Objective Interface - Official Website of Howrah District

E-Governance at Howrah 

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM ( GIS) FOR HOWRAH 

Competitiveness , due to Globalisation has caused remarkable changes in 

the planning approach for development process at every level . Convergence of 

various technologies has become need of the hour. GIS( Geographical Information 

System ) , which basically handles spatial data in the form of Maps, Global 

Positioning System (GPS),and integration with Non-Spatial Data , is one such 

technology that finds application in every area without exception is a very effective 

tool which helps in analyzing , managing and displaying the Spatial Data and 

Information on Map in Digitised form . 

The Spatial Information originates from geographical representations such as 

Maps and pictures taken from satellites or aerial photography. With rich tradition of 

mapping, a large number of Maps today exist with different across the country at 

various scales . The practise of using these maps , however follows traditional 

methods . A major constraint with analog form of maps arises from its rigid format 

which prohibits the use of data in different ways. 

Advent of digitization has revolutionized the cartographic representations . 

Here , the main advantage lies in the flexibility of representation , with layers of map 

, a capability that allows interactive experimentation , editing and overlays. 

The emphasis from map making in recent years has shifted to spatial digital 

database . As technology incorporates ease of data manipulation and resolves 

complexities , GIS has been making tremendous impact in planning and 

development process , whether Government , Public or Private sector. 

Objective 

It was felt by District Administration that for effective planning and decision making , 

GIS could be an effective and useful tool . Thus taking into priority it was decided , 

in consultation with several departments who can contribute significantly to start 

from scratch , the beginning of this entire exercise. 

The role of NIC , Howrah was Nodal for providing technical support and guidance . 

However , expertise opinion was initially sought from NRDMS , Bakura as this district 

had already implemented GIS since long and had a wide experience in this field . In 

the month of February 2007 , Digitised Block Maps for all the 14( Fourteen) Blocks 

were obtained and compiled into a comprehensive District Map . 

Interface 

Presently the Interface is G2G ( Government to Government ) , but however with 

further enhancements which are planned in the near future , like making the GIS 

web-interfaced , it would be a citizen centric application – G2C ( Government to 

Citizen ) 

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Usefulness of GIS 

Data of a particular place or area have various attributes and may be available 

either in Hard Copy format which may be in hand written text, in some spreadsheet 

(in computer) or in sketch map format . 

If these data or information can be displayed in a digitised Map format with all 

relevant information in diagrammatic representation in reference to some locations 

and legends or landmarks, then it becomes very easy even for a common man to 

understand the locational information of that particular area, etc. 

If the same tool, i.e GIS .. is used by the Govt., say Administration , it becomes a 

very powerful and effective method for planning , decision making and over all for 

effective development …… 

e.g For setting up of a Primary School, or a Health center , Angadwadi centre or 

relocation of a centre from one place to another place , if a pictorial view of the 

information can be obtained in respect to distance from road, drainage , population 

of that area , served or un-served area , natural hindrances or barrier , a decision 

can easily be arrived at…. 

Technical Specifications 

(a) Software(s) 

The softwares which are installed and being used for GIS are:- 

Arc View 3.0 – ESRI 

Map Info Professional 8.5 

Auto CAD 2000 

The Operating system being used is :- 

Windows XP Professional 

(b) Hardware(s) 

It operates on a stand-alone P-IV system . Additionally , HP 

Designjet 500 ps – Plotter is being used for generating Printouts of Maps. 

Training Activities 

For ensuring a smooth operation in the GIS activities , it was imperative to organize 

training from time to time to various departments , who had a major role in 

populating the GIS Database with latest informations . 

Keeping this in view , GIS software training was organised to various departments 

like:- 

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1. Police 2. Health 3. Excuse 4. PWD 5. Panchayat 6. Relief 7. Elections 8 . Industry 

9. ICDS 10. Transport , etc… 

Training was imparted at NIC, Howrah through NRDMS, Bakura a number of times to 

develop interest regarding the operation and usage of the software so that the 

departments could plot the information themselves in the Digitised Map 

Process undergone while preparing the Base Map 

For implementation GIS for Howrah District , Digitised Base Map had been prepared 

which had initially the following Layers or Themes or aspects:- 

1.Block Boundary with Block Names 

2.GP Boundary with GP Names 

3.Mouza Boundary with Mouza Names 

Later on , more layers was added to populate the map with more informations like:- 

1.All Core & Rural Road Network as obtained from PMGSY 

2.All Drainage and Rivers 

3.Railways Lines 

4.Ponds , Lakes & Forests 

5.Places of Worship 

The Base Map so obtained with themes is illustrated as below:- 

Apart from adding important themes , more refinement had been done in the 

Digitised Map , which was mainly Geo-Referencing , which means putting some 

actual informations like intersection of Roads 

, location of GP Headquaters , Location of 

some schools, etc. from satellite imagery to 

the digitised Base Map , so that the Reference 

points meet almost at the same locations. 

This is helpful so that once Map is properly 

Geo-referenced, Data obtained from GPS 

could be put in the map easily. 

Illustration 1.0 – Base map 

- 6 -


The Outcome and Achievements 

In a Short span of starting the GIS activities effectively from the month of 

March, 2007 and subsequent to the training organized to several departments , 

outcome in the form of information(s) started pouring in from many departments , 

naming a few are :- 

Department of Health , who have plotted a number of Information related to 

Parimary Health Centres , Sub-Centres , GP HQ sub Centres for many Blocks . 

Likewise , Department of Education had populated the Geo-Database with 

Primary, Upper Primary , SSK and MSK for several Blocks 

Department of Police had plotted vital informations like location of Police 

Stations, Police Outposts , Investigating Centres , Jurisdiction Areas . 

Department of Election had plotted information on location of Polling Stations 

Constituency wise. 

Department of Relief had identified locations of Relief Godown, Flood Shelters 

, Flood Affected area(s) , etc. 

Other Department(s) like Industry, ICDS , Transport , etc. have also 

contributed in populating information on the Map which could help in updating the 

Map with many useful informations towards a step forward for a effective GIS . 

Apart from the departmental 

activities in progress , parallel activities 

were also carried out at NIC, Howrah to 

show some more important informations 

on the Map based on several inputs 

received from various sources . 

Map showing Vested Water 

Bodies , Culturable & Non-Culturable 

Waterbodies- Mouzawise could be 

plotted through the Information received 

from Bureau of Applied Economics & 

Statistics . Land Bank Information 

showing Vested Land , Type of Vested 

Land with area could also be plotted on 

Culturable Waterbodies across the District, 

Source:- Bureau of Applied Eco & Stat 

the Map. Information as received from 

State Water Investigation Department 

regarding Permanent Hydrographic Stations could also be plotted on the Map. 

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Illustration 4.0 

Pry Health Centres in a Block 


Pry & Sec Schools in Shyampur-II 

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Polling Stations plotted for 

HMC area through GPS 

Fu 

rth 

er 

Sc 

op 

e 

of 

Ac 

tivi 

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Future Scope of Activities 

As the 

Ultimate goal of GIS is to 

provide decision support in 

planning and development 

by effectively depicting 

information on Map along 

with Data . 

An example may be 

cited as follows:- 

Considering 

Health , ICDS & Eduction to 

be important social sectors , 

important decisions may 

have to be taken regarding 

construction of New School 

Buildings, New Anganwadi 

Centres, New Health 

Centres following the Govt. 

