
• Easy to access data.
• Impartiality.
• Documents can be kept secret.
• Error free result.
• It can be used for various purposes. i.e. It can be used in any type of work.

Negative Impact of Computer - 

• Highly expensive.
• Accidents.
• Data piracy.
• Increased Unemployment.
• Huge data and information can be lost sometimes.
• Fast changing computer technology.
• Service distribution.
• Illiteracy of computing and computers.

Social Impact

Computing technologies, like most other forms of technology, are not socially neutral. They affect and are themselves affected by society. Computers have changed the way people relate to one another and their living environment, as well as how humans organize their work, their communities, and their time. Society, in turn, has influenced the development of computers through the needs people have for processing information. The study of these relationships has come to be known as "social informatics."

Computing technology has evolved as a means of solving specific problems in human society. In 1801 Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752–1834) invented perhaps the first type of programmed machine, called Jacquard's Loom, in order to automate the weaving of cloth with patterns. Jacquard was motivated by the desire of capitalists in the early Industrial Age who wanted to reduce the cost of producing their goods through mass production in factories.

The twentieth century saw the development of scientific research and engineering applications that required increasingly complex computations. Urgent military needs created by World War 2 spurred the development of the first electronic computers; the devices in use today are the descendants of these room-sized early efforts to streamline military planning and calculation. The needs and desires of society have subsequently influenced the development of a vast array of computing technologies, including supercomputers , graphics processors, games, digital video and audio, mobile computing devices, and telephones.

In the twenty-first century, computers are used in almost every facet of society, including (but not limited to) agriculture, architecture, art, commerce and global trade, communication, education, governance, law, music, politics, science, transportation, and writing. In general, computing technologies have been applied to almost every situation falling into one of two categories. The first category covers applications that require the organization, storage, and retrieval of large amounts of information such as library catalogues or bank records. The second category includes applications that require the coordination of complex processes, like the control of machinery involved in the manufacture of cars or the printing of books and newspapers.

Impact of Computers on Work

One of the ways that computers have made an impact on society is in how people have organized themselves in workplace groups in relationship to computers. The earliest computers were developed to perform specific tasks in science, engineering, or warfare that had previously been done by hand. Soon general-purpose computers could automate almost any information processing task required to manage an organization, such as payroll processing and record management. However, since early generation computers were relatively expensive, all of an organization's information processing tasks were typically centralized around the one large computer it could afford. Departments and people in such organizations would likewise be organized in a centralized fashion to facilitate their access to the computer. Companies with centralized information processing, for example, usually had most of their administrative offices in the same geographic location as their computer resources.

Subsequent developments in computing technology changed the way companies organized people who perform similar tasks. The advent of computer networking and lower cost minicomputers enabled entire organizations that were once centralized around a single computer to rearrange themselves into geographically dispersed divisions. The integration of telecommunications with computing allowed people in remote places such as branch offices to use computers located in distant parts of their organization. This decentralization continued with the advent of the personal computer. PCs provided a low-cost way for large organizations to transform themselves further by redistributing information processing responsibilities to small departments and individuals in many locations.

Not only have computers changed the way in which workplaces structure their tasks and workers, they have also dramatically changed the work itself. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) was first introduced in the 1950s with numerically controlled machines. These and other forms of computer-based automation have been associated with the loss of jobs and certain skills, and the need to master new skills. Since the middle of the twentieth century, computer-controlled devices have gradually eliminated certain types of jobs and the need for people to perform particular skills. As a consequence, workers have had to learn new skills in order to continue working in environments that increasingly depend on computers.

One major result has been the shift of some economies, such as that of the United States, from manufacturing to service jobs. Entirely new categories of jobs have been created to support and implement computer technology. In addition, the ease of networking computers has led businesses to relocate jobs to remote locations. For example, a number of companies now hire computer programmers who are located in other countries, such as India, in order to save on labour costs. Within the United States, increasing numbers of companies allow employees to work from their homes or work centers away from the corporate headquarters.

