Punjab State

On 21st September, 2023, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Bhagwant Mann attended the inaugural session of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. During the occasion, all Ministers, MLAs and Administrative Secretaries were present.

In his welcome address, Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sardar Kultar Singh Sandhwan acknowledged the efforts made by NIC Punjab to implement NEVA in a timely manner. He envisaged implementing a total software solution for empowering Members starting with paperless House Business, internal working of the paperless House Committees and e-Constituency management.

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Bhagwant Mann apart from launching the National          e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), also inaugurated/launched 4 more initiatives for making NeVA implementation a success in Punjab. He inaugurated a 2-day Conference-cum-Workshop on NeVA and released a vision brochure for NeVA Punjab. He also launched the new website of Punjab Vidhan Sabha (https://punjabassembly.nic.in)  developed by NIC Punjab including NeVA 2.0 functionalities for internal working of the paperless House Committees and   e-Constituency management. He also inaugurated NeVA Sewa Kendra in Punjab Vidhan Sabha to facilitate training and capacity building for the members and secretariat staff. He also inaugurated a Digital Wing in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, to be jointly managed by NIC Punjab and Punjab Vidhan Sabha, and help in successful implementation of NeVA.

Sh. Vivek Verma, SIO & DDG, NIC Punjab gave a presentation on NeVA Project covering the efforts & challenges in its implementation. He also provided an overview of the roles of NIC, NICSI and DoGR Punjab in implementing the NeVA project in Punjab. He apprised about the current status of NeVA and the lacing of the whole Vidhan Sabha premises with high-speed internet and wi-fi.

Sh. Dharmesh Kumar, Sr. Director (IT) & HoD, NIC Punjab gave a presentation on software modules for the working of the House, House Committees and e-Constituencies Management. He also explained that because the current NeVA software is only designed to handle paperless House business, NIC Punjab has developed complementary software (NeVA 2.0) to meet the needs of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, for the internal working of the paperless House Committees and e-Constituency management. Thus, NeVA along with NeVA 2.0 provides a total software solution to Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Sh. Sanjeev, Sr. Director (IT) & HoD, NIC-MoPA shared the MoPA guidelines and experiences of implementing NeVA Project in various States of India. Smt. Preeti Yadav Assistant Director (IT), NIC-MoPA, Sh. Mukesh Under Secretary, MoPA and Sh. Sameer Varshney Project Manager NeVA, MoPA were also present.

All officers and officials of the NIC Punjab State Unit also attended the NeVA conference and contributed in managing the conference.

Contribution of Sh. Sanjay Puri, Director (IT), Sh. Rajesh Thapa, Jt. Director (IT) and Sh. Virender Dhanda, Deputy Director (IT) of NIC Punjab Div-I was commendable.

The Chief Minister, while addressing the Assembly said it was a revolutionary step aimed at making the Punjab legislature more responsive. He said it was a matter of pride that Punjab was the first Vidhan Sabha to launch various applications as a total software solution under the scope of the NeVA project.

The Chief Minister said the digitisation of the Vidhan Sabha would act as a corner stone for enhancing the efficiency of MLAs to raise the issues of public concern. He envisioned that MLAs of both the opposition and treasury banks would take mileage out of this initiative.

The Chief Minister said this was the dawn of a new era as the functioning of the State Legislative Assembly would be now paperless. He said under the NeVA project, it would be easier to trace decisions and documents as well as to share information for

transparent and answerable processes at various levels for empowerment of the MLAs. He also said more such efforts would be made to ensure that people are benefited from it.

Apart from iPads fixed on table of each member in the House, the Chief Minister also distributed iPads to the Ministers and MLAs for working from Home.

A vote of thanks was given by Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sardar Jai Krishan Singh.

The Punjab Water Regulation & Development Authority (PWRDA) takes a significant leap forward in its mission to manage and regulate ground water usage in the state. On September 6, 2023, PWRDA launched its much-awaited Online Permission Portal, a groundbreaking initiative designed and developed by the NIC Punjab under the visionary leadership of Sh. Vivek Verma, DDG and SIO Punjab. The online portal not only simplifies the application process but also contributes to greater transparency and efficiency within the department.

The Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA) established in the year of 2020 with an aim to manage and regulate ground water usage in the state of Punjab to achieve sustainable management of groundwater balanced with the requirements of the livelihoods of people in the State. The conservation of water is to be mandated for all users of groundwater by encouraging them to undertake, at their own cost, water conservation measures that will help to achieve the set target for conservation for each zone in the state.

As per the requirement received from PWRDA, NIC Punjab has designed, developed and deployed the Web Portal, Web Application and Mobile Apps for the department for obtaining permissions for Groundwater Extraction, operating Drilling Rigs and Water Tanker in Punjab under the Punjab Ground Water Extraction and Conservation Directions 2023. No User shall extract groundwater or conduct any activity connected therewith without obtaining permission of the authority except for drinking and domestic usage, exclusive usage in agriculture, use in a place of worship, drinking and domestic water supply scheme of Government, use by an establishment of the Military or of the Central Paramilitary Forces,          an Urban Local Body, Panchayati Raj Institution, Cantonment Board, Improvement Trust or Area Development Authority and a unit extracting not more than 300 cubic meters of groundwater per month.

