WHO WE ARE ?
Vikalp Multimedia (VMM) is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Alternative for India Development, a national non-government organization (NGO) with 3 decades experience in rural development with focus on education, health, livelihood and ICT being the cross cutting feature in the states of Jharkhand, Orissa, T.Nadu, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh. VMM is created for purpose of finding solutions to rural problems and achieve rural prosperity by combining development through the power of ICT. It is to be noted that this is the only NGO, with Pan India presence working deeply at the grass roots with 3 decades of experience for taking up the biggest challenge to usher in E Initiatives in the remote far flung regions of the State of Jharkhand.
WHAT IS OUR VISION ?
To bring about E Transformation for rural advancement
WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
To usher in transparency, accountability , good governance, development and economic stimulation in the region through the IT revolution
WHERE WE WORK?
VMM – geographical focus of work has been Palamu Division covering districts of Palamu, Garwah and Latehar in the state of Jharkhand. It is covering 3 districts, 3000 villages and 3 million population.
The zone is perennially drought prone with increased levels of poverty, high levels of migration and extremely sensitive and disturbed as it is hub for the naxalities in the region. Vulnerability factor is very large in the region with significant population of dalits and tribes in the region.
Extreme geographical conditions are further marred by significant failure of basic infrastructure of roads, electricity, communication and poor development are hall marks of the region.
WHAT IS NeGP?
This is an initiative of Government of India .The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision, a shared cause. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is evolving, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy, reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens, as articulated in the Vision Statement of NeGP.
“Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets,and ensure efficiency, transparency, and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man”
WHAT ARE COMMON SERVICE CENTRES ( CSC) ?
The CSC is a strategic cornerstone of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), approved by the Government in May 2006, as part of its commitment in the National Common Minimum Programme to introduce e-governance on a massive scale.
The CSCs would provide high quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services. A highlight of the CSCs is that it will offer web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including application forms, certificates, and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills.In addition to the universe of G2C services, the CSC Guidelines envisage a wide variety of content and services that could be offered
WHAT ARE PRAGYA KENDRA’S ?
Common service Centers (CSC’s) are called Pragya Kendras in Jharkhand is a panchayat level rural digital hub of Government set up to serve for a cluster of 5-6 villages, through a locally trained person from the local community. Each CSC has all the necessary IT infrastructure and connectivity which acts as Panchayat digital access point for the rural community to connect with Government, business and outside world.
This is working under Public Private partnership (PPP). Vikalp Multi Media has been designated as Service Centre Agency (SCA) for Palamu Zone of Jharkhand state covering 600 panchayats with 600 CSC’s.
WHAT WE DO ?
VMM has implemented plethora of services in the region for the past 7 years. The core concept of the CSC’s are to provide various essential services to the local communities in the panchayat in convergent mode. The essential services provided are the delivery of e-governance, Aadhar, Banking at the panchayat level, Direct Benefit Transfer, various portal services such as Pan card, National Pension scheme, railway ticket booking, mobile recharge, payment of insurance payments and plethora of other business services, education, health, livelihoods and welfare services.
E Nagarik services which provides Birth, Death, Community, Nativity and Income certificates to the citizens at the panchayat level through CSC’s. Previously they had to travel to the block headquarters to obtain the same. So far 1,21,245 certificates have been provided from these centres.
Panchayat banking is provided by taking Business Correspondent mode through State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda and Allahabad Bank. 220 CSC’s are currently designated as panchayat banks and enabling the citizens in these regions to do all their banking operations such as opening Zero balance account, withdrawal, deposits, loan repayment and money transfer is taking place. So far 3 lakhs accounts have been opened through this mode in the region.
PMJDY -Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) alone 96,371 accounts have been opened. Also under the scheme household survey was conducted covering 142 pachayats and 16 wards with 1,03,446 households. It was found out that 64,504 households had bank account with some or other bank while 35,732 households do not have any bank account. This survey was commissioned by State Bank of India ( SBI) in this region.
Mahila Banks – VMM also established exclusive Mahila banks in 10 blocks in the region as Banking franchisee of State Bank of India. This initiative is to bring in more inclusive banking by catering to the exclusive banking needs of the women in the region. This banking is expected to to create gender equity and equal opportunity in banking sector for women . Through this initiative we have so far opened 32,731 bank accounts for women .
