ITANAGAR, 13 Aug: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday launched the state wide area network (SWAN), which will provide secure digital connectivity to all the district headquarters and local administrative centres across the state.
The launch ceremony, which was held in the virtual mode on the SWAN platform, was joined by 17 district administrations and 98 block administrations.
“Under this scheme, digital connectivity is being provided between the state headquarters and block level administrative centres via district and sub-divisional headquarters, in a vertical hierarchical structure with a minimum bandwidth capacity of 2 mbps per link,” the CM’s PR cell informed in a release.
Funded by the union electronics & information technology ministry, the Arunachal SWAN (ArSWAN) envisages establishing 184 SWAN points of presence (PoP) in the state
The 184 sites include the state headquarters, 17 district headquarters and 166 block and horizontal offices, it said.
Khandu requested union Electronics & Information Technology Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney, who also attended the programme virtually from New Delhi, to extend the network to other unconnected districts created in recent years.
“As per the project, only 17 districts were identified for inclusion under the scheme, but in recent years a few more districts were created for ease of administration, which also need to be taken under the ambit of the SWAN,” the CM said.
He requested the ministry to assist the state’s IT & communications department in making functional all remaining PoP in the state.
“SWAN is a reliable network for vertical and horizontal connectivity throughout the state through the means of videoconferencing and IP telephone, which we must fully utilize for delivering service to the people at the shortest possible time,” Khandu said.
Interacting live with the deputy commissioners of remote districts like Kra Daadi and Longding, Khandu said that the network would now facilitate “seamless and uninterrupted communication between the state headquarters and district headquarters.”
As the district headquarters will be further connected with sub-divisional and block headquarters, he said that now the deputy commissioners can be in direct touch with their subordinate officers through videoconference, and that IP telephone governance would become cost-effective and prompt.
The CM urged the DCs to “maximize on the newly acquired digital connectivity, not only for ease of governance but also for delivering speedy service to the rural populace.”
Khandu also interacted with a few ADCs, SDOs and COs over the IP telephone service.
Terming the launch “a historic step towards e-governance based on transparency and accountability,” he said, “Geographically we may be far away, but digitally we are now next to each other.”
The ArSWAN is set to become “the highway of connectivity between G2G, G2C and G2B, providing round-the-clock connectivity among all government offices,” the PR cell said.
State Council for IT & e-Governance Chairman Doni Nich, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, the secretary, the special secretary, the IT & communications director and officials of the district administrations participated in the programme.