Norms. 

Plotting of the 

informations like Outreach 

Camps for Health , Un-served area in relation to population and distance from Roads 

, Condition of roads and natural barrier can be depicted in the Map which can help in 

effective decision making process . 

To achieve the desired goals , more refinements and accuracy is being 

incorporated in the map, Buffers is being made in the Map to show a relative 

distance of a location from a Road or distance between two locations . Further 

finding the shortest route to reach a destination is also being incorporated . 

From the department of Agriculture , Data pertaining to soil types and 

cropping patterns is being collected which would be reflected over Map showing 

various Soil Types, Cropping Pattern like Single Crop, Multiple Crop, Fertile & Non- 

Fertile Area on the Map . 

The Depth of Water Level at different areas , Relative height of points from 

Sea Level and a spatial 3D analysis are the areas of interest which are among the 

scope of future activities. 

To make the GIS a citizen centric application, it is further proposed to 

interlink GIS with Web so that information in any form as desired can be retrieved 

from Web site and report also generated accordingly in the form of WEB-GIS. Web 

Based Geographical Information System (WEB GIS) is a process designed to present 

spatial information with a friendly interface and the end user needs only a web 

browser to query, access , display and analyse the GIS Dataset. This greatly 

reduces the fragmented and compartmentalized workflow and increases efficiency. 

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PORTAL FOR THE DISTRICT OF HOWRAH 

( http://howrah.gov.in) 

Our Society has benefited in many ways from the Information 

Technology Revolution. However, not everyone can reap the benefits of 

this technology change. In context of this age of Internet , A website is 

the world's most effective order to reach to the masses . The Internet functions 24 

hours a day, seven days a week, with no labor costs and has the most inexpensive 

and widespread capabilities ever seen. 

The users , with the help of Internet and the available resources of hardware 

with them , whether be it at their offices , homes or Internet Cafes can view the 

Information and as well as Utilise the relevant Information(s) as per their 

requirement and need . What is Important is that , the Users should be able to View 

a WebPage , the way they wish to View it with the equipment that they have 

available. 

It was a long felt need of the District Administration to hoist a Official Website 

for the District of Howrah . With the keen interest and initiative of the District 

Administration for Website , a War-Footing Level of Data Collection from various 

Government Departments started in the month of January,2007 onwards so that a 

shape could be given to the website in the shortest possible time. National 

Informatics Centre, Howrah was entrusted with the job of design , development and 

hoisting of the website at GOV Domain. 

However , merely designing a website is not sufficient enough . It 

needs to be re-structured, re-modified at several point of times. And, most important 

of it is continuously updating and populating with the latest information(s) . 

The following Basic Needs , in terms of Hardware and relevant 

Infrastructural support are required to keep a website lively and updated. 

Website Design: Since the design part was entrusted to NIC,Howrah . a 

dedicated Computer was used which would specifically cater to the need of Website 

Designing , where all the relevant in formations could be stored , the Web -Designing 

software could be loaded , and a IP permanently allocated so that FTP could be done 

through the particular terminal. This assignment was taken up by NIC, Howrah 

For, this licensed Version of Macromedia Dreamweaver 8.0 (DTHML) was used 

as Website designing tool and applications of Java was also used. 

ISP: Internet Service Provider is required through which connection to the 

Internet would be provided. Since the website is an Official Website, NIC was chosen 

to be the ISP 

Domain Name: This is www.yourname.com; the address or home page on the 

Internet. It was thought that , being official website of Howrah and to be hoisted in 

GOV Domain , the URL was finalised as http://www.howrah.gov.in 

Hosting: An Internet presence provider. This is where website is stored for 

the world to view. Being in the GOV Domain, the website of HOWRAH is hosted in 

NIC server centrally located at New Delhi. 

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FTP: For facilitating on the Updation of Website at regular intervals , File 

Transfer Protocol FTP facility is provided over Secure VPN( Virtual Private Network ) 

through NIC . 

Maintenance: All the maintenance works like Updates, additions, changes, 

and most importantly, search engine analysis and submission of the pages that make 

up your website is also carried by NIC. 

In the initial stage of designing our Portal , we were to first determine the 

exact goals of the website. Being an Official Website , the Primary Objective was to 

design a layout of the Basic Contents that would preliminarily cover all aspects of the 

District . 

For this some rough ideas could be obtained from other Govt. Portals hosted 

for other Districts in the State and outside the State. From this point of time , the 

process of Content Development started. For this , as in any other Website there has 

to be a Main Starting Page, also called an Index Page which would contain Headings 

on the following Topic(s):- 1. District Profile 2. About District Collectorate and its 

Activities 3.Departmental Information. 4. Public Utilities. 

Again the above Information had sub-categories on each topic(s) , e.g the 

contents covered under District Profile are :- History , Tourism , Map & Location , 

Area and Population , Geography and Climate , Medical and Educational Facilities. 

Similarly , District Profile had sub Categories like :- Admin Setup , Various 

Activities , Telephone Directory , Other Sections , Public Redressal Cell. 

Other Topics covered in the Index Page were Details of Govt. Departments , 

which were covered under the Head “Other Details” – which had sub contents like :- 

Govt. Department , Block Details , Industries , MP & MLAs. 

Topics Like Public Utility , which contains facility like Downloading Various 

Forms , Links to other Important Sites that are often required , Tender Notifications, 

etc. were also incorporated in the Main Index Page of the Portal. 

Secondly, an idea was to create a basic visual layout depicting about how the 

site will appear on the screen. This includes designing the rough sketch or structure 

of how the icons would be placed, and which headings would be placed where. Some 

suitable background colour also needs to be selected to give a touchy appearance to 

the page. The sketch was drawn out on a plain piece of paper, using a word 

processor in the way we would want our site to look like. In this step, we might 

make suggestions about adding any additional functions that are absolutely 

necessary or simply might be useful. This step is our outline for the actual website. 

Here we would emphasize somewhere with some Important Notifications , which 

would blink , giving the topic an additional importance . Current Date and Time 

should also be displayed on a suitable position as well as Hit Counter also needs to 

be placed on the Index Page which could give an Indicative Idea about the number 

of Hits being made by Viewers of this site. Some selective pictures also needs to be 

placed which has some relevance with the District and which carry some significance 

- 12 -


The third step is to map the flow of the site in order to ensure that viewers can easily 

navigate from the entry point through to the main content pages (and all other 

pages within the site). This is done by providing intuitive and thorough navigational 

tools. For this , it is necessary to check properly , which designing the site , that all 

the forward and backward linkages are properly established. This was thoroughly 

checked before putting up the contents in server .It is also better to provide a Site 

Map , so that all the contents and its linkage to sub-contents can be viewed at a 

glance.(as illustrated below) 

Site Map 

In the last step, we had combined all the above information and come up with the 

final and complete website design plan. Through NIC , we have got our site 

registered , obtained an gov.in domain by complying with the norms and formalities . 

Initially , for testing purpose , the website was hoisted at NIC West Bengal State Unit 

Server. 

- 13 -


After the website was hoisted in GOV domain , the main task was to collect 

information continuously from different departments which were remaining and to 

continuously update information timely as and when received from 

departments. 