These so-called telecommuters are able to communicate with their employers and deliver their work using the Internet.

The advent of e-mail, the World Wide Web, and other Internet technologies has perhaps made the most significant impact on the social fabric of American society. People can now communicate with others in remote places, easily, affordably, and often anonymously. They can search for, share, and transfer more information, and more quickly, than ever before. People distributed across remote locations can organize themselves into "virtual communities" based on shared interests, regardless of their geographic locations. The Internet has also changed the way both education and entertainment can be delivered into private homes and public spaces.

Effects of the Computer Age

Psychologists have long been interested in observing and analyzing the way humans interact with computers. Research in human-computer interaction has studied how people read and process information presented to them on computer screens, the types of input errors people are most likely to make when using different computer systems, and the effectiveness of various kinds of input devices such as keyboards, mice, and light pens. Psychological issues have also been identified in how people behave toward other people when they use computing technologies such as e-mail and how they behave toward computers. Studies have shown, for example, that people use the anonymity that e-mail and other Internet technologies afford to construct alternate identities for themselves.

Other studies indicate that people often apply the same rules of social behavior, such as politeness, toward computers as they would to other people.

The impact of computers on lifestyles has largely paralleled the impact of computing on social organization, work, and personal communication. The effect has become more pronounced as personal computing devices become increasingly more commonplace in American society. In particular, computers coupled with telecommunications technologies enable many people to live and work more independently and remotely than ever before. Individuals using personal computers can publish books, make airline reservations, and hold meetings to share information with any number of people across the globe. Some observers view these developments positively, while others are concerned that the widespread use of computers has led to lifestyles that contain increasing amounts of work.

Computers and Their Impact

The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many people. Computers, as Sherry Turkle in "Who Am We" discussed, initially were used as simple calculators, but through the years they have come to be valued as more than simple machines (442). "The computer has gained new qualities, it is not only used as a calculator, but now it entails simulation, navigation, and interaction" (443). With the increase in computer usage, comes new software that attracts people's attention even more. Adults, adolescents and even children find themselves "losing track of time" when they sit down and play on the computer for half an hour and suddenly realize that thirty minutes has turned into a couple of hours. As changes occur in technology, we must also contemplate the effect these changes will have on individuals. We must realize that individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and that they can get lost. "Our need for a practical philosophy of self-knowledge has never been greater as we struggle to make meaning from our lives on the screen" (456).

The computer can serve many purposes, such as an aid for research, finishing homework and even as a means for keeping in touch with loved ones, but it can also cause an individual to get lost in the "virtual world." This topic sparked my interest when aclose friend of mine began to notice changes in her boyfriend's attitude. Her problems began when her boyfriend bought a laptop computer. He had never had a computer before, so this was something new and exciting for him. Within a couple of weeks my friend began to notice changes in his attitude. Suddenly, she noticed he spent hours a day in front of a computer screen. He was fascinated by the internet and the immense amount of resources it had to offer. His free time no longer consisted of spending quality time with his friends and significant other, rather he found browsing the web more fascinating and worthwhile. My friend suddenly found herself competing against a machine for her boyfriend's attention.

My friend is not the only one who has experienced problems due to the amount of time her boyfriend spends on the computer. My cousin for example, can spend hours a day playing computer games and surfing the net. Interestingly enough, he denies spending so much time on the computer. When confronted about the actual time he does spend on the computer, he replies with a simple, "oh really, it didnt seem that long."

At what point does using the computer become unhealthy? I have to admit, in this day an age you are pretty lost without a computer. I use my computer on a daily basis for e-mail, research and even to shop online, but there is a limit. When an individual loses track of time and does nothing else but use the computer, than this can be seen as a problem. Some of the impacts computers have on people can be negative. When an individual becomes lost in the "virtual world" like my friend's boyfriend and my cousin, it can cause them to lose their identity and connection with the real world. As Sherry Turkle suggested, "individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and we must learn to take responsibility for our actions" (456).

