Gopal Sharma
Comtech Info Solutions, an emerging e-governance company and first UIDAI empanelled J&K based agency, is on the job to bring revolution in the J&K State by producing Adhar Cards (National Population Register Smart Cards) on behalf of the Government of India for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Launched by son of the soil, Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmed, the brain behind the Info Solutions, the group is now a fast emerging pioneering company for e-governance projects providing employment to nearly 1000 medium level IT professionals in J&K, UP and Bihar. It has emerged as the first company in the J&K which was given the task by the UIDAI authority of India, under the direct control of Registrar General of India to start Adhar Cards in J&K with State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the first person to seek Adhar Card.
Currently the company is working in 15 districts of J&K for Adhar Cards generation in collaboration with ECIL Hyderabad and Registrar General Of India, under Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The company claimed to have enrolled over 14 lakh residents and have completed three districts namely Samba, Kulgam and Shopian and is expected to cover four more districts by March this year.
Talking to Excelsior, Sheikh Imtiaz, CEO Comtech Info Solutions Ltd disclosed that not only in J&K, the Group has been providing services of this kind in Utter Pradesh and Bihar. But majority of the youth engaged there also belonged to J&K state. “Our projects which we executed successfully or in the final phase, are digitization of photo identity cards (electoral rolls) preparation and PVC Cards. Operation of preparing Adhar Cards in J&K is in full swing.
Mr Imtiaz disclosed that under Social Economic Caste Survey (SECC-2011) with MORD (GOI), the Group collected one crore records on tablet PC by door to door survey along with Government enumerators and used to upload to the NIC server either on the same day or the next. Preparation of smart cards under Rashtriya Swasth Bima Yojna (RSBY) for BPL families for two pilot districts of Jammu and Srinagar for over 50,000 families is also under way. Under the Scheme of the Union Health Ministry, there is provision for the BPL families to get insurance cover up to Rs 30,000 per year.
When asked how to sustain these 1000 youth engaged in the projects, the CEO said it was question of worry for him, too. “We see small initiative from the State Government to push small IT projects, which have otherwise, capacity to employ over 50,000 medium level IT professionals in the State. SWAN e-district is yet to roll and no department is fully digitized except some initiatives taken in CAPD and a few others”, he added.
“In order to push our State’s economy, create more job opportunities, we should not look towards Tatas and Birlas to come for our rescue, but we should try to make out own small Tatas and Birlas among our own entrepreneurs by supporting them in their efforts. These multinational companies may come to our State for investment but they too, need shoulders of small local companies to safeguard their investment and handle local issues besides good incentives from the Government to watch their own interests”, Mr Imtiaz maintained.
Elaborating on the issues and problems being faced in generating Adhar Cards and slow pace of progress in certain districts to prepare these cards, the CEO said, “In Reasi, Kishtwar, Ramban, Doda, Kathua, Udhampur, Anantnag, Pulwama and Budgam, the work was in progress as the concerned District Administrations give green nod after procuring lists generated by enumerators under the supervision of concerned SDMs and Tehsildars/ Naib Tehsildars. In Rajouri, Poonch and even in some tehsils of Jammu and JMC, they are waiting for a green nod from the concerned Dy Commissioners. We have no shortage of equipment. About 230 kits were lying spare with us. The work would be started shortly as and when they get lists”, he added.
In Bishnah tehsil of Jammu 60 % work has been performed and in R S Pura it was started on December 18, while Jammu Rural and Jammu Urban areas would be started there after. In Akhnoor the work would be started after three weeks. This is Phase- I exercise and in phase -II all the remaining persons will be covered. 90 lakh NPR Cards is the entire target for Phase-I of this exercise. The deadline has been increased in view of weather conditions, slow pace of work in generating lists by enumerators and less cooperation from the Revenue officers of several areas. It would have been better if plain areas of Jammu and Kathua area are covered in winter months because entire area experiences intense hot during summer months. Similarly, it is very difficult to work in snow bound areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda etc during these winter months. So, a well planed strategy is needed with the cooperation of local administration to expedite the task and give better results, the CEO maintained.
Giving more details about operation, Mr Imtiaz said camps are organised in particular area where people are made to appear before Camp supervisor and operators. Their bio-metrics are taken on the spot. Normally six persons including five operators with 5 kits are made available at a camp which goes for 3-4 days at a place and then shifted to other location. Government enumerators/ representatives (Naib tehsildars etc) supervise the camp activity. Then this data collected is uploaded and sent to ECIL Hyderbad for generating Adhar cards which are issued by Registrar General of India with a unique nationality number. It reaches every home with in 20 to 25 days through post, he added.
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