In a period of 5(Five) months since hosting of the website in the month of March, 

2007 there has been more than 4000 Hits recorded . 

Stress on History of the District , Tourism , Telephone Directory , Helpline Phone 

Numbers , Health and Educational Facilities has been given which can be viewed by 

everyone at the first instance. 

An illustration of the Index Page of the Howrah District Portal is shown below:- 

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DEVELOPMENT OF WEBSITE FOR HOWRAH ZILLA PARISHAD 

Further to design development and hosting of Howrah portal at GOV domain, it was 

felt by District Administration to further develop a separate portal of Howrah Zilla 

Parishad . 

Although a separate link was already available for Zilla Parishad in the portal of 

Howrah, but to make Zilla Parishad a separate entity where only the contents of ZP 

would be populated , a process towards design and development of the website 

started by NIC, Howrah in the month of August,2007. 

Through consultation with the officials of Zilla Parishad regarding Content 

development and gathering some informations from portals of Zilla Parishad hosted 

for Hoogly, Nadia, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum etc. , a layout was designed for the Index 

Page which basically consisted the following topics:- 

1. About the District 

2. Members of HZP e.g Sabhadipati, Sahakari Sabhadipati & others 

( This would contain a brief write up about their roles , etc.) 

3. Sthayee Samiti Members List 

4. Key Officials and Staffing Pattern 

5. District Profile and Tender Notice 

6. Employment Notice 

7. Schemes like SGRY,IAY,etc. 

8. Photo Gallery , Bulletin Board and Links to ZP across the Districts.The Index 

Page would highlight important Announcements / Tender Notice from time to 

time . A Site map would highlight all the Pages and their links so as to enable 

users to easily browse through the portal for the required links.Finally, the 

Portal got hosted with the URL as:- http://www.howrahzillaparishad.in in the month 

of August, 2007 . A link in the Howrah District portal is provided in the Index 

Page for the Zilla Parishad portal. 

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G2G (Govt. to Govt. ) 

Offices of the DDOs 

( Under the State Government) 

NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE 

- 16 -


Project Details 

Computerisation of Salary Accounts (COSA) 

Introduction 

This project ensures accuracy and timeliness in the generation of Pay Bills, 

Schedules and other Annexures required for producing Salary Bills. COSA has 

incorporated the Finance Head-of-Accounts concept in the Salary Accounts for 

integration with the Treasury Accounts and the State Budget. New Performa for 

the Computerized Pay Bills have been devised by NIC in consultation with the 

Finance Department and has been approved by the AG, West Bengal. 


Computerization of Salary Accounts (COSA) has been developed with the sole 

purpose of standardizing salary accounts in the State Government Offices. The 

objective behind COSA is also the easy implementation on Windows platform 

without investing on any additional systems software and thus a cost-effective 

solution in conformation with the policy of NIC in implementing E-Governance in 

the State Government Offices. 

Outcome 

The Finance Department has decided to implement COSA vide D.O. NO. 9491-F 

dated 20.9.2002 issued by Principal Secretary (Finance) in all the Offices of 

Drawing and Disbursing Officers under the State Government, which is around 

10000 in numbers. 

Functionality 

The broad functional aspects of COSA are : 

 

Generation of Monthly Pay Slips, Pay Bills (Inner & Outer 

Sheets), Bill Extract, Input Statement required by A.G. W.B 

 

Men-In-Position Vs. Pay Drawn Details, Head-of-Account 

wise Monthly Consolidated Report of Pay & Allowances 

 

Summary of all Pay Bills, GPF Schedule (Group A, B , C 

& D Employees), GPF Schedule for AIS Officers 

 

GIS Schedule 1983 & 1987 ( Savings & Insurance ), All 

India Service GIS Schedule Old (1983) & New (1987) 

House Rent License Fee Schedule, Loan Recovery 

Schedules, Professional Tax Schedule 

 

Income Tax Deduction Schedule, List of Cash Employees 

not taken Salary on Disbursement Date 

 

List of Employees Retiring in Specified Month & Year, 

Acquitance Rolls for Cash , Cheque & Bank Payments, Form-16 etc. 

 

Integration of Salary Data with the Treasury Accounts in 

future. (This may be achieved by collecting salary data from DDOs and 

entering the same into Treasury Database). 

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Implementation Status 

The software has been successfully implemented in various Offices of the DDOs 

in the district under the State Government that include District Collectorate, Zilla 

Parishad, District Land & Land Reforms Office and Sub-Divisional Land & Land 

Reforms Offices, Land Acquisition Offices (General and HIT), Office of the 

District Judge, Bureau of Applied Economics & Statistics and Office of the Block 

Development Officers. 

Technical Specificiations 

Development Platform : Visual Basic 6.0, Seagate Crystal Report, Visual FoxPro 

6.0. 

Runtime Platform : Only a PC preloaded with Windows 98 or higher version is 

required. No Database Engine is required to be loaded. Thus the software is 

proved to be a low cost solution. 

Post Developmental / Post Implementation Role of NIC 

NIC is implementing COSA in the DDOs of the district with the target to cover 

all the DDOs in the district. Installation support is being provided and trainings 

are being arranged regularly. Also modifications as suggested by the DDOs are 

being incorporated. 

As per Finance Department Memo. No. 2415-F dated 27.03.2007, Dearness Pay 

was incorporated in the software w.e.f. 1 st April 2007. 

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Logic & Flow Diagram 

COSA 

Start 

Master Entry 

DDO 

Code 

Depart 

ment 

Establish 

ment 

Employee 

Employee Details 

Personal Information 

Salary Description 

Monthly Salary 

Bill 

No & date 

Report Summery 

Outer Sheet 

Inner Sheet 

Pay Slip 

Pay Bill Extract 

GPF Schedule 

Deduction Schedule 

Report 

Generation 

Scroll For Next 

Month 

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Opening Screen- COSA 

The Main Menu- COSA 

- 20 -


Master Entry- DDO Codes & Designation 

Pay Master - CODE 

- 21 -


Personal Information Entry 

Form-16 Calculation 

- 22 -


Bill Wise Query 

Report- Inner Sheet 

- 23 -


Personal Pay Slips 

GPF Schedule 

- 24 -



G2C ( Govt. to Citizen) 

User Departments 

District Land & Land Reforms Office 

Block Land & Land Reforms Office 

Land Acquisition ( General) 

Land Acquisition ( Howrah Improvement Trust) 


- 25 -


Land Acquisition Information System (LAIS) 


Introduction 

Land is the very first requirement of any project. It is, therefore essential, for 

successful implementation of any developmental project that the required land is 

available at the earliest. In most such cases, acquisition of land is involved. 

Hence, land acquisition is a vital function of the Land Acquisition Section of any 

Collectorate. 

In the manual system, preparation of estimates, land schedules, calculation, 

award preparation, payment notice and other activities causes tremendous delay 

in the payment of compensation to the persons interested, thereby causing a huge 

amount of interest chargeable on compensation. 


Land Acquisition Information System has been developed with the objective of 

speedy disposal of land acquisition cases thereby benefiting both the Government 

and the Citizen with regard to savings on interest accrued due to long pending 

decisions. 

