Rajasthan: Transforming from ‘Registan’ to ‘Digital-stan’

India’s largest state by area Rajasthan, which is largely known for its deserts (Registan in Hindi), is transforming into a digital hub on the back of extensive use of information technology in governance and public service delivery system. Rajasthan – ‘Land of Kingdoms’ – has emerged as a Star performer in this year’s SKOCH State of Governance study. The state leads in e-Governance and Governance & Development categories.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has set a clear roadmap to make Rajasthan a leading player in digital space. Raje, who also holds the portfolio of Information Technology, has been relentlessly pushing for the extensive use of modern technology in making governance better and people friendly. There are no areas that are left without her personal stamp of governance—creating an environment for Ease-of-Doing business; Anchal Mother Milk Bank – the country’s maiden Milk Bank to reduce infant mortality rate; Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana aimed at providing free quality healthcare to 8.4 lakh people; or, the GPS-enabled tracking SOS alerts for the safety of women—she has displayed steely determination to overcome difficulties from a State once known for its poor socioeconomic indicators.

Raje was conferred SKOCH Chief Minister of the Year Award for her relentless pursuit to take Rajasthan on the sustainable growth path. Rajasthan led the award chart with 42 SKOCH Orders-of-Merit and 16 awards. The awards included six each in Platinum and Gold and four in Silver categories.

Economy

Rajasthan’s rate of economic expansion has been higher than the national average in the recent years. Rajasthan’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) registered a compound annual growth rate of 12.38 per cent between 2004-05 and 2015-16.

The state has set up a Single Window Clearance System (SWCS) for investment approvals that has helped boost investments. Bureau of Investment Promotion is a nodal agency for facilitating investments. For industrial development, the state has set up a nodal agency called Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO).

Key Achievements

Rajasthan bagged 42 SKOCH Orders-of- Merit in the SKOCH State of Governance awards in 2017. Almost half of this is in e-Governance category. Eight SKOCH Orders-of-Merit were in Governance & Development category, while 6 were in Health. The state won one SKOCH Order-of-Merit in district administration and one in Education & Skill category. The state won 16 awards – six each in Platinum and Gold and four in Silver category.

With a view to ensure effective, accountable and transparent process of investment proposals, Rajasthan Government has put in place Single Window Clearance System. The system has been given statutory status with the enactment of the Single Window Act. It works as an umbrella system covering all modular systems and their integration to ultimately achieve the computerisation of statewide investment processing and efficient monitoring. The system facilitates interface across various departments, viz., Bureau of Investment Promotion, Industry, District Industry Centres and other Government Departments. This has made the investment process in the state fast and hassle-free.

Rajasthan Government has implemented e-Procurement system to enhance efficiency and transparency in public procurement through the implementation of a unified, real-time and comprehensive e-Procurement solution.

To ensure safety and security of women, the government has introduced Raj Mahila Suraksha app. This women safety mobile app provides a mechanism for complete security 24x7x365 for female residents of Rajasthan. Through this app, the emergency contacts and police receive SOS message, email and location of the person in emergency in every 30 seconds.

To cope with the problem of water scarcity, the government has introduced Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan. Under the scheme, infrastructure is created in the adopted village to conserve and harvest rainwater, making villages self-reliant during drought periods. A hydrological unit based on the Four Waters Concept is constructed in the village to harvest and store rainwater. The programme is designed in such a way, that planning and execution to funding of the project is done through participatory basis from the village community.

To improve health and wellbeing of children, the state has introduced an initiative called CMAM (Community Based Management of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition). This is one of the first large scale pilot interventions in the country with components like community mobilisation and sensitisation; timely and effective screening for case detection; appropriate medical care and nutrition rehabilitation; continued treatment until recovery; and, establishment of a strong link with the existing facility based care.

Anchal Mother Milk Bank has been implemented with an objective to reduce infant mortality rate and risk of malnutrition in children. Rajasthan is the first state in the country to setup community milk bank.

To ensure quality healthcare facilities, the government has introduced Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana. The scheme provides hassle-free cashless treatment and an improved quality of care to the citizens in the state. It has helped reduce the increasing burden on Government facilities in order to provide quality healthcare to over one crore families, which fall under National Food Security Scheme (NFSS) and National Health Insurance Scheme category. The implementation of the scheme is done through Bhamashah Cards.