The internet plays an important role in todays information age and has become extremely powerful in our communications, work life and people's daily activities. Even though computers have positively contributed to our technology standards, society has to realize that computers can have a negative effect on people's identity. I will now explore the different impacts the computer and the internet have had in the lives of people and how that has affected their lives and relationships they hold with others.

According to the A Nation Online website, "How Americans are expanding their use of the Internet," in the last few years, it has been noted that Americans' use of the Internet has grown substantially. "The rate of growth of Internet use in the United States is currently two million new Internet users per month" (A Nation Online). What I found extremely interesting is the fact that more than half of the nation is now online. "In September 2001, 143 million Americans, about fifty-four percent of the population, were using the Internet." With these statistics in mind, it is clear that the United States has become a nation online.

According to an ABCNEWS.com study, found in the Virtual Addiction and the Center for Internet Studies website, nearly six percent of the 17,251 persons surveyed meet the criteria for compulsive Internet use and over thirty percent report using the internet to escape from negative feelings. With the increase in computer usage, many individuals are finding out that they are becoming more dependent on the computer. Individuals begin to find "virtual life" more interesting than what is going on in their real lives. They begin to neglect their personal responsibilities and their loved ones for time on the computer. I decided to search the web for sites on computer addiction. I used some of the major search engines like yahoo.com and googles.com. When my search results appeared online, I found many of the sites dealing with computer dependency to be humor sites that joke about this serious problem. Finally, I came across the Computer Addiction Services' website.

According to the Computer Addiction Services' site, Dr.MaressaOrzack, a licensed clinical psychologist has treated many cases of computer addiction and believes that the problem is just starting. "Society is becoming more and more computer dependent not only for information, but for fun and entertainment."

In the article "Computer Addiction is Coming On-Line," Dr.Orzack gives a list of the signs and symptoms that can diagnose an unhealthy dependency on the computer:

• Using the computer for pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress.
• Feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it.
• Spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer-related activities.
• Neglecting work, school or family obligations.
• Lying about the amount of time spent on computer activities.
• Risking loss of career goals, educational objectives, and personal relationships.
• Failing at repeated efforts to control computer use.

Computers can drastically change the lives of many individuals as seen from the list above. Computer dependency can affect an individual's life in more ways than one. After reading this article, I was pretty shocked to realize the immense amount of influence the computer has on an individual. I was not aware of the drastic changes that could occur in a person's life because of the dependency on the computer and the Internet. I thought about my friend's boyfriend and my own cousin and realized that they suffered from some of the symptoms that Dr.Orzack listed for computer addiction.

I decided to explore the web in search of "why" people depended on the computer so much for entertainment and games. What is so fascinating and entertaining about sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time? I decided to enter a couple of chat rooms and examine the type of conversations that were taking place. I went to America Online's, "People Connection" and observed the array of chat rooms an individual could enter. I decided to look under the category of "friends" and was surprised by the variety of rooms offered. There were rooms titled "lonely," "bored," and "beach party" to name a few. I decided to go in some of the rooms and probe the conversations that were going on.

In one of the rooms titled "twenties 1" many of the individuals were talking about their children. The participants were asking each other how many children they had and how old they were. One woman was commenting about the fact that she had just gotten home from work and had signed on to the computer. As I was taking note of the conversations going on in the room, I realized that the majority of their children were toddlers ranging from a couple of months old to three years old. What was so amazing was the fact that it was only six o'clock in the afternoon. Shouldn't these parents be spending quality time with their children, instead of talking to a bunch of strangers? In other rooms, many of the participants said they were "bored" and wanted to chat with someone.