Outcome 

Tremendous delay in the manual system for payment of compensation to the 

persons interested is very much reduced with speedy disposal of Land Acquisition 

cases and Awards are made within the stipulated time period and with minimum 

amount of interest on compensation. Thus, both the Government and the Citizen is 

benefited by the computerized system. 

All the reports, as required for keeping track of the land acquisition cases, plots 

and owners of the land, starting from Notification to Possession Certificate are 

available in the system. Thus, the Land Acquisition Information System serves as 

a Management Information System (MIS) for the Government. 

Since the software has been developed following all the salient features of the 

West Bengal Land Acquisition Manual 1991, various types of problems in the 

manual system has been sorted out thereby helping the Government in Process 

Improvement. 

The major highlights of the systems have been : 

 

Creation of Land Acquisition Case Level Data Bank 

 

Creation of Plot Level Data Bank and Owner Level Data 

Bank 

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Speedy disposal of Land Acquisition Cases 

Quick retrieval of Case / Plot / Owner details 

Generation of various reports 

Simultaneous handling of many cases 

Avoiding redundancy in plot 

Ensuring accuracy in the process 

Minimizing project / establishment costs 

Avoiding unnecessary litigation from likely manual 

mistakes 

Functionality 

LAIS has been implemented for Land Acquisition Cases under LA Act – I Section- 

17 , Revival cases (from Act – II to Act – I) and non-revival cases (Act II cases) in 

the Land Acquisition Department (General) and the Land Acquisition Department 

(Howrah Improvement Trust). The broad functional areas covered by the 

Information System are : 

 

Share Conversion 

 

Calculation for Award Compensation 

 

Generation of Reports on Notification, Declaration, Land 

Schedule, Estimate, 

Award, Possession Certificate 

 

Queries on List of Cases Department wise and RB wise, details 

of LA Case etc. 

 

Checklists on LA Case, Plot, Owner, Land Details etc. 


Implemented successfully at Land Acquisition Section (General) and Land 

Acquisition Section (Howrah Improvement Trust) during 2004 and running 

effectively since then. 

Technical Specification 

Development Platform : Windows 98, Visual FoxPro 6.0, Visual Basic 6.0, MS- 

Office 2000, Data Report 6.0 (Report Writer) 


Necessary modifications in the existing software are being carried out by NIC as per 

requirements from time to time. 

A new software, to meet the requirements of the New Approach introducing revised 

procedure on land acquisition, viz., the BHU-ADHIGRAHAN software, is to be 

implemented shortly. 

- 27 -


Add Ace 

Conversion 

Edit 

Entry/Edit 

More 

Delete 

Record 

Main Menu 

Check 

List 

Query 

Reports 

Share 

Conversion 

Add Record 

Case Details Plot Details Owner Details 

Edit Record 


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Delete Record 


Check List 

Total share 

Total 

share 

Plot List 

Owner 

List 

Land 

Details 

Queries 

List of 

LA Case 

Deptt. 

Wise List 

of Cases 

RB wise List 

Case List 

List Of 

Plots 

Details of 

LA Case 

- 29 -


Report Menu 

Notification 

Declara 

tion 

Land 

Schedule 

Estimate 

Profession 

Certificate 

Award 

Award 

Form- 

12 

Form- 

13 

Form- 

13A 

Form- 

14 

Form- 

20A 

C.C. 

Voucher 

N.V. List V-List Ack. 

Form-14 

- 30 -


Main Menu 

New Case Entry 

- 31 -


Case Details Entry 

Mouza Details Entry 

- 32 -


Queries Details 

- 33 -


Editing 

Calculation 

- 34 -


Report Menu 

- 35 -

- 36 - 

E-Governance at Howrah



Land Records Computerization (BHUMI) 

Introduction 

The idea of using Computers in Land Management was mooted in the year 1987. 

Government of India had just then released funds to some States for 

computerizing Land Records. West Bengal Government was interested to see the 

efficacy of the computerized system in its own context. A pilot project to 

computerize West Bengal’s ROR (Record of Right) for one Mouza was offered to 

the State Unit of National Informatics Centre. The experiment was a big success 

and the State took decisions to computerize its Land Records with all seriousness. 

In the year 1991, the Directorate of Land Records and Surveys (DLRS), 

Government of West Bengal, took up the Computerization of Land Records (CLR) 

project with Howrah and Bardhaman as pilot and gradually could roll out the 

project for the entire State involving all the districts and covering all the blocks of 

the State. 


BHUMI has been developed with the sole objective of digitizing the entire Land 

Records so as to be able to update instantaneously and to provide online citizen 

oriented services such as the Certified Copy of Record of Rights and Plot 

Information and Mutation among others. 

Outcome 

The software helps in maintaining up-to-date Land Records at the Block Land and 

Land Reforms Office. It generates various reports useful for planning and 

decision making thus serving as a Management Information System (MIS) for the 

Government. By way of providing computerized Certified Copy of ROR and Plot 

Information, the software has helped in increasing revenue earning for the 

Government. There are many indirect benefit of the computerization as well. 

Major one is the rent collection following new rate structure. 

Citizens are the target beneficiaries especially the rural people as they often need 

to interact with the Block Land & Land Reforms Office for certificate of plots of 

land under their possession, mutating any piece of plot in their name once it is 

inherited or purchased etc. etc. 

Computerized Certified Copy of ROR is being provided to the citizen, on request, 

expeditiously through the Block Land and Land Reforms Office. Citizens are 

getting the service on the same day that used to take months manually. There has 

been no piling up of backlogged service requests at the Block Land Offices with 

respect to ROR. Computer generated Plot Information is also being provided to 

the citizen through the Block Land and Land Reforms Office. Online Mutation 

(record correction) is another important outcome of the software. 

- 37 -


Functionality 

The broad functionalities covered by the software are : 

 

Master Code Data Entry (Add, Modify & Delete) 

 

ROR Data Entry (Add, Modify & Delete) 

 

Validation Report 

 

Migration of ROR Database from DOS environment to 

RDBMS under WINDOWS environment 

 

Revenue Calculation 

 

Updation of ROR 

 

Management of Citizen’s request for Copy of ROR and Plot 

Information 

 

Generation of standard reports (Mouza based and Block 

based) 


Implemented successfully at all the Block Land and Land Reforms Offices of the 

District. 


Development Platform : 

BHUMI : DOS / UNIX, Foxplus, Clipper, GIST CARD / GIST Terminal 

BHUMI 2000 : SQL Server 2000, Visual Basic 6.0, GIST SDK, Crystal Report 8.0 


NIC is working uninterrupted with the Directorate for smooth implementation of the 

project ever since, developing any technology solution for any hurdles that comes in the 

way. So when it was seen that there is no more supply of basic ROR data (OMOK 

format) and is being done manually from RS format through the KB/Attestation process, 

NIC promptly developed software to automate this data preparation process. The 

software has expedited the work and has saved the directorate a considerable amount of 

time. 

- 38 -





District Sub-Registration (DSR) Office, 

Additional District Sub-Registration (ADSR) 

Office & Sub-Registration (SR) Office 


- 39 -


MARKET VALUE DATABASE PREPARATION 

Project details 

Introduction 

Finance Department, Government of West Bengal has taken steps to introduce 

ICT tools to make its Registration Offices more efficient and prompt. The first step 

towards this is to computerize the Market Value Monitoring Register (MVMR) 

available at each Registration Office. 


