Uttarakhand is now taking a big step into the digital world. The state recently launched its crucial ‘Hill to Hi-Tech’ plan, aiming to bring computer and internet tools to every part of its mountains and cities. This move gives people better ways to connect and helps them get more work and services from home. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami officially started new services, including a ‘Digital Uttarakhand’ mobile app and many new government websites, making daily life easier and faster for everyone. This change is happening now, setting Uttarakhand on a path to a future powered by modern computer technology.
Working Towards a Smart State
Uttarakhand is making big moves to become a state that uses a lot of computer and internet technology. This effort is called the “Hill to Hi-Tech” vision. The main idea is to use technology to make government services better for everyone, make things more clear. make the government work faster. This plan also matches the national goal of “Digital India,” which aims for less government control and more efficient public services.
The state government is focused on bringing modern tools to its people, from those living in cities to those in far-off villages. This includes online education, health services using computers. making land records digital.
New Tools for Everyone
As part of its big plan, Uttarakhand has recently launched several vital computer and internet-based services:
- Digital Uttarakhand App: This is a single mobile app where people can get many government services from their homes. This means they do not have to go to government offices anymore.
- New Government Websites: Sixty-six new government websites have been created. These websites are built on a special platform that makes them safe, easy to use. always available. They help in giving government data to people in a clear and fast way, also setting new standards for computer safety.
- Garbage Collection Tracking: A special computer system that uses location technology has been set up to track garbage collection trucks in cities in real-time.
- Better Citizen Helpline: The 1905 Chief Minister’s helpline has been made better with smart computer programs to help people more effectively.
- Illegal Building Monitoring: A new computer program on the internet allows people to send pictures or videos of illegal constructions. the right government department will check it quickly.
Making Government Services Easy
Uttarakhand has been working on making government services simpler for a while. The “e-District portal” is a good example. It is like a single stop where people can apply for many government papers such as birth, death, caste. home papers, as well as permits, all online. This stops the need for people to go to different government offices in person.
Another essential project is “Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand Land Records.” This project made all land records digital, so people can easily find insights about land ownership and maps online. This has helped in reducing arguments over land and made land dealings clearer, also helping to stop false activities.
For job seekers, there is an “Online Employment Service” that helps connect people looking for work with companies that have job openings. The state also has a “School Education Portal” with details about schools, students. teachers.
To improve health services, “telemedicine” and “e-Sanjeevani” services are being used. These services connect people in remote areas with expert doctors through video calls, allowing them to get advice without traveling far. Also, a program called “OPD Digital Parchi Software” helps people book hospital appointments and get tokens online.
The “Apni Sarkar portal” is another example, offering more than 886 different services online to citizens. The state government is also using computer systems like the “Integrated Financial Management System” and “State Resident Data Hub” to make financial dealings digital and create detailed lists of citizen data. This helps make sure money matters are clear and that decisions are made based on correct details.
Connecting Far-Off Places
A big part of the “Hill to Hi-Tech” plan is to make sure everyone in the state has access to mobile and internet services, even in the hard-to-reach mountain areas. Most villages in Uttarakhand, about 95%, already have phone service. But, some parts still face problems. As of October 2022, about 700 villages did not have mobile or internet service. around 3,500 villages only had slow 2G internet.
To fix this, the government is putting up more mobile towers in remote areas to make phone and internet service better and more reliable. There are also efforts like the “Bharat Net project” to bring fast internet to all village councils.
New and creative ways are being tried to connect these areas. For example, a “WiFi balloon,” also known as an aerostat, was used as a test project to give free internet to some remote villages. This balloon can provide internet over a wide area, about 7. 5 kilometers, with good speed. In other places, solar panels are being used to power high-speed internet in villages that do not have electricity.
Plans are ongoing to make phone and internet services better in areas near borders and other far-off places.
Teaching Computer Skills
To make sure people can use these new digital services, Uttarakhand is also focusing on teaching computer skills. The “Uttarakhand Skill Development Mission” (UKSDM) is a big government program that helps young people learn skills for jobs. This program includes teaching computer literacy.
The mission specially helps young people from villages, remote areas. those who do not have many advantages, as well as women and people with disabilities. They organize training workshops and education programs to teach people how to use digital tools effectively.
A project called “Himalya Unnati Mission,” started in 2021, aims to improve skill learning and job training in jails and government schools for students from class six to twelve. Another project, the “Community Resource Network” (CRN), which began in 2015, makes digital education available to local children and young people. It teaches them computer skills, computer coding, basic accounting. spoken English.
The “National Digital Literacy Mission” also has a goal to ensure at least one person in every family knows how to use computers. Training is given in basic computer programs. also in job-focused courses like computer coding, basic accounting, customer service skills. graphic design. There is a special focus on teaching computer skills to young people and women in villages to help them get jobs and improve their lives, aiming to close the gap in technology use between men and women.
Looking Ahead
Uttarakhand is planning even more for its digital future. The state will build a “Next-Generation Data Centre” to keep computer data safe and to make sure systems can recover quickly if there is a problem. This center will also have a special system to recover vital state computer programs and websites within 15 minutes during emergencies. A security team will work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, at the State Data Center to fight against internet dangers.
The state also plans to start an “AI Mission,” which means working with smart computer programs. A “Centre of Excellence” will be set up to integrate this technology into many areas like government work, environment care, disaster management, health services, travel, education. farming. There will also be a new center for “Remote Sensing and Drone Application.” To support all these efforts, the government aims to create a special group of workers trained in computer and internet technology.
