Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo Reviews IT Department Functioning, Launches E-SAM Portal
SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level meeting to review the functioning of the Information Technology (IT) Department and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K. The meeting was attended by Secretary, IT, Dr. Piyush Singla; CEO, JaKeGA, Mahima Madan; State Informatics Officer, NIC, J.S. Modi; and other senior officials.
At the outset, the Chief Secretary highlighted the critical importance of cyber security and called for its strengthening at the tehsil and block levels. He directed the IT Department to ensure seamless expansion of the e-Office network to all tehsil and block offices across J&K, following its successful rollout in district offices, and requested a detailed status report identifying offices still outside the e-Office framework.
He further instructed the Department to expedite the upgradation of the State Data Centre (SDC) and establish a Mini Security Operations Centre (SoC) in J&K. Emphasizing capacity-building, he proposed the creation of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in IT to nurture skilled manpower aligned with future industry needs. He also called for a comprehensive proposal for a futuristic IT Park in the UT to generate high-end employment opportunities for youth in advanced IT domains.
During the meeting, Secretary, IT, Dr. Piyush Singla provided an overview of departmental achievements, noting that the number of active websites audited by Third-Party Auditors (TPA) had increased from 110 to 206 in the past three months, with over 210 government websites and applications currently accessible to the public. He added that the SDC is in the process of obtaining ISO 27001 and ISO 20001 certifications, reinforcing the government’s commitment to international information security and service standards.
CEO, JaKeGA, Mahima Madan, presented updates on ongoing projects, including audits of departmental websites conducted by a CERT-IN empanelled TPA and their upcoming migration to IPv6 for enhanced security and performance. She reported that e-Office 2.0 has onboarded 4,056 offices and 21,774 users under its second phase, extending operations to tehsil and block levels. The State Wide Area Network (SWAN) now covers all districts and 167 blocks, ensuring robust connectivity.
She further stated that 127 citizen services, including 15 newly added ones, have been integrated with DigiLocker, making over 8.06 crore records available online, with 30.4 lakh registered users in J&K. JaKeGA’s initiatives also include digitization of government records, software development for multiple departments, Digital Village Centres in 44 panchayats, Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance systems, and upcoming plans for disaster recovery setups, digital signage solutions, and capacity-building programs.
State Informatics Officer, NIC J.S. Modi, highlighted NIC’s role as the government’s technological partner, providing technical consultancy, system design support, and guidance on emerging technologies. NIC’s infrastructure spans J&K, offering services such as video conferencing, NIC/NKN connectivity, Network Operations Centre management, cyber security initiatives, website and application hosting, and email services for government departments and the J&K Police. He also noted NIC’s support for public-facing digital platforms, including Shri Amarnathji Yatra services, Pension Suvidha Portal, BoPEE services, and Service Plus (JanSugam), with upcoming projects like NeVA (National e-Vidhan Application), Next Gene Hospital, and online sanctioning of social welfare applications.
Earlier in the meeting, the Chief Secretary launched the E-SAM (Electronic System of Asset Management) Portal, a comprehensive lifecycle management platform designed to optimize asset performance, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. The portal streamlines operations through workflow management, vendor integration, inventory control, disposal tracking, compliance monitoring, and efficiency enhancements, thereby improving governance and accountability.
