The NKN is a state-of-the-art multi-gigabit pan-India network for providing a unified high speed network backbone for all knowledge related institutions in the country.NKN has already been approved with an outlay of Rs. 5990 crores and is being implemented by NIC under DIT. NKN will provide network connectivity to around 1500 institutions across the country with gigabit capabilities consolidating multiple networks in the country and providing new virtual network facilities. NKN shall also create a foundation for hosting and providing access to Government applications.

For more information visit the National Knowledge Network website

The Office of Adviser too PM on PIII has been working with various stakeholders on a plan for connecting 250,000 Panchayats in the country to optic fibre based Broadband. Effort is also underway to ensure that this hardware connectivity is supplemented by requisite software that takes into account local requirements, and provision of the right ecosystem at the Panchayats to best leverage the benefits of Broadband connectivity. The vision is to transform governance, service delivery and unleash local innovation capacity through rural broadband.

For more details read here.

The Public Information Infrastructure programme pursues a vision of ICT-empowered panchayats: of strengthened panchayat capacities for governance and service delivery, through democratised information for transparency, accountability, collaboration, training, management and decentralised decision-making; of panchayats equipped to organise, access, and mobilise information with state of the art ICT infrastructure, architecture tools and technology.

For more information read here.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) applications are critical to many aspects of governance and nation building and can power more open-government methods and, thereby, leverage economic and social development more effectively; help in reaching the gains of development to the intended beneficiaries; and also bring in accountability and responsibility of public and national development activities. A National GIS system will also be a core platform of the PII framework which will enable information sharing and collaboration among Government departments and between government and citizens. This national GIS architecture will map the country’s assets on the ground and improve policy planning and monitoring by encouraging sharing of information on a single platform.This Project is being overseen by Ministry of Earth Sciences and Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Member, Planning Commission and Member, National Innovation Council.

Consultations with stakeholder for a vision document on GIS is worked upon by an expert group.

A Expert Group has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Mr. Sam Pitroda to recommend ways and means to modernize Indian Railways to meet the challenges of economic growth, the aspirations of the common man, the needs of changing technology and the expanding market while at the same time ensuring adequate focus on addressing social and strategic requirements of the country in consonance with Indian Railways' national aspirations.

The Terms of Reference of the Committee would involve outlining strategies for modernization of Railways with a focus on track, signaling, rolling stock, stations and terminals; using ICT for improving efficiency and safety; augmenting existing capacities of Railways through indigenous development; reviewing projects and addressing PPP issues.
For more details visit Railway Modernization

The office of Adviser to PM has been working with the Ministry of Law and Justice towards setting up of the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, with a focus on use of ICT in reducing pendencies and delays. The idea of the Mission emerged at the National Consultation for Strengthening the Judiciary towards Reducing Pendency and Delays held in October 2009.

Objectives of the National MissionThe National Mission spanning 5 years from 2011-2016 would focus on two major goals as envisaged in the vision document, namely:

• Increasing access by reducing delays and arrears in the system, and
• Enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance standards and capacities.

• Policy and Legislative changes such as All India Judicial Service, Litigation Policy, Judicial Impact Assessment, Amendment in N.I. Act and Arbitration & Conciliation Act, Legal Education Reforms etc.
• Re-engineering procedures and alternate methods of Dispute Resolution such as identification of bottlenecks, procedural changes in court processes, statutory amendments to reduce anddisincentivizedelays,Fasttracking of procedures, appointment of court managers and Alternate Dispute Resolution.
• Focus on Human Resource Development such as filling up of vacancy positions in all courts of judges and court staff, strengthening State Judicial Academies, Training of Public Prosecutors and ICT enablement of public prosecutors offices, strengthening National Judicial Academy and Training of mediators.
• Leveraging ICT for better justice delivery such as implementation ofE-courts project, integration of ICT in the judiciary and use in criminal justice delivery and creation of National Arrears Grid.
• Improving Infrastructure such as improving physical infrastructure of the District and subordinate courts and creation of special / additional courts like Morning / Evening Courts, Family Courts and GramNyayalayas.

Primary ISGFT functions, pertaining to Smart Grids, include, inter alia:

• Ensuring awareness, coordination and integration of diverse activities related to Smart Grid Technologies.
• Practices and services for research and development of Smart Grids.
• Coordination and integration of other relevant inter-governmental activities.
• Collaboration on an interoperability framework.
• Review and validation of recommendations from India Smart Grid Forum.

The Task Force has constituted five working groups to focus on different tasks related to Smart Grid activities. These include:

• Working Group 1, chaired by Shri N Murugesan, Director General of the Central Power Research Institute; focusing on methodologies for selecting pilots to be taken up under Smart Grids in India;
• Working Group 2, chaired by ShriSatnam Singh, Chairmand Managing Director of the Power Finance Corporation of India; focusing on loss reduction and theft control, incuding data gathering and analytics, reliability, and quality of power to urban areas;
• Working Group 3, chaired by Dr J M Pathak, Chairman and Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Corporation; focusing on power to rural areas and reliability and quality of power to urban areas;
• Working Group 4, chaired by ShriGurdial Singh, Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority; focusing on dist generation and renewable energy;
• Working Group 5, chaired by ShriGurdial Singh, Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority; focusing on physical cyber security, standards, and spectrum.

For more information visit the India Smart Grid Task Force website