The digitised curriculum consists of detailed lectures by nationally known teachers, captured in video and accompanied by bright graphic models to illustrate the theory. “The advantage is that students can rewind these lectures, or return to them at any time to revise their studies,” says Dr Raj, the director of MEdRC. A pilot programme, at the NTR University of Health Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, is already under way.
The next step, however, is dauntingly large. By tying up with partners such as Cisco, Microsoft, Intel and BSNL, MEdRC wants to build Rs3 crore worth of infrastructure in every Indian medical college, a precursor to a broader delivery of its digital content.
“Per student, the cost of this will work out to Rs2 lakh, which is not significantly more than the total cost of a medical education,” says Dr Raj. “We want to deliver this content end-to-end: from our servers, on the BSNL backbone, to laptops provided by us to every student.”
Smart ration cards in Raipur
Category: e-Governance
Winner: Unified Ration Card Project
In Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected Dantewada district, a truck carrying rice to a government rations shop in Bijapur was being diverted to a mill in neighbouring Bidam. In minutes, an anonymous call to a Raipur call centre, run by the state government’s department of food, civil supplies and consumer protection, helped the local administration seize the truck. The miller and the godown owner, who allegedly colluded to steal the rice, were also arrested.
In November 2007, a Unified Ration Card Project (URCP) was launched in Chhattisgarh, with an online database of beneficiaries and ration shops. It also included a grievance redressal system for registering complaints online or through a toll-free number. In one year, 1,700 complaints have been been handled here.
The tools for information dissemination and punitive action have been simple: the Internet and the call centre, run by some 1,000 operators in Raipur.
“In Chhattisgarh, no one needs to apply for a ration card. As per the state database of people below the poverty line, ration cards are delivered at doorsteps and a record of beneficiaries is maintained,’’ says A. K. Somasekhar, project leader.
Applying for or renewing ration cards involves furnishing minute details, to be cross-checked by the government. To check irregularities, the call centre directs complaints to collectorates across the state for action and enquiry. “Since the service is toll free, anyone—from ration shopowners to families who haven’t received their quota of grain —can inform the government about irregularities,” Somasekhar says.
A part of the project is also dhaan kharidi, or rice sale. Six government agencies and village cooperatives, along with the National Informatics Centre, have collaborated to procure rice from farmers faster.
Millers can register for or renew licences for their rice mills online and upload details on paddy sales and godowns in the state’s 16 districts, from where it is distributed to ration shops. Payment requests are made online, and cheques are delivered within hours.
Cancer advice is a call away
Category: e-Content in Health
Winner: Ritu Joseph Biyani, Project HighWays Infinite, Pune
In 2006, when Ritu Joseph Biyani drove around India for six months, she’d attract attention at every village where she stopped.