44 Digital Villages to be set up, One stop IT service solution at village level

Srinagar: The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met under the chairmanship of Governor, Satya Pal Malik approved implementation of the “J&K Digital Village” program through Jammu and Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA), with the motto “Back to Village via Digital Means” after observing the stupendous response of the people to the recently concluded “Back to Village” Program.
The existing Gram Panchayat building will be designated as Digital Village Centre (DVC). The centres shall be provided with various facilities including Smart LEDs, Computers, Screens, internet and other relevant facilities. The Village Level Workers (VLWs) of the Rural Development Department shall be the custodians of the DVCs; responsible for overall management of the centres so established and shall also ensure security of the centres. These centres would be looked after by concerned village Nambardar/Lambardar(s) and Chowkidar(s) as well.
The DVCs will provide “One Stop Service Solution’ at the village level and provide services like Wi-Fi Hotspots, Telemedicine, Agricultural Support Services, Digital Payments and other G2C/B2C services etc. The system shall also be used for realizing the objectives of recently concluded “Back to Village” Program.
The DVCs will enable Government to disseminate its programs and policies, provide basic development services to rural areas using digital technology and showcase the potential of digital technologies to improve quality of life in rural areas.
The program is being launched on pilot basis at a cost of Rs 5 Crore across 44 villages in the state. In the first phase, to be completed in the next 6 months, two villages will be taken up from each district, feasible in terms of connectivity (Fibre VSAT) to offer digital services. After ascertaining the impact in the pilot phase, remaining Gram Panchayats shall be taken up in the 2ndphase.
The basic aim of the program is to deliver governance effectively through IT enabled services, generate awareness regarding implementation of Government Schemes and ameliorate the socio-economic status of the rural masses.