Deseo de orden

Kerala, in an endeavour to ‘bridge the Digital Divide’ and to propel Kerala as India’s foremost knowledge society, embarked on ‘Akshaya Project’ on the 18th of November, 2002 in the Malappuram District. It is expected that Akshaya will be a watershed in effacing the divide between “information haves” and “information have-nots” and in disseminating the benefits of IT to the common man.

Akshaya expects to be ranked amongst the most ambitious ICT programs ever attempted in a developing society. The project is expected to generate a network of 6,000 information centres in the state, generate about 50,000 employment opportunities and throw up investment opportunities to the tune of Rs.500 Crores, all within a time span of 3 years.

| Objectives

The Akshaya project is envisaged as a practical, commercially viable enabler essentially having to:

· Impart basic IT literacy to at least one member of each of the 65 lakh families in

the state

· Extend the training initiative into a service delivery mechanism for the local citizen

| Service Delivery Mechanism

Once the people have been introduced to the immense possibilities of ICTs, the next step would be to make facilities available to make their learning useful and reap the benefits. The focus here would be to ensure a viable, sustainable service delivery mechanism for the citizens of the state. The Akshaya centre will be equipped with necessary equipment like computers, fax, printers, telephones, broad band Internet connection etc., and software so as to cater to the information and communication requirements of the local citizens. A community portal which will cater to the day to day requirements of the local community is also

envisaged.

| e-Literacy Campaign

The e-Literacy campaign is the foundation on which the state seeks to bridge the digital divide in the state. The underlying objective of the campaign is to remove the “fear of the unknown” that common people have about technology in general and computers in particular.

The e-Literacy campaign proposes to impart basic/functional eLiteracy to one member of each of the 65 lakh families in the state. Selection of the member to be trained will be decided by the family members. The persons trained as part of this campaign are expected to act as a catalyst in ensuring the overall success of the project.

The course content is being designed keeping this in mind. The emphasis of the training program will be on the use of technology and not on technology itself. The program will aim at opening up the minds of the student to the immense possibilities and benefits of ICT.

| Expected Benefits

· Direct Benefits :

a) At least 1 computer literate person in every home in the state b) Network of 6,000 Community Information Centres across the state c) Convenient access for the common man to information services

Government Accommodation Management System (GAMS) (India)

Computerization of Passport Issuance System (India)

d) Local Community Empowerment e) Generate locally relevant content

f) Generate over 50,000 direct employment opportunities in three years g) Generate direct investment of over Rs. 500 crores in 3 years

· Expected Indirect Benefits :

a) Cheaper communication through Internet telephony, e-mail, chat etc. b) Enhanced ICT demand in Tele-medicine/e-Commerce/e-Education

c) Enlarged marketing opportunities for agricultural/traditional products/ artifacts d) Improved delivery of public services

e) Catalysing of all sectors in the IT Industry | Strategies

The Akshaya project conceived in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, will be implemented through the Local Self Government (Panchayati Raj Institutions).

The project has been shaped based on the rich insights gleaned from the ‘Saksharata’

campaign of the state that resulted in a 100% literate state in a very short period of time. The project has also been drawn from the experiences of projects like Gyandoot that have been attempted in India and abroad.

The project has been designed to leverage Kerala’s unique strengths, active community organizations, progressive social framework, advanced telecom infrastructure and wide- spread media penetration.

Use of self-employment programmes and private enterprise within a government framework in the development of training institutes and content generation will aim at ensuring commercial viability as well as sustainability of the project.

| Multipurpose Telecentres at ward level

The project involves the setting up of multi-purpose IT enabled “Akshaya Kendras” for every two wards, each catering to approximately 1000 families. Akshaya Kendra is the basic unit through which the project aims to reach its objectives.

Each Akshaya Kendra will become the primary contact point for residents in its vicinity. The Akshaya Kendra would provide for a number of facilities that could be used by the common man to simplify his day to day activities. The Akshaya Kendra will be equipped with

computers, printers, fax machines, photocopiers etc. The investment on each Akshaya Centre is around Rs Two Hundred Thousand.

The Akshaya Kendra will have facilities for DTP, printing, computer rental, Internet browsing, chatting, Internet telephony among others. Government information and forms for various government services will also be made available through the Akshaya Kendra. The Akshaya Kendras will carry the official logo of the Akshaya Project.

The entire project is to be implemented through the 3-Tier of Panchayathi Raj Institutions. District Panchayath will be the overall coordinators. Committees are proposed at State, District, Block, Panchayat/Municipality and Ward Levels for the implementation of the project. The role of the grass root level committees at the local body level and ward level will be mainly to ensure 100% participation of the households for the Literacy campaign. Source:

http://www.akshaya.net/akshaya/project/ For further information, visit

Chapter 10

Case Studies Introduction

NAI DISHA (Haryana/India) Bhoomi Project

(Karnataka/India)

Electronic Birth Registration in Rajshahi (Bangladesh) E-Seva (Andhra

Pradesh/India)

Online Parking Spot Search System

(Rosenheim/Germany) Rindernet : Online Cattle Net (Austria)

Citizen Service Centres In Bahia (Brazil)

LOKMITRA (Himachal Pradesh/India) Vijaywada Online

Information Centre (VOICE) (India)

Exam Results on the Internet (India) Dairy Information And Services Kiosk (Gujarat/India)

Establishing A Quality Early Childhood Centre (New Zealand) CARD (Andhra Pradesh/India) Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Website (India)

The AfriAfya Initiative (Kenya) Agricultural Marketing Information Network - AGMARKNET (India) Chile Government’s E- Procurement System Computerized Interstate Check Posts (Gujarat/India) Khajane (Karnataka/India) Beijing E-Park (China) Directorate of Commercial Taxes (West Bengal/India) Land Exchange (LX) Victoria /Australia

Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh/India)

Durban Council’s Community Information Link (South Africa)

Drishtee: E-Government Through Kiosks (India) Community Information Centres (CIC) (India) Akshaya Project (Kerala/India)