CORD-MVDP software has been developed to digitize the market value of land 

and apartments located anywhere in the State of West Bengal, thus preparing the 

Market Value Database from the MVMRs available at the Registration Offices. 

The Market Value Database thus prepared is required for implementation of the 

CORD software. 

Outcome 

The strategy adopted is to computerize the assessed market value as per the 

MVMR over a period of five years from 1999 - 2003. This gives the market value 

of plots transacted during the five years. By applying yearly appreciation, market 

value of these transacted plots for the current year is worked out. Further, the list 

of plots that are not available in the MVMR, i.e. the list of missing plots is 

generated by the computer. The market value of these missing plots are 

determined manually by applying local knowledge of the plots and then 

computerized. Thus, the market value data of plots that are transacted at least 

once during the five years from 1999 - 2003 and not transacted at all during 

these five years provides complete computerized market value of all the plots for 

land and also for apartments under the jurisdiction of each Registration Office. 

Functionality 

The functionalities covered by CORD-MVDP software are : 

 

Preparation of Master Tables - Codification of Districts, 

Registration Offices, Police Stations, Blocks, Municipalities, Mouzas, 

Roads and connection of those codes with a particular Registration Office 

 

MVMR data entry for Rural and Urban areas 

 

Conversion of MVMR records to Base Market Value Table 

 

Preparation of Missing Plots 

 

Market value entry of the Missing Plots and conversion to 

the Base Table 

 

Market value entry of Apartment / Flat for Rural and 

Urban areas. 

 

Generation of various reports 

 

Preparation of Market Value Database 

- 40 -



Implemented successfully during 2005 at seven Additional District Sub- 

Registration (ADSR) Offices and one Sub-Registration (SR) Office of the district 

viz., ADSR Office Ranihati, ADSR Office Uluberia, ADSR Office Bagnan, ADSR 

Office Shyampur, ADSR Office Domjur, ADSR Office Bargachhia, ADSR Office 

Amta and SR Office Pancharul Samantanagar. 


Development Platform : Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000, Visual Basic 

6.0 and Crystal Report. 


CORD-MVDP was a time bound project. The project started in Howrah district in the last 

week of February 2005 and was completed successfully maintaining strict time schedule 

by the end of December 2005. The Market Value Database prepared is now being 

utilized by the CORD software. 

- 41 -


COMPUTERISATION OF REGISTRY OF DOCUMENTS 

Project details 

Introduction 

Finance Department, Government of West Bengal has taken steps to introduce 

ICT tools to make its Registration Offices more efficient and prompt by making 

registration and post registration services available to the citizen with greater 

speed and with improved quality. West Bengal is one of the leading states in the 

country where Registration Offices have been taken up for computerization. 


The CORD software has been developed with the objective of keeping the 

Registration process very transparent to the citizen. It calculates the market value 

of the property automatically from the Market Value Database prepared through 

the CORD-MVDP software and is capable of registering documents online with 

speed, reliability and transparency. 

Outcome 

Computerization takes care right from the presentation of documents to its digital 

scanning and its delivery to the citizen. Transparency could be achieved. The 

system automatically calculates Stamp Duty and Registration Fees payable under 

various Articles appropriate to the type of transaction being made and generates 

receipts. The software auto allots serial numbers and then Permanent Document 

Number. Where the market value assessment does not require spot verification, 

the whole registration process gets completed within an hour. Improvement of 

Post Registration service is also envisaged so that the citizen gets search results 

for a document and its certified copy immediately. Thus there is a significant 

improvement in the citizen service as well as a considerable increase in the 

revenue receipts for the Government. 

Functionality 

The broad functional areas covered by CORD are : 

 

Requisition Form Entry and Generation of Assessment Slip 

 

Deed Details Entry 

 

Receiving of Stamp Duty & Registration Fee and 

Generation of Permanent Document Number 

 

Photo and Fingerprint Capture 

 

Endorsement and Preparation of Signature Sheet 

 

Scanning of Deed 

 

Delivery of Deed 

 

Generation of Reports on Day End Account viz., Fee Book 

Register, Stamp Duty & Registration Fee Collection Report and Bank Draft 

Report 

- 42 -


 

 

 

Generation of various Management Reports viz., Monthly 

Revenue Report, Monthly Report to IGR for Document, Report on Exemptions, 

Statistics of Scanning & Delivery of Document etc. 

Generation of Reports related to Post Registration Service viz., 

Market Value Monitoring Register, Index I Register, Index II Register, Index III 

Register, Index IV Register, Certified Copy etc. 

Various Queries viz., Status of Documents at a Glance, Status of 

a Document, Summary of a Documents, Documents presented in a Particular 

Day etc. 


Implemented all over the District at one District Sub-Registration (DSR) Office, 

eight Additional District Sub-Registration (ADSR) Offices and one Sub- 

Registration (SR) Office viz., DSR Office Howrah, ADSR Office Howrah, ADSR 

Office Ranihati, ADSR Office Uluberia, ADSR Office Bagnan, ADSR Office 

Shyampur, ADSR Office Domjur, ADSR Office Bargachhia, ADSR Office Amta 

and SR Office Pancharul Samantanagar, in phases, during July 2007 to September 

2007. 

Technical Specificiations 

Development Platform : Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000, Visual Basic 

6.0, Document Imaging Software and Crystal Report. 


NIC has taken the lead role in all technical advice for the project as well as maintaining 

and upgrading CORD. Scope of the software is being extended. New services are being 

suggested for its implementation with an aim to better the citizen service. 

- 43 -




User Department 

Motor Vehicle Department 

Howrah 


- 44 -


VAHAN and SARATHI 

Introduction 


Road Transport plays a vital role in the economy of the Government. Hence 

introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to bring about 

modernization and efficiency in this Sector is not just important but crucial to the 

Country’s progress. 

Computerization in this Sector had been initiated by a number of State 

Governments, notably Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Goa and 

others. However, the approach was different for each State keeping in view only 

the local requirements. The shape of documents was also non-uniform. The 

differences in the user perception, local objectives and limited resources lead to 

widely different levels of computerization, software functionality and level of 

success. 

In the year 2000, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) decided 

that in view of growing volumes, non-uniformity of document, heterogeneity of 

data formats and huge cost of application software it was important to evolve and 

implement standards. In 2002, NIC and MoRTH entered into a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MoU) to develop core software for Vehicle Registration and 

Driving License workflow process computerization. 


VAHAN (for Vehicle Registration) and SARATHI (for Driving License) softwares 

have been developed with the objective of implementing uniform data structure 

for Registration of Vehicles and Issuance of Driving Licenses to facilitate 

creation of State and National Registers for RC (Registration Certificate) and DL 

(Driving License). The basic philosophy behind this is to usher in transparency, 

responsiveness and citizen friendly e-governance through computerization of 

records and processes at the Transport Offices. 

Outcome 

Computerization has benefited the Government in terms of efficiency, revenues 

and transparency in information collected. It has ensured better services to the 

Citizen, transparent interface between the Government and the Citizen and 

proper implementation of the Central Motor Vehicle Act 1988 (CMVA) and 

Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 (CMVR). 

Total computerization of records and processes on a standardized software has 

ensured management of the Transport Offices in an efficient manner. 

