Rajasthan officials being made computer savvy

The Rajasthan Government is all bent on making its officials computer savvy.
Very soon officers posted in the remote and isolated areas of the State would be
handing over the floppies to answer your queries regarding the water and
numerous other problems. Officers' Training School (OTS) in Jaipur is all set to
introduce the new batch of Rajasthan administrative and police officers to
Internet and different computer programs. The new batch of 119 officers from
Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS), Rajasthan Police Services (RPS) and
other services are being made "smarter and more qualified to understand and
tackle technological and social issues facing 21st century India, said a senior
official engaged in training of new officials at OTS here.

The official says that several new things have been introduced in the
syllabus this year to make the officers better equipped to handle the emerging
administrative needs. During the 15-week foundation course that the officers
would spend at the OTS before going for the field training, they would be
exposed to several new aspects of administration their predecessors were
deprived of.

Among the new things, which the officers would be taught included changing
concepts of law and order, economic and management related issues, gender and
development aspects and disaster management. The official said that the changes
were a part of the efforts to update the syllabus that would meet the modern
-day administrative requirements. They would learn computer programs like Excel
and Word besides the use of Internet.

“Now every administrative exercise including the revenue records is being
computerized. Therefore, it becomes compulsory for the officers to learn the use
of computer before they take up their responsibilities in the field,” official
said.

With the introduction of a separate faculty of gender in the OTS, there would
be more emphasis this year to sensitize the officers about gender-related issues
like violence against women. The official said that keeping in view the fact
that the officers come from different backgrounds, they would be taught various
aspects of modern economics like the use of value-added Tax (VAT) and
liberalization. They would be familiarized with the ongoing policies and
programs of the government, said Dr Verma. Keeping in view the importance of
disaster management in the wake of January 26 earthquake in Gujarat, the OTS
would also introduce the officers to this aspect of administration.

The OTS was trying to give up the bookish approach in training these officers
for field jobs. Instead the emphasis is going to be on case studies and lectures
from experienced officers from the concerned field, he said.

Rajasthan is one of the front-runner states in the country in the use of IT
in Government. The State Government intends to consolidate its efforts and to
focus its energies to leverage the benefits of IT for the benefit of the masses.
To attain this objective, a comprehensive IT Policy of Rajasthan has been
prepared. The document attempts to develop the IT road map of the State for the
years 2000-2004. The State plans to earmark 3 percent of the total Plan outlay
for IT by the year 2003.

(CNS)