I decided to enter another chat room, this time I entered the "bored room." The room was pretty full with twenty-three participants, many of whom were not saying much. I decided to ask the individuals in the room a question, "how much time do you guys spend on the computer a day?" it took a while for someone to respond, but after a couple of minutes someone responded. "I spend about 3-4 hours a day on the internet." My first thought was "wow, how do you manage to find the opportunity to spend so much time on the internet?" We continued to talk through the Instant Messenger service America Online has to offer. I found out that this individual, who we will call George for confidentiality purposes, is twenty-three years old and resides on the east coast.

He attends school part-time and the majority of the time he uses the computer in the evenings, when he gets home from school. George mentioned more than once that he uses the computer for entertainment and as a device to meet people. He said that many times he loses track of time and spends hours in chat rooms talking to different people. When that gets boring, he proceeds to play solitaire or other games that are available to him online until it is time to go to bed, which is usually around two in the morning. This has become his routine for a couple of years now. George said he began to use the computer a lot when he moved to a new city and used it to keep in touch with his family and friends. The fact that he did not know anyone at work and school, prompted him to spend all of his free time on the computer. Without realizing it, I think George's fear of adapting to a new environment has made him lose sense of reality and has forced him to live a "virtual life."

Computer and Internet dependency can cause an individual to lose his/her identity and sever familial ties and relationships with loved ones. According to Dr.Orzack's website on computer addiction, she believes that "one of the most effective methods to deal with these types of problems is Cognitive Behavior Therapy." This therapy teaches the patient to identify the problem, to solve the problem and learn to prevent relapses (Orzack, 1999). Dr.Orzack in the article titled, "Computer Addiction is Coming On-Line," also discussed how the key to computer dependency is moderation. "Like an eating disorder, you cant expect people to give it up completely" (Cromie, 4). An individual needs to limit the time spent on the computer. Internet and computer dependency receive the same treatment that gamblers, alcoholics,and individual's with eating disorders receive.

The main objective is to make the individual realize that he/she has a problem and they need to trigger the thoughts and emotions that make them feel addicted to a machine. Dr.Orzack recommends setting an alarm clock to limit yourself to the time spent on the computer. She also encourages taking on new activities, like walking, exercising or establishing new friendships that can take your mind off the computer. The treatment lasts about three months depending on the individual. Some people take up to a year attending sessions and participating in telephone check-ups. "Nobody's ever cured" says Dr.Orzack, "You just learn to deal with the problem."

Computers and the Internet have been responsible for many positive changes that have taken place within society. The increase in computer usage has made life easier for individuals in a wide range of activities that include: schools, the work place and even at home. According to A Nation Online website, "forty-five percent of the population now uses e-mail, one-third of Americans use the Internet to search for product and service information and thirty-five percent of Americans use the Internet to search for health information."

The computer, especially the internet have become extremely helpful and informative for millions of Americans. As noted in the above statistics, more individuals than ever are able to keep in touch and communicate with loved ones through e-mail, something not offered to everyone before. The internet also has immense amount of resources to offer when it comes to researching health information. A family member was recently diagnosed with cancer, and it was through the internet that I was able to gather information about the type of cancer she has and what new developments have occurred within the field. Due to the immense amount of articles and information I was able to collect, I had the opportunity to share my knowledge with my mother and family. I was able to let them know of some of the physical and emotional symptoms my aunt might experience once she began chemotherapy.

According to the findings on the PEW Internet and American life projects survey, "The longitudinal approach shows that over the course of a year, peoples use of the internet gets more serious and functional." The website also discusses the fact that as more Americans continue to use the internet for work, school and personal reasons, they seem less dazzled by the internet. Interestingly enough, the site suggests that those individuals who gain more experience on the internet are also less likely to use their time e-mailing family members on a daily basis. "The status of the internet is shifting from being the dazzling new thing to being a purposeful tool that Americans use to help them with some of life's important tasks."

It is evident that the internet and the computer have made possible things we never contemplated doing before. The internet enables individuals to perform work-related tasks such as making purchases and making financial transactions to name a few. The Advisory Committee Congressional Internet Caucus website, discussed some of the positive impacts the internet has had on individuals. For example, it elaborated on the actuality that there has been a tremendous increase in computer usage in schools. As stated in the A Nation Online website, "computers at schools substantially narrow the gap in computer usage rates for children from high and low income families." It has been proven that the use of computers in schools has improved childrens scores in different subjects.

