Free WiFi is a misnomer, focus should be on creating a low cost sustainable model: Tarun Kumar Pithode, District Collector, Rajgarh

Rajgarh, a district in Madhya Pradesh recently made headlines for turning its three remote villages into free Wi-Fi hamlets without any government funding. Impressed with the work Prime Minister Office (PMO) had enquired about the modality of the initiative. Express Computer’s Mohd Ujaley spoke with the district collector, Tarun Kumar Pithode, an IAS officer of 2009 batch to understand Rajgarh tryst with technology and his vision for the district. He said, “The main requirements in villages are information relating to farming, health consultancy and education inputs for the students. If we can create low cost WiFi zones it will ensure that people get these services on their own.”

You have recently joined as collector Rajgarh. What are your main priorities right now for the district?

My first priority is to ensure that all the schemes of the government are implemented to the satisfaction of the people. To ensure citizen centric services. In addition to this I am working on a model to create WiFi zones in villages to ensure that people avail various online services sitting in their homes. The main requirements in villages are information relating to farming, health consultancy and education inputs for the students. If we can create low cost WiFi zones it will ensure that people get these services on their own.

In your previous stint at Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), you turn to technology to plug loop-holes in system. Please share that experience, how did you do that and what was the outcome of that exercise?

I was posted in MPPEB after the scam broke out. During initial few months we tried to understand the loop-holes and act against after enquiring about the fake selections simultaneously. Our analysis revealed that the technology used in the computer section of PEB was too old, yet the word computer made people shy away and led the power be concentrated in few hands. We understood this and decided to modernize the system with the help of IT department of the government of Madhya Pradesh. This involved starting the process of computerization of all the processes of examinations. We also started the process of introduction of online examination. This took more than a year starting with expression of interest (EOI) to floating the tender and finalizing the party and finally starting the online examinations. Before I left we had already conducted four examination involving more than two lakh applicants. This started the era of mass computer based examinations in PEB.

How has been Rajgarh tryst with free Wi-Fi services. What have been the achievements so far and what are the plans to make it self-sustainable?

With this initiative we are aiming to become first WIFi district. It involves the effort of various entrepreneurs, social organisations and administration. We have thought of mainly three ways to promote it. One is led by volunteer organisaions like the one done in the panchayat Bawadikheda. But this is not sustainable as nothing is free in this world. But there could be sponsors to promote this model. We are trying to bring them in. The other model is to let it be free for the entrepreneurs to implement and levy user charge. This may involve complex issues of licenses and all. We are looking into such legal issues. The third one is facilitating the local bodies to implement it. We are working on details of all such ways. There could be two other ways but it is still in the process of development.

We have noticed that e-governance project in many cases did not give the anticipated outcomes. How can we bridge the gap between conceived outcome (planning stage) and final outcome (actual delivery)?

This is serious issue that has made us believe that the most sustainable model should be implemented so that everything is left tot the forces of demand and supply, thereby leaving it to the market and become facilitators and promoters of various services like tele-medicine, tele-education, farming inputs and knowledge dissemination.

Do you have any broader vision for the Rajgarh? What is that vision and how technology fits into it?

Yes, The broad vision is to make people capable through various inputs like training and technology to ensure they take right decision at right time leading to improvement in the quality of life for all the residents of the district, especially rural folks. We aim to improve the standard of living by increasing the agricultural income to double in 5 years, the construction of two major dams adds to the effort as they would be completed by the year 2018. Better the human health and education index by improving the health services and quality of education. Besides, start few services that makes it possible to ensure delivery of services at the doorstep of residents.