Use of I.T. in various services
An important application of information technology is video on demand. It is very common now a days. The cable tv operator provides services to watch any video clipping, movie or any favourite tv program. The channel is established from the computer at home and the cable operator.
Another application is computer application which includes basic three functions- processing, storage and retrieval of information and developing effective technologies for communicating the information represented in various formats. Multimedia conferencing is a important application of information technology.
It is now possible to arrange meeting between several executives when they are not physically present at one place. Using current technologies, a group of persons can talk and discuss with each other as though they were present in one room. Anybody who will speak will be listened by everybody. This is achieved using a underlying high bandwidth channel which is able to transmit the video data at an extremely fast rate.
Information technology is also playing a significant role in standardization of different processes in banks. Time, effort and money required to monitor the business processes in the banks has been reduced through ATM, internet banking, teleservices and electronic data interchange. Some other applications of information technology includes home shopping on web and telemedicine in health care systems and geographic information system.
Apart from above mentioned applications information technology is being used in business applications ranging from inventory control, preparation of various business documents like invoices, pay bills, salary statements, issues, dispatch transactions, accounting and financial management, accountwise consumption, analysis report, sales reports etc.
Media Lab Asia
Digital India Corporation (Formerly Media Lab Asia) is a not for profit organization set up by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Govt. of India, under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 (Section 8 under Companies Act 2013). The objective of the company is to bring the benefits of ICT to the common man. It started with the functional activity areas such as World Computer (Affordable, ubiquitous computing and access devices), Bits for All (Low Cost, High bandwidth connectivity) and Tomorrow’s Tool (Rurally relevant applications). However it was later changed to application areas such as ICT for Healthcare, Education, Livelihood and Empowerment of Disabled.
Since then the company has taken up 75 development projects and some of the projects are now being rolled out at the national level. The company has a unique way of growth by working with an expanding network of research laboratories for undertaking development work. It started with creating a hub at some of the IITs and the list of such project partners has grown to more than 58. The partners are a combination of academic and Research and Development institutions, industry, NGOs and Govt. Agencies. The projects can be sponsored by Corporate Bodies, Govt. (Central/State) and Local Municipal Bodies/Panchayats etc.
Vidya Vahini
The government’s initiative to connect 60,000 Indian schools is aimed at providing a thrust to computer-aided learning for rural students. For long, the issue of digital divide has assumed center stage in the minds of policy thinkers with various projects geared towards addressing the issue. ‘Vidya Vahini’ is one such ambitious project launched by the department of IT along with ERNET, in an attempt to explore how IT can be integrated into the learning process of school children. Although there are other projects on similar lines mostly in the private sector, Vidya Vahini is different because it takes up the cause of the rural students.
Gyan Vahini
To integrate ICT in the learning environment in the Government and Government-aided schools and higher learning institution in the country, the Department of Information Technology has formulated ‘Vidya Vahini’ and ‘Gyan Vahini’ programmes. It will provide connectivity and IT Infrastructure to schools and higher learning institutions in the country. Pilot projects have been taken up to connect about 200 Senior Secondary Schools in the seven districts in the country and campus-wide network at Delhi University. The Prime Minister launched the programme on June 11, 2003.
Community Information Centre
Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) had taken up an initiative in February 2002 for setting up of Community Information Centres (CICs) in the hilly, far-flung rural areas of the country to bring the benefits of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) to the people for socio-economic development of these regions and to alleviate the digital divide between urban and non-urban areas. The initiative which was as a follow up to the special package announced by PM (Prime Minister) to the North Eastern States has been extended to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in February 2004, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep Islands in February 2005. These CICs are a citizen interface for IT enabled e-Government services and training. During 2006, CIC at Nathula Pass in Sikkim near the Indo-China border has been commissioned which is the highest internet kiosk. 124 CICs in Jammu & Kashmir, 38 CICs in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and 30 CICs in Lakshadweep Islands have been made operational.
The social cost benefit analysis of the CICs set up in the 8 North-Eastern States was carried out by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER). Interim provision has been made for financial assistance up to 2 years beyond February 2007 for management of existing 555 CICs of North-Eastern States as a gap bridging arrangement to facilitate their merger into Community Service Centres (CSCs) under the NeGP (National e-Governance Plan). The financial assistance would be available to State Governments agreeing for integration of CICs with CSC Scheme and submit the RFP for CSC Scheme.