At my current job I am able to view firsthand what a worthwhile experience using the computer can be for a child. The children I work with are children whose English is limited. The computer enforces their limited English skills and introduces them to words and concepts they did not know before. Not only does this software help them with their spelling, but it also helps them enforce their reading skills. Due to the computer usage, many of the children have drastically improved their reading and writing skills.

Technology has gone through many changes throughout these past couple of years. Suddenly, it has become very important to be computer literate and to know how to use the internet. With the rapid increase in the use of computers, new dilemmas begin to develop. Such as the time an individual spends on the computer and how that can affect an individual's life. Americans underestimate the power the computer and the internet have on people. Even though society and our use of technology is much more advanced due to the use of computers and the internet, dependency on these two things can cause an individual to lose his/her identity.

With a little over half of the American population using the internet, it is significantly important that we place close attention to the impact computers have on people's lives. Upon research, I have learned of the seriousness of computer and internet dependency and how it affects individuals on a daily basis. The computer on an intellectual basis, satisfies many needs, including inquisitiveness, the need for information and data, and serves as an effective way to keep in touch with loved ones. Yet, when individuals begin to depend on the internet as a means to gratify what otherwise might not feel fulfilling to them, then that is when the performance online might supersede ones "real life" satisfaction.

In the article, "Computer Addiction is Coming Online," it was noted that many individuals who admitted to being addicted to the computer, also had problems such as "loneliness, shyness, depression, low self-esteem, lousy marriages, incorrigible kids, and boredom." (Cromie, 3). This information correlated with some of the people, I spoke to. For example, George's feeling of insecurity and loneliness due to the fact that he was trying to adapt to a new city, pushed him to constantly use the internet for pleasure and self-assurance. The people in the chat room can also be placed in this category. Many of the conversations that I observed consisted of people discussing how they were bored. Other individuals discussed how they needed a break from their children. It seems to me that many of these individuals use the computer as a means to escape from reality.

The computer and the internet are valuable and indispensable tools for society. The impact that these tools have had on our lives is immense and to this day it continues to grow. On a scholastic basis, the amount of information and data that one can obtain through the internet is immense. On the other hand, it is also important that we, as individuals, take responsibility for our actions. It has to be understood that at some point the dependency on the computer can become unhealthy for people. The key to a healthy habit is "moderation" as Dr.Orzack noted on her website, Computer-Addiction.com. Moderating the time one spends on the computer is crucial in order keep the use of computers enjoyable and healthy. It is easy for individuals to get lost in the "virtual world" with the immense amount of resources the net has to offer, but with moderation, this does not have to occur. It is imperative for society to take precautions and look at the entire picture. Despite the fact that computers have greatly improved our lives and society we must also become aware of the negative impact it can have on individuals if not used responsibly.

5.2 Case Studies: Computer Literacy for banking, KYC, Insurance and financial transactions, operating mobile banking, Nine Pillars of Mission Digital India (DI-Initiatives) and their scheme highlights

A bank can be defined as a financial institution, organization or a place that provides a financial service, equally one can also defined bank as an establishment authorized by a government to accept deposits, pay interest, clear checks, make loans, act as an intermediary in financial transactions, allows the purchase of bills and checks or the purchase and sales of securities and provide other financial services to its customers. 

The first computers were people! That is, electronic computers (and the earlier mechanical computers) were given this name because they performed the work that had previously been assigned to people. “Computer” was originally a job title: It was used to describe those human beings (predominantly women) whose job was to perform the repetitive calculations required to compute such things as navigational tables, tide charts and planetary positions for astronomical almanacs. A long time ago, people charged with the duty of collection and disbursements of tax were encountering problems in calculations. In those days, the problems faced by the early method of data processing involved the use of animal skin, feather, grains etc. were very difficult for them to handle. These were later replaced by the use of pens, inks, papers, chalk, etc. just to supplement human efforts in counting, recording, manipulating, sorting, etc. of data these methods were so boring, frustrating, time consuming and also associated with some errors. 

