[INDIA] You can get information on Madhya Pradesh villages now online!

["Ashish Kotamkar" <ashish@mithi.com>]

You can get information on Madhya Pradesh villages now online!
IANS
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEN20021003095423&Page=N&T
itle=I nfotech&rLink=0

BHOPAL: Information about all 51,000 villages of Madhya Pradesh,
including their resources and problems, will now be accessible on the
Internet under the state government's e-governance in rural
administration programme.

Aimed at putting in place a government monitoring system to tackle
problems faced by villagers, information on all the state's villages
went online on the Web site Gramsampark that was made public
Wednesday.

The site, www.mp.nic.in/gramsampark, has three sections -- gram
paridrishya (village view), samasya nivaran (grievances redressal),
and gram prahari (village watch).

Its interactive features will help fix accountability for lack of
amenities and problems faced by the rural public, says Chief Minister
Digvijay Singh.

District collectors have been made responsible for the redressal of
complaints.

Singh hopes prompt redressal of complaints will be a key element of
rural e-governance.

He said in the past few months, a wealth of data, not available even
with the concerned departments, had been compiled and added the Web
site would allow villagers to file complaints and check the
authenticity of the information.

To ensure basic services in the villages, an 11-point monitoring
system enabling village-wise monitoring of programmes monthly has
been put in place.

The state government has decided to cover four more programmes under
this system, including Untouchability Eradication, Mahila Padhna
Badhna Andolan (Women's Education Growth Campaign), Pani Roko (Stop
Water) and Sanitation.

In all 15 programmes would be monitored, an official said. "This
would include repair of hand-pumps and defective transformers within
a week, regular teaching in schools, distribution of the mid-day meal
and regular payment of salaries to teachers in schools."

The Web site was developed after preparing a database of available
resources, basic amenities, beneficiaries of government programmes
and public grievances in all the villages.

The village view section contains information about available
resources. Grievance redressal is about basic facilities, status of
government programmes and facility of lodging complaints. The village
watch displays compiled data in a comparative and analytical manner.


Other salient features on Gramsampark pertain to health, opening of
fair price shops under the public distribution system, availability
of essential commodities at these shops, functioning of 'anganwadis'
or crèches, distribution of nutritious food and relief to people
socially backbard classes.

It would also help monitor disbursement of scholarships to students,
disposal of cases of mutation and partition within three months,
possession of deed-holders on lands allotted to them, payments of old
age and social security pension, veterinary facilities and
availability of farm inputs.

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Warm regards,
Ashish Kotamkar (ashish@mithi.com)