Though the State Government keeps emphasising on putting the modern technology to good use in the State administration, the restoration of Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) department’s website is yet to be done.
The website uttarainformation.gov.in remains suspended for nearly 10 months i.e. since December 2013.
The DIPR plays an important role in highlighting the State Government’s programmes and policies among the masses. More so, with the advancement of information technology (IT), it has become easier for the people to have access to what the Government has in store for them.
Better use of this modern vehicle of communication by the Government’s administrative machinery in a State like Uttarakhand, given its tougher geographical terrain, could have come in handy, particularly for the tech-savvy citizens to be informed about the Government’s welfare programmes.
It is worth mentioning here that the people nowadays are having all the information at their finger tips. Advent of smart phones has only added to the advantage.
Interestingly, the Government of India’s commitment to ‘Digital India’ has raised expectations of the tech-savvy citizens from their elected Government in regard to better use of technology in public life. Since departments are supposed to put all valuable public interest information on their websites the people prefer surfing the internet to going through the documents.
To have knowledge about a particular policy or any vital information nowadays remains only a click away. However, seemingly oblivious of the importance of the information technology and its benefits for the masses, the DIPR seems to be least bothered about restoring its website.
The department concerned that is responsible to reach out to the people with Government’s popular measures has defied the Government’s basic principle of bringing about greater degree of transparency in its functioning and promoting e-governance, said Surendra Semwal, an IT professional.
And the Chief Minister Harish Rawat being ignorant of the DIPR website remaining non-functional is quite surprising, he said.
Therefore, many professionals here are of the view that sheer ‘unprofessionalism’ reigning supreme in the department is responsible for the sorry state of things. This is what is leading the officials of the DIPR remaining unconcerned about the aforesaid website not functioning for a long time.
However, when asked why things are so, Yogesh Mishra, Assistant Director (information),Media Centre, Haldwani said that efforts are being made now to restore the website as far his knowledge goes. “However, the senior officials can confirm the matter,” he maintained.