Short note on NICNET

NICNET

• National Informatics Center (NIC) is a premier organization in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in India. 

• It was set up in March 1975 by the Government of India to play a promotional role in creating Computer Awareness and developing and implementing a computer-based information system for decision support in the Ministries and Departments of the Government. 

• It provides state-of-the-art solutions to the information management and decision support requirements of the Government and the Corporate sector. Now NIC has become an organization of national and international fame. 

• It comes under the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Govt. of India. NIC has set up a satellite-based nationwide computer-communication network, called NICNET, which is a member of the INTERNET family.

•  It connects the national capital, the state capitals, and all district headquarters to one another. NICNET is a type of Wide Area Network (WAN).

• " The nation-wide computer communication network, skilled manpower and rich experience in IT make NIC the largest software house in India"

Objective:-

1. Development of computer-based information systems in various sectors of the economy for planning, project monitoring & decision support.

2. Promotion of computer usage & informatics culture at district, State, and National levels.

3. Improvement of analytical capability & presentation of information utilized for National, State, and District level planning.

4. Development of modeling, forecasting & simulation techniques that are required for planning and decision support.

5. Establishment of computer communication network for ensuring ready access of information across the nation enabling optimum use of resources.

6. Evolving standards for data collection, compilation & dissemination, and related agencies' cooperation at District, State, and Central levels.

7. Creating a dedicated training school with branches in all parts of the country for extensive training/retraining of personnel in public service and users of NICNET.

8. Providing a gateway for accessing International Databases for those working in District, State, and National levels.

Services:-

The services provided by NIC include development of Application Software Packages, System Software, Database Systems, Distributed Databases, Networking, Electronic Mail, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), Access To International Databases, Computer-Aided Design, Geographic Information Systems, Modelling, Expert Systems, Telematics Software, Office Automation, Text-based Management Systems, Turnkey Projects, Training, Internet Facility, and Website Creation.

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• National Informatics Centre (NIC) through its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Network - NICNET, has institutional linkages across all the Ministries /Departments of the Central Government, State Governments, Union Territories, and District administrations of the country. NICNET is a satellite-based nationwide computer-communication network, that is a type of Wide Area Network (WAN).

• Through NICNET, NIC has been instrumental in steering e-Governance applications in Government Ministries/ Departments at the Centre, States, Districts, and Block levels, facilitating improvement in Government services, wider transparency, promoting decentralized planning and management, resulting in better efficiency and accountability to the people of India.

• Direct peering of NICNET with BSNL, PGCIL, and Railtel is completed at Delhi and Hyderabad for saving Internet Bandwidth and faster access to each other’s Network and Datacenters. Peering with Google, Microsoft, and Akamai Content Delivery Network has facilitated faster access to Google services and other important International websites.

• Re-structuring of Videoconferencing network has enabled to minimize delay and handle large scale important video conferencing such as PRAGATI of Hon’ble Prime Minister, GST Council Meetings by Hon’ble Finance Minister among others.

                                                                          OR,

• National Informatics Centre (NIC) is a premier S&T institution of the Government of India, established in 1976, for providing e-Government/e-Governance Solutions adopting best practices, integrated services, and global solutions in the Government Sector.

• In 1975, the Government of India strategically decided to take effective steps for the development of information systems and utilization of information resources and also for introducing computer-based decision support system (informatics-led development) in government ministries and departments to facilitate planning and program implementation to further the growth of economic and social development. 

• Following this, the Central Government nucleated a high-priority plan project "National Informatics Centre (NIC) in 15 and later on with the financial assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UND to the tune of US$4.4 million. 

• When the Government of India approved NICNET, the National Information center had to evaluate various technology options of the day and come to an optimal solution for a nationwide network. 

• In view of our national success stories in satellite communication, be it broadcasting, television, or voice, a satellite-based solution for the purpose of linking all these capital and district headquarters through a data network appeared most appropriate. It gave a solution that was distance-independent, cheap, scalable, and easily deployable.

