This was stated by Dr. R. K. Mishra, Managing Director, National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI), in conservation with Anoop Verma, Editor (Desk), ETGovernment. In the interview that follows Dr. Mishra sheds light on the NICSI’s key initiatives for bringing latest digital technologies to various government entities.
Edited excerpts:
What role is NICSI playing in the Digital India programme?
The Digital India programme has led to digitization in the government workplace and enabled the online delivery of government services. National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI) has played an important role in this process, by facilitating the development of integrated ICT solutions for various ministries, departments and public sector enterprises.
For the last 29 years, NICSI has been offering to various government bodies services such as state-of-the-art hardware, software, consulting, technical support, design and development, operations and management and quality check. We also offer bid process management. data centers. data analytics, webcasting. application development, application security, helpdesk, c-office, and e-Hospital.
How many projects has NICSI executed in the past?
NICSI has successfully executed more than 25,000 projects in India and other developing countries. Our turnover in FY 2023-24 was INR 2360 crore. Through its projects, NICSI has facilitated the growth of digitization not just in the central government departments but also in state governments and other nations. We are responsible for providing and maintaining the IT infrastructure required for e-governance initiatives under the Digital India Programme. This infrastructure includes data centers, networking, and communication platforms. We have developed software applications for enabling the delivery of e-governance services to citizens.
In the execution of its projects, what is the procurement process that NICSI follows?
NICSI follows policies and guidelines of the Department of Expenditure, and the Make in India policy of DPIIT, Government of India. Wherever required NICSI carries out empanelment through open tender processes on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). The procurement by NICSI is conducted to meet the IT requirements of government entities. NICSI facilitates the procurement process by leveraging its expertise, resources, and network of suppliers and vendors. This helps streamline the acquisition of IT-related products and services, ensuring not only efficiency and transparency but also compliance with government regulations and policies. Our procurement process often involves bid process management, and we have a four-stage audit cycle, from internal audit to CAG audit.
What is the status of e-office in the country? How has NICSI contributed to the e-office initiative?
NICSI has played a major role in the implementation of the e-office, which is now being used in hundreds of government departments. The system enables electronic file management thereby reducing the use of paper and enhancing efficiency. The vision behind the initiative is to achieve simplified, responsive, effective and transparent working for all government offices.
The open architecture of e-office makes it amenable to replication across central, state and local governments. The system can be configured and customized to meet the specific requirements of government departments.
NICSI conducts training programmes for government employees to enable them to effectively use the e-office applications. We also help in setting up the necessary IT infrastructure, including servers and networking, to support e-office. Currently, NICSI is assisting in the scaling up of e-office infrastructure. We are also providing helpdesk and support services to assist government employees in using e-office and troubleshooting the issues that arise.
What kind of role is NICSI playing in the effective implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act?
The data protection laws aim to regulate the collection, storage, processing and sharing of personal data with the goal of ensuring privacy and data security. With its long experience in digital technologies and systems, NICSI has the capability to assist government agencies and affiliated organizations in complying with the provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP). We are currently providing such services to several government entities. The policy formation and revision is handled at the Ministry level, by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). NICSI’s involvement is limited to the area of technological systems and procedures that can ensure compliance with the law.
Is NICSI in a position to support the development of capacity building for the effective implementation of the Government of India's digital initiatives?
NICSI conducts training programs and workshops for government employees to enhance their IT skills and knowledge. This is crucial in building the capacity of the government workforce to effectively utilize IT tools and systems. We play a crucial role in enhancing the skills, knowledge, abilities of government employees. We regularly organise training programs, workshops, seminars and other initiatives aimed at improving the digital literacy and competency of government officials. To enable the government to derive maximum benefit from emerging technologies, we are conducting training sessions for blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
NICSI is spearheading a large number of digital projects. Name one that you think is of critical importance?
One of the key projects being implemented by NICSI is Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD). The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is spearheading this project with the aim of analyzing road accidents data to find ways for improving road safety in the country. iRAD envisages the development of accurate and uniform road accident data collection mechanism for the country. NICSI and IIT Madras have been jointly entrusted to carry out the research, analysis, design, development, training and implementation of iRAD. The implementation is being done with the support and coordination of all the key stakeholders, which includes the police, RTOs, highway authority and the various health departments.
You pointed out earlier that NICSI is executing digital projects in other developing countries. What are your key overseas projects?
NICSI has been involved in a number of overseas projects. We have executed the e-prisons software for the Mauritius prison service. We have implemented five NIC developed applications for the Royal Government of Bhutan. In Mongolia, we have done the upgradation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Centre for Excellence in Information and communication technology (ABVCE-ICT) at Ulaanbaatar. We have deployed e-office solutions in some departments of the Sri Lanka government. Kazakhstan has shown interest in NIC mail and digilocker– and we might soon start working on this project. Within India we have been part of several global projects. For instance, we participated in the 18th G20 Summit. NICSI also played a pivotal role in organizing the 2023 GPAI Summit in December and 2024 GPAI Summit in July.
You talked about emerging technologies earlier. What kind of role can emerging technologies play in our systems of governance and society in general?
Emerging technologies are playing a critical role. The private and public sector companies in India should invest in technologies like AI, ML, 5G, satellite internet, Internet of Things, blockchain and quantum. These technologies have limitless applications in the government and in other sectors. Edge computing brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed, reducing latency and bandwidth usage. This can be used in applications like autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and augmented reality and virtual reality. Biometric technologies, including facial recognition, fingerprint scanning and iris recognition are already being used by government departments and agencies. Cyber security is another key area where technological transformation is taking place. To ensure the safety of its digital public infrastructure, India has to keep abreast of the latest developments in cyber security.
New emerging technologies are hitting the world’s economy and governance systems at regular intervals. When there are so many traditional and emerging technologies available in the market, how do the government organizations like NICSI decide what technology is best suited for a particular project?
The effectiveness of NICSI solutions depends on how well they align with the specific requirements and objectives of the organization or project. What works well for one entity may not be the best fit for another. NICSI uses the technology landscape. We strive to ensure that our knowledge and skills keep evolving with the pace of technological evolution. It is possible that the technology that is regarded as the best today might become outdated at some point in the future. To deal with the problem of technological obsolescence, we need to develop the capacity to identify technology trends and adapt to them. NICSI strives to create solutions that are scalable–this ensures that as the organization’s requirements grow, the solution can be scaled up. This ensures the long-term viability of the solution.
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