Its my pleasure to see that people are worried about the IT future in Assam, I
have also been following this thread for quite sometime now.
During a long vacation about 15 months back, I had a 5 month stint in Dhemaji
CIC. I had just given my Engg finals and was back home. Thought of doing some
volunteering work and started going to the local CIC. I was very much
enthralled when this very project was announced. Dhemaji still do not have a
cyber-cafe and in 2002 when CIC was established there, people did not even know
what Internet was. But gradually I found people coming to CIC Dhemaji and there
were many chatting with their relatives in distant places. The caretaker of the
CIC explained to me about what a CIC can do to transform lives of thousands.
Through the site www.assamagribusiness.nic.in everyone can access many
agriculture related things, weather report, current market prices etc. It is
really a big boon for the north-east. But what I am really sad about is the way
the CICs have not succeeded as they should have. With the infrastructure
available, with proper management they would have done wonders to the farmers,
the horticulturists, the florist and many more.
Lets analyse what went wrong. Firstly, the lack of interest among common
people. Even now, people living near a CIC do not know what does a CIC do.
Subsidised Internet access do not attract them because they still are ignorant
about its merits. CICs have generated interest among people who are involved in
chain-business kind of things. Majority of the earnings of the CIC I have
seen came from this angle, which according to me is not a proper utilisation of
resources available. Secondly, apathy shown by the Government. Setting up a
network of CICs was a great success no doubt but ever since Governments
involvement is minimal, whether in popularising schemes available through CICs
or in giving them grants for expansion. CICs have suffered due to this lack of
interest shown by the Government. When one or more PCs went out of order, a
long process had to be implemented to get that PC in working condition again.
ACs provided have stopped working long ago. Gensets followed the ACs towards
oblivion. I donot think that CIC operators are responsible for this. Timely
renovation and refurbishment would have increased the longetivity of the
accessories. This apathy has led to severe consequences as you have seen.
Thirdly, the gradual apathy of the CIC operators. Government has not been very
kind to the CIC operators in Dhemaji district. Their jobs are not permanent and
they do not get salaries as that of other CIC operators in other districts.
This may be true for many CICs accross Assam. A meagre amount at the end of a
month do not motivate a soul to put in his best efforts. I suspect even
salaried CIC operators, most of them, do not see it beyond usual net/print/scan
jobs at their disposal.
The CIC operators can become Messiah to the poor people relying on agrarian
methods. But they need the motivation to do so. If money is motivation(it is),
the Government should be a lenient on the expenditures of CICs. The CIC
operators should be given permanent jobs. The Goverment should make this job a
kind of charizmatic job, envious to others. If not degree holders, diploma
holders should jump in to join in the CICs.
I do not know whether this mail will do some difference to the CIC operators of
Dhemaji district, but I sincerely wish that they get their dues.
There is no doubt that CICs have been a boon for the North-East, but proper
utilisation will further take them to newer heights. Whenever I go home, I make
it a point to visit the CIC, teach somebody how a computer workds, teach basics
of Internet, Word, Powerpoint. I take pleasure in it. When people from Assam,
can go and teach some underpriviledged people basics of computers, in the
United States, I see no point in Assamese people who are professionally
qualified spare some of their times for the underprivileged in Assam, whose
numbers exceeds that in the US by plenty of thousands. But who will take the
initiative in involving professionally qualified people in the same way? The
Government? Nah.. The CIC operators? Nah again.. Its us. Sitting in glass
offices, and writing long mails, will not suffice. People who dream a bright
future for Assams kids, should break even and contribute towards larger good
of the society. CICs are just a means to achieve this much needed success.
Satyakam Dutta,
Gurgaon.
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moderator edited, assamonline