Some of the major highlights of VAHAN and SARATHI softwares have been : 

- 45 -


 

Removal of various anomalies in the implementation of 

Acts and Rules 

 

Integration of State based specific Tax models and PSV 

Badge models without compromising CMVA and CMVR 

 

Betterment in the whole process of management of 

Registration Certificates and Driving Licenses in the Transport Offices 

 

Transparency in the whole process of management of 

Registration Certificates and Driving Licenses and reduction in scope of 

discretion by the implementing Officers 

 

Enabling of faster clearance of cases involved in accidents 

or fines 

 

Enabling of recovery of huge amounts in terms of tax 

arrears 

 

Ensuring that Driving Licenses cannot be issued in 

absentia as Biometrics has to be captured for every candidate 

 

Standard data elements in Registration Certificates and 

Driving Licenses 

 

Issuance of Registration Certificates and Driving Licenses 

in an industry standard format and media 

 

Digital signature of the issuing authority on Registration 

Certificates and Driving Licenses to ensure authenticity 

Authentic, easy to carry and durable documents 

(Registration Certificate and Driving License) 

 

Standardization of various coding patterns 

 

Making information available to various concerned 

agencies to perform their task better 

Functionality 

The broad functional areas covered by the Driving License software are : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issue / Renewal of Learner License 

Change of address in Learner License (within region) 

Issue / Renewal of Driving License 

Issue of Duplicate Driving License 

Addition of new class of vehicle to Driving License 

Change of address in Driving License (within region) 

Change of name in Driving License 

Endorsement to drive vehicle, carriage carrying hazardous 

materials and goods 

Issue of Driver’s Badge 

Issue of NOC / CC 

Issue of Driving License to IDP / Defense Personnel 

Issue of DL Extract 


Implemented successfully at Motor Vehicles Department,Howrah 

- 46 -

- 47 - 



Some Major Illustrations of Vahan & Sarathi 

Entry of Data based on receipt number 

- 48 -


Temporary Registration entry 

Surrender of Registration/Cancellation/Release 

- 49 -


Re-assignment of Registration Number 

Change of Registration Data 

- 50 -

Fitness/Inspection of Vehicle 


- 51 - 

Road Tax Collection


Cancellation of Fitness 

- 52 - 

Generation of Daily Account Statement User wise/ Consolidated


Login Screen of DL software ( Sarathi ) 

Opening Screen- Sarathi 

( Driving License software) 

Workflow as maintained in the software 

- 53 -


To know the status through Inward number 

- 54 -

Backlog entry screen 


Final Approval of a License 

- 55 -




User Department 

Block Development Office 

(BDO) 


- 56 -


PROVIDENT FUND INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR 

LANDLESS AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS 

Introduction 

The scheme named Provident Fund for Landless Agricultural Labourers or 

PROFLAL in short was introduced by the Government of West Bengal in the year 

1998. The purpose of the scheme is to provide a social security mechanism for 

the Landless Agricultural Labourers whereby the savings they make and the 

contributions made by the Government thereon are designed to stave off the 

pecuniary hardships that invariably confront the labourers for most parts of their 

lives. 

The scheme is targeted for the Landless Agricultural Labourers in the age group 

of 18 to 50 years who are not recorded holders of more than 50 (Fifty) decimals 

of any class of land including homestead land and whose major source of 

earnings is derived from their work as Agricultural Labourers, are eligible for 

the scheme. The beneficiary pays Rs. 10/- per month and the State Government 

also contributes an equivalent amount along with interest acquired on the total 

contribution. The maturity value is payable to the subscriber on attaining the age 

of 50 years. In the event of death of the subscriber before attaining the age of 50 

years, the amount payable to the subscriber shall be paid to his nominee or to his 

legal heir. 

The Gram Panchayats collect the fund from the subscribers and make day to day 

entry in the cash book of the Gram Panchayat. The Block Development Officers 

maintain the statement of accounts and deposit fund to the proper head of account 

in the Treasuries. The Block Development Officers accord sanction for final 

payment to the subscribers on maturity through the Treasuries concerned. Each 

of the subscribers is issued an Identity Card-cum-Pass Book, in which details of 

subscriptions are noted, under the signature of the Secretary of the Gram 

Panchayat. 

As is very clear, the mode of operation and procedures involved in processing and 

preserving and disseminating information with regard to this PROFLAL calls for 

meticulous and methodical works that demand a great deal of application of mind 

and this can be best accomplished through the computer. 

- 57 -



COPIS has been developed with the aim to minimize the processing time in an 

effective manner for maintaining and disseminating information with regard to 

PROFLAL Accounts. 

Outcome 

The software records and maintains up-to-date information of the PROFLAL 

Accounts. The interest acquired on the savings can be calculated as and when 

required and on a periodical basis for the benefit of the subscribers. We are also 

in a position to prepare and furnish Subscriber’s Slip in an effort to enable the 

subscribers to know the status of their savings and the amount credited in their 

favour immediately and effortlessly. 

Functionality 

The broad functional areas covered by the Information System are : 

 

Data Entry / Updation of PROFLAL Accounts using Form 

VIII and Form VIIA 

 

Master Entry of PROFLAL Accounts using Form IIB 

 

Scroll for next Financial Year 

 

Generation of Form VIII and Form IX 

 

Generation of Reports on Monthly Collection of a GP, Detailed 

Deposit of a Subscriber, List of Subscribers whose Payment is due etc. 

 

Recalculation in case of backlog / missing / wrong entries 


Version 1.1 of the software implemented during 2005 at the Block level at twelve 

Block Development Offices (BDOs) of the District viz., BDO Amta-I, BDO Amta- 

II, BDO Bagnan-I, BDO Bagnan-II, BDO Uluberia-I, BDO Uluberia-II, BDO 

Shyampur-I, BDO Shyampur-II, BDO Panchla, BDO Sankrail, BDO 

Jagatballavpur and BDO Udaynarayanpur. The revised version i.e., Version 2.0 

of the software is under implementation at these Offices. 


Development Platform : Windows 98, Visual Basic 6.0, MS Access 2000. 


NIC is maintaining the software and also improving upon the software to suit the Scheme 

best. Regular training programmes are being conducted for the Officials of twelve Block 

Development Offices of the District. 

- 58 -

- 59 - 



Inst 

alla 

tio 

n 

Scr 

een 

(Fi 

g- 

1) 

2.4.3. Main Menu 

- 60 -


The Main Menu screen can be accessed to with appropriate Login & 

Password and can be used by both the Super User and the Ordinary User 

(created by the Super User), although their respective work areas will be set 

apart from each other. The screen will be shown as bellow : 

Main Menu Screen (Fig-3) 

New User creation screen (Fig-5) 

- 61 -


Block Name Entry Screen (Fig. 6) 

GP Name Entry Screen (Fig-7) 

2.4.5. Using Form VIII Register 

The next step is the FORM VIII data entry in respect of each subscriber. 

