-NET Web Desk
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today virtually launched the Arunachal Pradesh State Wide Area Network (ArSWAN) which will provide secure digital connectivity to all district headquarters and local administrative centres across the state.
The launching ceremony, held live digitally on virtual mode on the SWAN platform for the first time, was joined in by 17 district administrations and 98 block administrations.
Speaking on the occasion CM Khandu urged Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary Electronics & Information Technology, Govt of India, who attended the program from New Delhi, to extend the network to other unconnected districts created in the past few years.
He said as per the project only 17 districts were identified for inclusion under the scheme but in recent years few more districts were created for ease of administration, which also needs to be taken under the ambit of SWAN.
Khandu also requested the Ministry to extend all possible assistance to the state’s Department of Information Technology and Communications to functionalise all remaining PoPs in the state.
“SWAN is a reliable network for vertical and horizontal connectivity throughout the state through the means of Video Conferencing and IP Telephone, which we must fully utilize for delivering service to the people at the shortest possible time,” he said.
SWAN now connects the State Headquarters and Block level administrative centres via District and sub-Divisional Headquarters, in a vertical hierarchical structure with a minimum bandwidth capacity of 2 Mbps.
A Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Govt of India funded scheme, Arunachal SWAN (ArSWAN) envisages establishing 184 SWAN Point of Presence (PoPs) in the State. The 184 sites include 1 State Head Quarter, 17 District Head Quarters, and 166 Block & Horizontal Offices.
Interacting live with deputy commissioners of remote districts like Kra Dadi and Longding, which was not possible in earlier video conferences due to poor connectivity, Khandu said the newly launched network would now facilitate seamless and uninterrupted communication between the state headquarter and district headquarters.
As the district headquarters will be further connected with sub-divisional and block headquarters, he said now the deputy commissioners can be in direct touch with their subordinate officers through video conferencing and IP Telephone governance would become cost-effective and prompt.
Khandu urged the deputy commissioners to maximize the newly acquired digital connectivity not only for ease of governance but also in delivering speedy service to the rural populace.
“It will reduce the cost of communication between government departments at different locations and will provide secure network infrastructure to enable electronic transfer of sensitive data, payments, etc,” he pointed.
On the occasion, Khandu also interacted with few Additional Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers, and Circle Officers over IP Telephone service, one of the connectivity services under SWAN, where video-conferencing is not possible.
Terming the launch as a historic step towards e-governance based on transparency and accountability, he said, “Geographically we may be far away but digitally we are now next to each other.”
The launching program was also attended by Chairman, State Council For IT & e-Governance, Doni Nich, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Secretary, Special Secretary and Director of Information Technology & Communications and officials of the district administrations.