Direct Benefit Transfer – The Panchayat banks are also providing the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) services to the beneficiaries under the various schemes such as MGNAREGA, Indira Awas Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Old age pensions, Widow pensions, Disability pensions and Students scholarships. Many more schemes will be brought under the purview of the above schemes shortly. Social welfare to the tune of 80 million rupees has been disbursed through these banking outlets.
Permanent Enrolment Centres (PEC) have been opened in 50 blocks and 42 panchayats in the region for enrolment , updation, e aadhar and other allied services related to Aadhar in the region. Through these PEC’s around 2,95,429 have enrolled and 1,26,510 have received their Aadhar number.
NDLM (National Digital Literacy Mission) Survey
In the state of Jharkhand one block each in five districts of Ranchi,Bokaro,Saraikela,Palamu and Dumka have been identified to pilot the NDLM. Vikalp Multi Media (VMM) is piloting NDLM in Medininagar block of Palamu district covering 12 panchayats and a total population of 12000 families. Survey work has been completed for around 8200 households so far.
CSCS AS PANCHAYAT LEVEL LEGAL SERVICE CENTERS
To enable for the integration and delivery of the justice services at the panchayat level 10 Justice Hubs have been created and integrated at 10 blocks of Palamu, Garwah and Latehar districts. The core agenda of the program is to leverage the common service centers for delivering part of the justice services by mobilising the people having grievances/legal problems, building up awareness, serve as help desk and referral, counselling and follow up services. Convergences of Legal Aid and justice services will make it easy for citizens to have greater access to legal aid and justice services, as it is a government authenticated e-governance service nodes.
The District Legal Services Agency (DLSA) and the CSC’s in the region are jointly organising legal aid camps in the region and referring the cases to the Lok Adalat.
E MULAKAT SERVICES
In a pioneering move, the State government of Jharkhand has launched e Mulakat (Jail Sakshatkar) a facility that would allow relatives of the prisoners to have live audio-video chat with jail inmates while sitting in a chat-room of distantly-located Pragya Kendras (also known as Common Service Centres).
By doing so, Jharkhand has become the first state in the country to introduce such a facility, which could reduce the pangs of people living in remote areas to travel to district or the State headquarter jails to meet their jailed relatives.
Digitisation – Land records are being digitised in Latehar district by VMM and shortly these will be made online for the public to access the records.
Indexing works of the the property deeds in the Palamu zone through the collaboration of VMM with Land registry department is currently under progress.
Legacy Data Entry work of beneficiaries under Indira Gandhi National Old age pension, Indira Gandhi National widow Pension and Indira Gandhi National disabled pension was completed in Latehar district for all the 34,315 beneficiaries.
BPL Digitisation – Data of the beneficiaires belonging to Below the poverty Line (BPL) of the entire district of Latehar has been digitised covering a total population of 90,663.
Cattle Data Entry – Under the aegis of Department of Animal Husbandry and the JAPIT, task of digitising the data of 14th Census Survey of Livestock for the three districts of Palamu, Garwah and Latehar was provided to VMM. These data were successfully digitised and made online. Total data digitised under the same are 4,55,661.
Digitisation of Urban Land records – The urban land records under the Khasmahal land record numbering 335 and the GM land – Gair majuruwa land records numbering 6178 have been digitised by VMM for Latehar district of Palamu division in the state of Jharkhand.
Digitisation of the manual information of the ration cards covering 24261 beneficiaries in Balumath block of Latehar district was completed.
RSBY -The beneficiaries covered under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme in the districts of Bokaro, Sahebganj, Lohardaga and Pakur were digitised by VMM. The total beneficiaries covered under the same are 338320
Documentary Films – ATMA under the Department of Agriculture – District of Latehar had assigned task for preparation of documentary films and VMM had successfully completed making documentary films on Pig rearing, Pisciculture, poultry, Goatery, Paddy cultivation.
Wallet Services – Pre paid wallet services are provided online through the csc’s for services ranging from e nagark, e Aadhar, Passport, National Pension scheme (NPS), National open school (NIOS), Insurance premium payment, railway booking, recharge of mobiles etc.