                      FOR BRIEF OR, DESCRIPTION OF NICNET DOWNWARD NOTE IS BEST

NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE-NIC- INDIA NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE

National Informatics Centre (NIC) was established in 1976 and has emerged as a "prime builder" of e-Government / e-Governance applications up to the grassroots level and for promoting digital opportunities for sustainable development.

▸ ICT Network of NIC, "NICNET", has institutional linkages with all the Ministries & Departments of the Central Government, 36 State Governments, Union Territories, and 688 District administrations in India.

▸ NIC has been instrumental in steering e-Government and e-Governance applications in government ministries, departments at the Centre, States, Districts, and Blocks, thus facilitating improvement in government services, wider transparency, promoting decentralized planning and management, resulting in better efficiency and accountability to the people of India.

▸ The "Informatics-led-development" program has been spearheaded by NIC to derive competitive advantage by implementing ICT applications in social and public administration.

Major activities of National Informatics Centre (NIC): Setting up of ICT Infrastructure

▸ Implementation of National and State Level e-Governance Projects

▸ Products and Services

Consultancy to the government departments

▸ Research and Development

▸ Capacity Building

▸ NIC has implemented many "network-centric" application software for Programme implementation in various ministries and departments, using state-of-the-technology software tools.

▸During the 1980s and early 1990s, the policy thrust was on creating "Management Information System (MIS)" and "Decision Support System (DSS)" for development, planning, and responsive administration in governments which led to the genesis of present-day "e-Governance" / "e-Government".

▸ "Bridging the Digital Divide", "Social and Financial Inclusion through ICT" and "Reaching the Unreached" concepts were made operational. NIC has vast expertise and experience in the design, development, and operationalization of various e-Government projects such as Public Administration and Governance like Agriculture & Food, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Forestry & Environment, Industry, Health, Education, Budget and Treasury, Fiscal Resources, Transport, Water Resources, Court Management, Rural Development, Land Records and Property registration, Culture & Tourism, Import & Exports facilitation, Social Welfare Services, Micro-level Planning, etc.

▸ NIC provides Nationwide Common ICT Infrastructure to support e-Governance services to the citizen, Products and Solutions designed to address e-Governance Initiatives, Major e-Governance Projects, State/UT Informatics Support, and district level services rendered.

► The state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure consists of National and State Data Centres to manage the information systems and websites of Central Ministries/Departments, Disaster Recovery Centres, Network Operations facilities to manage heterogeneous networks spread across Bhawans, States, and Districts, Certifying Authority, Video-Conferencing, and capacity building across the country.

       

       ▸ National Knowledge Network (NKN) has been set up to connect institutions/organizations for carrying out research and development, Higher Education, and Governance with the speed of the order of multi Gigabits per second.

► Further, State Government secretariats are connected to the Central Government at very high-speed links on Optical Fibre Cable (OFC). Districts State capitals through leased lines.

Various initiatives like Government eProcurement System (GePNIC), Office Management Software (eOffice), Hospital Management System (hospital), Government Financial Accounting Information System (eLekha), etc. have been taken up which are replicable in various Government organizations.

As NIC is supporting a majority of the mission mode e-Governance projects, the chapter on National e-Governance Projects lists the details of these projects namely National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP), Transport and National Registry, Treasury Computerisation, VAT, MG-NREGA, India-Portal, e-Courts, Postal Life Insurance, etc.

          ▸ NIC also lays framework and designs systems for online monitoring of all central government schemes like Integrated Watershed Management (IWMP), IAY, SGSY, NSAP, BRGF, Schedule Tribes, and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, etc.

         ▸ ICT support is also being provided in the States / UTS by NIC. Citizen-centric services are also being rendered electronically at the district level, such as Income Certificate, Caste Certificate, and Residence Certificate, etc. along with other services like Scholarship portals, permits, passes, licenses.

              

             ▸ NIC has been given recognition in terms of awards and accolades at the International as well as National levels for executing all these activities.

             ▸ NIC has become one of India's major organizations promoting informatics-led development and transformation in government policies to meet the challenges of the new millennium.