January 2013 - Informatics

Special FeatureWEB RATNA AWARDS-2012Promoting Exemplary Initiatives in e-GovernanceINTRODUCTIONGood governance is one of the keyrequirements of development. InIndia, Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) isthe catalyzer to deliver goodgovernance by improving theeffectiveness and efficiency ofgovernment stake holders. In therecent years, the emergingtechnologies have helped theGovernment institutions to think out ofthe box in delivering the critical publicservices; improving transparency andaccountability; fostering citizen'saccess to public and officialinformation; enhancing citizens'participation in the public policyprocess; and improving inclusion andparticipation of all stakeholders ingovernance.The Web Ratna Awards, constitutedby the Ministry of Communicationsand Information Technology, underthe ambit of the National Portal ofIndia, acknowledges exemplaryinitiatives/practices of variousstates/UTs in the realm of e-governance. Today, citizens canexplore diverse services with a fewclicks of mouse. A number of e-Governance initiatives have beenundertaken by the State Governmentsand Central Ministries on a continuousbasis to improve the delivery andaccessibility of public services.THE EVENT AT A GLANCEEnthusiasm marked the secondseason of the Web Ratna Awards. Itwas held on 10th December, 2012 atDr. D.S Kothari Auditorium, DRDOBhawan, Dalhousie Road, New Delhi.Hon'ble Minister ofCommunications and InformationTechnology, Shri Kapil Sibal felicitatedthe winners. Hon’ble Ministers of Statefor Communications and InformationTechnology Shri Milind Deora and Dr.(Smt) Kruparani Killi were the guestsof honour in the event.Shri J. Satyanarayana, Secretary,Department of Electronics &Information Technology (DeitY) andDr. Y. K. Sharma, Director General,NIC also graced the event.With the penetration of Internet &availability of affordable means toaccess the World Wide Web, thegovernment web space can now beaccessed by citizens of India across thenation, be it Rural and Urban. Thisraises the expectation fromGovernment websites and portals forhigher accessibility and citizencentricity to facilitate INCLUSIVEACCESS to government information& services.THE PROCESSThe Web Ratna Secretariat got anexcellent response to the call fornominations for six categories ofAwards. All the nominations wereevaluated based on scientificallyformulated criterion. Specificevaluation criterions were devised forspecific category by the IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.Outcome of evaluation was thensubmitted to the ScreeningCommittee.Nominations, shortlisted byscreening committee were finallypresented to the esteemed Jurycomprising of senior members fromthe Government, Academia, Institutesand Organizations. The Jury finallyselected the Platinum, Gold and Silvericons for each category.4 | informatics.nic.in | January 2013