For doing this you have to choose the option from the Main Menu as : Data 

Entry / Updation -> Backlog Update-> Using Form VIII Register and the 

screen will be as : 

- 62 -


Data Entry/Update Option Screen (Fig-8) 

After Clicking the ‘Using Form VIII Register’ following Screen will appear:- 

Data Entry Screen (Fig-9) 

- 63 -


Backlog Entry / Updation screen (Fig. 10) 

2.4.9. FORM VIIA Entry/Updation 

Through this option you can also enter the “Subscriber’s details” as well as 

can modify the Subscriber, starting from name, address, nominee, account 

no., Gram Panchayat , date of entry , date of maturity etc. only. It should be 

noted that you will not be allowed to enter the subscription details for a 

subscriber. To modify an ‘Existing’ subscriber, the screen will become : 

: 

Form VIIA Updation Screen (Fig. 11) 

- 64 -


Form VIIA New Entry Screen (Fig. 12) 

2.5. Specific Operating Instructions 

2.5.1. Block Initialisation 

This option is used for removing the garbage data and make ready for 

fresh entry for a block. This is to be performed under super user mode, 

the “Block Initialisation”. For this you have to opt: 

TOOLS->INITIALISATION 

Block Initialisation Option Screen (Fig-13) 

Click Initialisation and the following Screen will appear. 

- 65 -


Block Initialisation Screen (Fig-14) 

Yearly Interest Change Option Screen (Fig-15) 

The screen will become after clicking the ‘Yearly Interest Change’ 

- 66 -


Yearly Interest Change Screen (Fig-16) 

Account Number Change Option Screen ( Fig-17) 

- 67 -


After Clicking Account Number Change Following Screen will appear. 

Account Number Change Screen (Fig-18) 

Account Number Stop Screen (Fig-19) 

2.5.5. Scroll for Next Session 

Now to make entry for next session, enter through ‘Super User’ login & 

Password, by clicking “Tools Scroll For Next Session” as mentioned in the 

screen below. 

- 68 -


For Next Session Option Screen (Fig-20) 

Scroll 

After clicking “Scroll For Next Session”, following Screen will appear. 

: 

Scroll Complete Screen (Fig-22) 

- 69 -


Password Modification Screen (Fig-23) 

. 

Recalculation Option Screen (Fig. 24) 

Recalculation Screen (Fig.: 25) 

- 70 -


Bill Payment Option Screen (Fig.26 ) 

4.2.1. Report Generating Options 

Bill Payment Master Screen (Fig.27) 

To generate various Reports of PROFLAL, you have to choose the option 

“REPORTS” from Main Menu. The screen will appear as: 

Report Generating Options Screen (Fig-28) 

4.2.1.1.Current Form VIII Report 

To get a report of ‘CURRENT FORM-VIII’, select REPORT CURRENT 

FORM- VIII and then the following screen will appear. 

- 71 -


Form-VIII Report Preparation Screen (Fig-29) 

A sample of such report of ‘Current Form-VIII’ is presented below for easy reference: 

Form-IX Report Preparation Screen (Fig-30) 

A sample report of ‘Current Form-IX’ is presented below for easy reference: 

- 72 -


Monthly Collection of GP option screen (Fig.31) 

And the corresponding screen will appear as 

Monthly Collection of GP Screen (Fig. 32) 

Here you have to give the ‘financial session’ and the corresponding ‘month’ (data 

available under combo box) and by clicking the “GENERATE” button you will 

get the detailed list of month-wise collection of all the gram-panchayats under a 

block for a particular financial session. 

A sample report is attached below :- 

- 73 -


Maturity List (Due) option screen (Fig. 33) 

- 74 -


Maturity List Due screen (Fig. 34) 

A sample report of ‘Maturity List (Due)’ is attached herewith. 

Payment Order (Due) option screen (Fig. 35) 

Now after clicking the ‘Payment Order (Due)’ option the screen will appear as: 

- 75 -


Payment Order (Due) Screen (Fig. 36) 

- 76 -


Detailed Deposit of a subscriber option screen (Fig. 37) 

Detailed Deposit of a subscriber screen (Fig. 38) 

Bill (Payment) Preparation option screen (Fig.39) 

Bill Payment Preparation Screen (Fig. 40) 

- 77 -

- 78 - 






Public Grievance and Assistance Cell 

Central Verification Cell 

Rent Control Cell 

( Office of the District Magistrate) 

Howrah 


- 79 -


PUBLIC GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL SYSTEM 

Introduction 

The Public Grievance & Assistance Cell deals with various petitions from the 

public. These petitions are received either directly from the petitioners or 

petitions are forwarded from Public Grievance Department, Writers’ Building, 

Kolkata or from Home (PAR) Department. 

On receipt of the same, the petitions are forwarded to the Superintendent of 

Police or to the Officer-In-Charge / Inspector-In-Charge of the concerned Police 

Stations under whose jurisdiction the petitioners reside or to different 

Departments for enquiry. After the enquiry, report(s) is / are received and based 

on the enquiry report(s), action(s) is / are taken for disposal of the petitions / 

claims under intimation to the petitioners. 


The Public Grievance Redressal System has been developed with an aim to 

minimize the processing time in an effective manner for registering and 

maintaining up-to-date record of the grievances received from the Public. 

Outcome 

The system helps in keeping track of the grievances received and its redressal 

very efficiently thereby serving as a Management Information System (MIS) for 

the Government. The grievances can be managed and monitored in a better way 

through the computerized system thus benefiting both the Government and the 

Citizen. All the required reports are available in the system. 

Functionality 

The functionalities covered by the software are : 

 

Registration of grievances 

 

Entry / Updation of Action taken on the grievances and 

Feedback received 

 

Generation of Daily / Monthly Report on grievances 

registered 

 

Generation of Acknowledgement, Note Sheet, Final Order, 

Order Sheet etc. 

- 80 -


 

 

 

Generation of Public Grievance Monthly and Quarterly 

Report to Commissioner 

Generation of various Reports based on Queries viz., Status 

of a Particular Case, Particular Enquiry Authority, Category Wise 

grievance details Till Date and for a Particular Month, Grievances 

Registered and Redressed for a Particular Period etc. 

Reminder generation 


The software is under implementation at the Public Grievances and Assistance 

Cell. 


Development Platform : Windows 98, MS Visual FoxPro 6.0. 


NIC is maintaining the software and also improving upon the software to suit the 

Department best. 

- 81 -

- 82 - 



Data Entry Menu 

- 83 -


Registration Format 

Feedback Entry Form 

- 84 -


Updating of Registration 

Report Menu 

- 85 -


VERIFICATION OF CHARACTER & ANTECEDENTS 

Introduction 

Verification of character and antecedents in respect of a candidate selected for 

recruitment to Central Government and its Undertakings is conducted by the VR 

Section of the Collectorate. When a candidate is selected for recruitment, a Police 

Verification Report is sought by the concerned Employer through the District 

Magistrate of the district where the prospective employee resides normally. Such 

letters having been received by the VR Section is scrutinized thoroughly and 

registered and then sent to SP (DIB) for verification. SP (DIB) on receipt of the 

papers gets the cases enquired through his agency and sends his report to DIG 

(IB) West Bengal who finally sends his verification report to the District 

Magistrate. The VR Section on the basis of such report of DIG (IB) West Bengal 

frames a report and finally sends it to the concerned Employer. 

In the entire process of verification, any backlog and procedural hazards causes 

delay in furnishing reports to the Employer. As a result, candidates selected and 

exherted to be appointed suffers. Hence, timely disposal of character verification 

reports and regular monitoring is a must. This can be best achieved through the 

use of computer. 