So further research continues, in France 1642 Blaise Pascal, at age 19 invented the Pascaline as an aid to his father who was a tax collector in calculating columns of figures. The computer has probably been introduced and the basic of its purpose is the processing of data into information. The term data is a symbolic representation of facts about people, object or place. A computer is a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operation or otherwise process information. In fact the importance of information to an individual or organization cannot be over emphasized, in carrying out day-to-day activities. Every individual, organization needs information. Banks and other financial institution are heavy users of computers in maintaining customer’s accounts, ledger, updating, electronic fund transfer and processing of huge amount of cheques, credit cards, and the major transactions that takes place daily. The up coming automatic teller machines (ATM) already installed by most banks are the most visible symbols of computer in the banking sector in Nigeria. They are of course everywhere in Europe, America and Asia.

The Automatic Teller machine (ATM) enable bank customer to withdraw, recharge phones, transfer funds from their various accounts even when the bank is closed physically. Each transaction made, the customer’s record is updated and he or she is provided with a print out or notification. However the use of computer in the banking sector can be an efficient tool in speeding up the process and reducing the cost of producing and undertaking figure works. More effective control procedure in computerized system can bring about sales budgeting and credit control. Many credit cards, smart cards, master cards can also be used to withdraw money at an ATM and the online banking against the credit limit extended to the card. Customers keep their money in the bank safely and it is paid out when needed by means of cheques and other ways.

These banking services include: 

a)   Acceptance of deposits from customers. 

b)    Banking payments locally or internationally 

c)   Granting loans and advances. 

d)  Trading in securities 

e) Clearing of cheques and similar instruments

f) Phone banking and internet banking facility

g) Mobile banking and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS).         

In order to get used to clearing of bank, we will look at the development of banking with more reference to the World Bank (IBRD) little is known about banking before the middle ages. The Greeks and Mesopotamian had banked as did the Romans. These civilizations regarded banking as “Unnatural” that some banks allowed to operate. The term bank drives from the latinbancuss, which refers to the nature of the institution changes over the many years. The report of commission 111 entrusted by the Bretton Woods congress with working out of the Charter of the IBRD concluded that “it was accidentally born with name Bank mainly because no satisfactory sum could be found in the dictionary of this unprecedented institution”. Nevertheless, this designation seemed to define adequately the institutions’ behavior for the first fifteen years of it's life. The bank took pains to present itself as a sound financial undertaking and adopted stand common to commercial financial institutions economic. Backwardness is regarded as a problem that could be deal with by relying on the normally process of financial institution that by raising capital in the richer countries and transferring it to the needy outs once that dept and complexity of the problems faced by the developing countries were recognized the conventional terms of investment lending became unwieldy even dysfunctional constraints. 

The concept of a bank as a financial institution modal on tradition investment banks gave way to a vision of a development finance institution. A few years of experience were enough to bring about this transformation in the concept of the bank, from this brief history, we have come to know the history of banking and its development.

Nine pillars of Digital India

1. Broadband Highways
2. Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity
3. Public Internet Access Programme
4. e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology
5. e-Kranti - Electronic Delivery of Services
6. Information for All
7. Electronics Manufacturing
8. IT for Jobs
9. Early Harvest Programmes
10. Related Resources

Broadband Highways

• This covers three sub components, namely Broadband for All Rural, Broadband for All Urban and National Information Infrastructure.
• Under Broadband for All Rural, 250 thousand village Panchayats would be covered by December, 2016. DoT will be the Nodal Department and the project cost is estimated to be approximately Rs. 32,000 Cr.
• Under Broadband for All Urban, Virtual Network Operators would be leveraged for service delivery and communication infrastructure in new urban development and buildings would be mandated.
• National Information Infrastructure would integrate the networks like SWAN, NKN and NOFN along with cloud enabled National and State Data Centres. It will also have provision for horizontal connectivity to 100, 50, 20 and 5 government offices/ service outlets at state, district, block and panchayat levels respectively. DeitY will be the nodal department and the project cost is estimated to be around Rs 15,686 Cr for implementation in 2 years and maintenance & support for 5 years.

Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity

• The initiative is to focus on network penetration and fill the gaps in connectivity in the country.
• All together 42,300 uncovered villages will be covered for providing universal mobile connectivity in the country.
• DoT will be the nodal department and project cost will be around Rs 16,000 Cr during FY 2014-18.

Public Internet Access Programme

• The two sub components of Public Internet Access Programme are Common Service Centres and Post Offices as multi-service centres.
• Common Service Centres would be strengthened and its number would be increased from approximately 135,000 operational at present to 250,000 i.e. one CSC in each Gram Panchayat. CSCs would be made viable, multi-functional end-points for delivery of government and business services. DeitY would be the nodal department to implement the scheme.
• A total of 150,000 Post Offices are proposed to be converted into multi service centres. Department of Posts would be the nodal department to implement this scheme.

e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology

Government Business Process Re-engineering using IT to improve transactions is the most critical for transformation across government and therefore needs to be implemented by all ministries/ departments.

The guiding principles for reforming government through technology are:

• Form simplification and field reduction – Forms should be made simple and user friendly and only minimum and necessary information should be collected.
• Online applications, tracking of their status and interface between departments should be provided.
• Use of online repositories e.g. School certificates, voter ID cards, etc. should be mandated so that citizens are not required to submit these documents in physical form.
• Integration of services and platforms, e.g. UIDAI, Payment Gateway, Mobile Platform, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) etc. should be mandated to facilitate integrated and interoperable service delivery to citizens and businesses.

Electronic Databases – all databases and information should be electronic and not manual.

Workflow Automation Inside Government – The workflow inside government departments and agencies should be automated to enable efficient government processes and also to allow visibility of these processes to the citizens.

Public Grievance Redressal - IT should be used to automate, respond and analyze data to identify and resolve persistent problems. These would be largely process improvements.

e-Kranti - Electronic Delivery of Services

There are 31 Mission Mode Projects under different stages of e-governance project lifecycle. Further, 10 new MMPs have been added to e-Kranti by the Apex Committee on National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) headed by the Cabinet Secretary in its meeting held on 18th March 2014.

Technology for Education – e-Education

• All Schools will be connected with broadband.  Free wifi will be provided in all secondary and higher secondary schools (coverage would be around 250,000 schools). A programme on digital literacy would be taken up at the national level. MOOCs –Massive Online Open Courses shall be developed and leveraged for e-Education.

Technology for Health – e-Healthcare

• E-Healthcare would cover online medical consultation, online medical records, online medicine supply, pan-India exchange for patient information. Pilots shall be undertaken in 2015 and full coverage would be provided in 3 years.

Technology for Farmers

• This would facilitate farmers to get real time price information, online ordering of inputs and online cash, loan and relief payment with mobile banking.

Technology for Security

• Mobile based emergency services and disaster related services would be provided to citizens on real time basis so as to take precautionary measures well in time and minimize loss of lives and properties.

Technology for Financial Inclusion

• Financial Inclusion shall be strengthened using Mobile Banking, Micro-ATM program and CSCs/ Post Offices.

Technology for Justice

• Interoperable Criminal Justice System shall be strengthened by leveraging e-Courts, e-Police, e-Jails and e-Prosecution.

Technology for Planning

• National GIS Mission Mode Project would be implemented to facilitate GIS based decision making for project planning, conceptualization, design and development.

Technology for Cyber Security

• National Cyber Security Co-ordination Center would be set up to ensure safe and secure cyber-space within the country.