The portal will automate the process to provide NOC to the applicants of commercial units for extraction of ground water and its related permissions. Also the user department will then process the application as per their business rules and grant NOC to all the commercial units. With this system the application processing time will be reduced and system will bring more transparency in the department. Also Web Portal provides organization information and its applications/services. This is complete work flow based application which under goes scrutiny at three level before granting permission to the applicant. The workflow is fully customizable through Admin User. The application has been integrated with various APIs like PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.), PPCB (Punjab Pollution Control Board) and Business First for the ease of applicants and as per the requirement of the application. Bharat Maps has been used for pictorial representation of units on the map.

The Web Portal and Web Application have been designed and developed using Open Source technologies and have been deployed in State Data Centre and is accessible at https://pwrda.punjab.gov.in. The Web Portal is complete Content Management System (CMS) and has been developed to provide the utility of dynamically managing the contents of portal.

On this occasion Sh. Surjit Singh, Scientist-F and HoD Div5, Sh. Dinesh Sharma, Scientist-F and Ms Parminder Kaur, Scientist-E were also present.

Punjab Information and Public Relations Minister S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra on 2nd Aug 2023, launched an online portal, designed to streamline the process of journalists obtaining their accreditation.  The portal developed by NIC Punjab for the Department of Information and Public Relations, has transformed the process of issuance of identity to media persons.

The Cabinet Minister S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra, appreciated the efforts put in by DIPR and NIC Punjab for creating portal which will revolutionize the process of issuance of accreditation to journalists. Aspiring and established journalists can navigate the application process with ease and convenience.  By utilizing the platform, they can submit their documents, verify their credentials and gain accreditation in an efficient and timely manner and it would be given as per the eligibility conditions and Quota limits specified in the guidelines. 

Secretary IPR Mr. Malwinder Singh Jaggi, IAS informed that online accreditation platform will allow journalists to submit their accreditation applications from the comfort of their own workplaces, whether at the district, state level or from Delhi. He said that the initiative aims to significantly streamline the accreditation process, minimizing manual intervention and reducing approval times.

Director IPR Mr. Bhupinder Singh, IAS said that journalists can now submit their applications directly, eliminating the need to travel to regional or state offices. This innovative approach will save time and resources for journalists working in diverse regions. He further told that once applications are submitted, the system automatically escalates them to the approval authority at the state level. The absence of manual intervention expedites the process, ensuring quick and efficient accreditation. In the event of objections to an application, the system enables the process to be conducted online. Applicants can address objections and make necessary adjustments directly, avoiding unnecessary visits to offices.

Sh. Vivek Verma, Deputy Director General & State Informatics Officer Punjab, under whose guidance the application has been developed, said that the application has been developed in ServicePlus which is e-Service delivery framework developed by NIC for delivering electronic-services to citizens. He further said that the applicants receive SMS and email alerts, keeping them informed about the status of their applications and the expected time for approval.

On this occasion, Sr. Director & ASIO (D) Mrs. Usha Rai, Director (IT) Mr. Pankaj Jain,  Deputy Director (Press) Mr. Ishwinder Singh Grewal and Deputy Director Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khaira, were also present.

‘Embossing of Documents’ application developed in ServicePlus Framework by NIC Punjab was launched by S. Bhagwant Mann, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Punjab on 24th July 2023 in his office. It marks a significant milestone in administrative efficiency and transparency. This application promises to revolutionize the way NRIs authorize property sales in India.

The launch event was attended by esteem dignitaries, including the Sh. Brahm Shankar Sharma, Minister of Revenue, Sh. Anurag Verma, Chief Secretary Punjab, Sh. K.P. Sinha, Financial Commissioner, Punjab, Sh. Vivek Verma, DDG & SIO Punjab, and other high-ranking officers, who witnessed the service's potential to transform the property transaction process for NRIs.

Embossing of Documents Application will facilitate NRIs in authorizing a person in India to conduct property sales on their behalf. The application's seamless automation allows for the swift submission of authorization applications to relevant officers at 29 locations, including DC Office, Divisional Commissioner, and FCR (State) office, adhering to specified conditions.

One of the standout features of this service is the user's ability to schedule a convenient visit to the chosen location after scrutiny of documents. To ensure maximum convenience, separate slot booking pages for all 29 locations are meticulously maintained. With the option to schedule the final embossing of documents on the original deed at a time of their choosing, applicants enjoy unparallel flexibility.

Integration with the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), Punjab streamlines the payment process. Applicants can directly submit fees to the revenue department's designated head of account through multiple payment gateways supported by the application. This removes any third-party payment gateway which in turn obviates reconciliation and other cumbersome financial tasks.

The implementation of ‘Embossing of Documents’ service has been successful  because of unwavering dedication and efforts put in by S Amolak S Kalsi, Sr. Director (IT) and  Sh. Pankaj Jain, Director (IT) under the expert guidance and support of Sh. Vivek Verma, DDG & SIO Punjab.  Their collaborative spirit ensured the service's flawless execution, promising to bring immense benefits to NRIs and stakeholders involved in property transactions.

With the launch of ‘Embossing of Documents’ service, ServicePlus reaffirms its commitment to innovation, efficiency, and user-centric solutions, paving the way for further advancements in public service delivery.