Page 140 - DLIS408_INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY-APPLICATIONSL SCIENCES

Unit 12: Libraries and Information Centers in India

7. The headquarter of ERNET is situated in: Notes
(a) New Delhi (b) Mumbai
(c) Chennai (d) Kolkata
8. ERNET stands for:
(a) Employment and research network. (b) Education and Research Network
(c) Education and Reserve Network (d) Education and Research National.
9. ERNET was initiated in:
(a) 1985 (b) 1970 (c) 1986 (d) 1960.

12.5 NICNET

In 1975, the Government of India strategically decided to take effective steps for the development
of information systems and utilization of information resources and also for introducing computer
based decision support system (informatics-led development) in government ministries and
departments to facilitate planning and programme implementation to further the growth of
economic and social development. Following this, the Central Government nucleated a high
priority plan project “National Informatics Centre (NIC)” in 1976, and later on with the financial
assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the tune of US$4.4 million.

NIC was set up initially under the purview of Information, Planning and Analysis Group (IPAG)
of the then Electronics Commission/the Department of Electronics (DOE). In 1987, it was shifted to
the Union Planning Commission and in October 1999, to the newly formed Central Ministry of
Information Technology, which later became Department of Information Technology of the
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The Government of India’s resolution on the NIC’s mandate has been published in the Gazette of
India dated 2 September 1995. Major thrust areas of projects are given below:
NIC is permitted to utilize its services, expertise and infrastructure including NICNET for
supporting, on a charging basis, promotional activities/projects/programmes of national
importance.
Informatics and Network support of NIC/NICNET can be made available to public and
private organizations engaged in specified promotional activities/projects/programmes.
The specified categories of access are permitted for giving access to the services, technolo-
gies, expertise and infrastructure of NIC/NICNET to specified organizations and promo-
tional applications.
NIC/NICNET is given the enabling facilities for supporting promotional activities/
projects/programmes in the identified work-areas.
The District is the basic administrative unit at the sub-state level in India. NICNET, with nodes in
all the district of the Country, is in consonance with the decentralized planning concepts of the
Government of India. It is a facilitator of information flow from the implementation level, to the
planners at macro (national), macro-meso (region covering more than one state), meso(state), and
micro (district, block and village)levels.

Did u know? NIC has innovated the concept of distributed databases, relevant to the specific
requirements in India, and implemented the same over NICNET.

Recognising the importance of information as a vital resource, with applications in rural
development, agricultural development, NIC launched its District Information System (DISNIC)
programme in 1987. Although the district administration encompasses General Administration,
Revenue Collection, Treasury, Judiciary and Development Activities, the focus has shifted in

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 135