Information for All

• Open Data platform and online hosting of information & documents would facilitate open and easy access to information for citizens.
• Government shall pro-actively engage through social media and web based platforms to inform citizens. MyGov.in has already been launched as a medium to exchange ideas/ suggestions with Government. It will facilitate 2-way communication between citizens and government.
• Online messaging to citizens on special occasions/programs would be facilitated through emails and SMSes.
• The above would largely utilise existing infrastructure and would need limited additional resources.

Electronics Manufacturing

Target NET ZERO Imports is a striking demonstration of intent.

This ambitious goal requires coordinated action on many fronts

• Taxation, incentives
• Economies of scale, eliminate cost disadvantages
• Focus areas – Big Ticket Items FABS, Fab-less design, Set top boxes, VSATs, Mobiles, Consumer & Medical Electronics, Smart Energy meters, Smart cards, micro-ATMs
• Incubators, clusters
• Skill development
• Government procurement

There are many ongoing programs which will be fine-tuned.

Existing structures are inadequate to handle this goal and need strengthening.

IT for Jobs

• 1 Cr students from smaller towns & villages will be trained for IT sector jobs over     5 years. DeitY would be the nodal department for this scheme.
• BPOs would be set up in every north-eastern state to facilitate ICT enabled growth in these states. DeitY would be the nodal department for this scheme.
• 3 lakh service delivery agents would be trained as part of skill development to run viable businesses delivering IT services. DeitY would be the nodal department for this scheme.
• 5 lakh rural workforce would be trained by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to cater to their own needs. Department of Telecom (DoT) would be the nodal department for this scheme.

Early Harvest Programmes

IT Platform for Messages

• A Mass Messaging Application has been developed by DeitY that will cover elected representatives and all Government employees. 1.36 Cr mobiles and 22 Lakh emails are part of the database.

Government Greetings to be e-Greetings

• Basket of e-Greetings templates have been made available. Crowd sourcing of          e-Greetings through MyGov platform has been ensured. E-Greetings portal has been made live on 14th  August 2014.

Biometric attendance

• It will cover all Central Govt. Offices in Delhi and is already operational in DeitY and has been initiated in the Department of Urban Development. On-boarding has also started in other departments.

Wi-Fi in All Universities

• All universities on the National Knowledge Network (NKN) shall be covered under this scheme. Ministry of HRD is the nodal ministry for implementing this scheme.

Secure Email within Government

• Email would be the primary mode of communication.
• Phase-I upgradation for 10 lakh employees has been completed. In Phase II, infrastructure would be further upgraded to cover 50 lakh employees by March 2015 at a cost of Rs 98 Cr. DeitY is the nodal department for this scheme.

Standardize Government Email Design

• Standardised templates for Government email are under preparation and would be ready by October 2014. This would be implemented by DeitY.

Public Wi-fi hotspots

• Cities with population of over 1 million and tourist centres would be provided with public wi-fi hotspots to promote digital cities. The scheme would be implemented by DoT and MoUD.

School Books to be eBooks

• All books shall be converted into eBooks. Min. Of HRD/ DeitY would be the nodal agencies for this scheme.

SMS based weather information, disaster alerts

• SMS based weather information and disaster alerts would be provided. DeitY’s Mobile Seva Platform is already ready and available for this purpose. MoES (IMD) / MHA (NDMA) would be the nodal organizations for implementing this scheme.

National Portal for Lost & Found children

• This would facilitate real time information gathering and sharing on the lost and found children and would go a long way to check crime and improve timely response.
• DeitY/ DoWCD would be the nodal departments for this project.

Text Books:

1. Computer Basics by IGNOU.

2. Suresh K Basendrea: Computers Today

3. Pradeep K. Sinha, Priti Sinha, “Computer Fundamentals”. BPB Publications.

4. Rajaraman, V., “Fundamental of Computers”. Prentice Hall India, New Delhi

5. Sanders Donald H Computers Today