Character Verification Report Monitoring System has been developed for better 

management and monitoring of the task of issuing character verification reports 

by the District Administration in respect of the candidates selected for 

recruitment. 

Outcome 

The system facilitates auto-generation of Letters / Reminders to the SP (DIB) and 

also to the Employers with Memo Numbers, Daily / Weekly / Monthly Checklist 

Generation etc. Computerization has eliminated laborious and monotonous 

clerical works and the human errors in the manual process thus ensuring timely 

disposal of character verification reports. 

Functionality 

The broad functionalities covered by the Information System are : 

 

Entry of Data from Employer / SP (DIB) 

 

Generation and printing of Letter to SP (DIB) / Employer 

 

Generation and printing of Checklists - Daily, Weekly, 

Monthly 

 

Reminder generation and printing 


Implemented successfully at VR Section and running effectively for many years 

now. 

- 86 -



Development Platform : Novell Unixware 2.01, Multi-User SCO FoxBASE+ 

2.1.1. 


Necessary modifications in the software are being carried out by NIC as per requirement 

from time to time. The software is now to be ported to Windows environment after 

necessary modifications. 

- 87 -


LETTER AND FILE MONITORING SYSTEM (LFMS) 


Introduction 

Inorder to make Government Offices ready for prompt action in the present day, it 

is necessary that information system and data processing become perfect. Also 

routine and tedious manual jobs are to be avoided. This can be achieved through 

computerization and computerization of monitoring of receipt / despatch of letters 

and movement of files is the first and foremost step in this direction. 


Letter and File Monitoring System has been developed for the Government 

Offices located across West Bengal to help in (i) monitoring the letters received / 

despatched and (ii) monitoring file transfer, with an aim to improve tracking of 

letters and files at the Offices of the Government of West Bengal thus improving 

the working process. 

Outcome 

The system is very user-friendly and can be used by anyone who is familiar with 

the procedures followed at the Receipt and Despatch Section. Very less data entry 

is required to be done by the implementing Department. 

The system helps the Department to find out quickly the Receipt / Despatch letters 

being received / send within the Department. Letter information with user 

security can be found out by supplying the key information of the letter. It also 

helps the Department to find out the latest position related to different letters 

being received by the Department and despatched from the Department at any 

time and action taken by the Department regarding the same. 

The system also helps the Department to find out quickly the latest position of 

file(s) being transferred within the Department (in different Sections) or other 

Department, provided the entries related to transfer of files (during the time of 

receipt and despatch) are properly entered at each point. 

Functionality 

The functionalities provided by the System are : 

 

Master Code Data Entry (Add, Modify & Delete) 

Department Code, Designation Code, Letter Type Code, Main Identity, 

Sub-Identity and File Type 

- 88 -


 

 

 

 

 

 

Office Specific Master Code Data Entry (Add, Modify & 

Delete) 

Section / Cell, Employee and File Master 

Reference Data Entry (Add, Modify & Delete) 

Diary No. Initialization, Despatch No. Initialization, Application User, 

Administrator User and Application Package Heading Information 

Letter Diaries and Despatch Data Entry (Add, Modify & 

Delete) 

File Transfer Data Entry (Add, Modify & Delete) 

Generation of standard Reports on Letter Receipt, Letter 

Despatch, File Status and its Printing 

Queries on Letter Receipt, Letter Despatch and File Status 


Under implementation at District Land & Land Reforms Office, District Election 

Office and District Planning Office. 


Development Platform : Windows 98, Visual Basic 6.0, MS Access 2000. 


Other Departments are being taken up for implementation of the system. 

- 89 -

Screenshots of LTFMS software 


Administrator Login Screen 

Initialisation of Department / Office 

- 90 -

- 91 - 


- 92 - 



RENT CONTROL PACKAGE 

Introduction 

The Rent Control Section deals with the cases relating to disputes between the 

landlords and the tenants. When either of the parties disagree with the existing 

rent structure, the matter comes under the purview of the Rent Controller. The 

Rent Controller receives the rent amount from the tenant through challans and a 

case is initiated at the Rent Controller Court. After dismissal of the case at the 

Rent Controller Court, the accumulated rent amount is paid to the landlord. 

As the huge number of challans deposited by the tenants every month were not 

organized properly, the Cash Register could not be updated regularly. The 

payment delivery process was in a mess and payments to the concerned landlords 

could not be made even long after dismissal of the court cases. 


The Rent Control package has been developed with the objective of computerizing 

the process of rent deposit from the tenants and payment to the landlords through 

the Rent Control Section. It keeps track of the entire amount received by the Rent 

Controller on behalf of the landlords and payments made thereof to the 

concerned landlords. 

Outcome 

Due to mismanagement in the Rent Control Section payments to the landlords 

could not be made since 1995. With implementation of the package, rent deposit 

challans could be organized and payments to the landlords could be started 

thereby fulfilling a long time public demand for payment delivery. 

Functionality 

The broad functionalities covered by the Information System are : 

 

Entry of Tenant Details 

 

Entry of Challan Details deposited by Tenants 

 

Generation of Intimation Card for delivery of payment to 

the Landlords 

 

Generation of Cash Ledger, Rent Deposit Report etc. 


Implemented successfully at the Rent Control Section during 2001 and the 

package was effectively in use till 2003 after which it was discontinued by the 

Department due to Departmental reasons. 


Development Platform : Windows 98, MS Access 2000. 

- 93 -



The package can be re-implemented, as it is, if the Department desires so and it can be 

further improved upon to suit the Department best. 

SCREENSHOTS-RENT CONTROL 

Opening Screen- Rent Control 

- 94 -


Deposit Amount 

- 95 -


Report View 

- 96 -



G2C ( Govt. to Citizen ) 


All Police Stations 


- 97 -


National Informatics Centre (NIC) – An Introduction 

National Informatics Centre (NIC) is a premier Information Technology organization in 

India committed to providing state-of-the-art solutions for the Information and 

Communication Technology needs of the Government of India at all levels. NIC carries 

the distinction of being the largest IT organization in the country and has set up a 

satellite based nationwide computer communication network called NICNET having over 

1400 nodes connecting the National Capital, the State Capitals and the District 

Headquarters to one another. The IT services of NIC range from Consultancy, Software 

Design & Development, Office Automation and Networking Services to Training, Video 

Conferencing, CAD, EDI, Multimedia and Internet Services including Web Site 

Development & Hosting. NIC has a nationwide presence with its offices spread all across 

the country, from Leh to Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 

Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA) 

Common Integrated Police Application project was launched by the Ministry of Home 

Affairs, Government of India, for Police Stations, in association with National 

Informatics Centre. The present attempt is to build an infrastructure and mechanism to 

provide the basis for evolution of Crime & Criminal Information System based on CrPC. 

This infrastructure would be uniform across the country. With a view to reduce manual 

records / register maintenance at the Police Stations, it eliminates duplication and 

inconsistency in record keeping and facilitates maintenance of details of criminals. 

The ultimate goal of the computerization would be an integrated networked system with 

state-of-the-art hardware and software in place for Police to access and use the 

information in their day to day work and to take decisions. 

‣ The major features of CIPA that can help Policing 

The most striking feature of the CIPA system developed by NIC is that it will instantly 

make available digitized data pertaining to all aspects of policing to officers at various 

levels. The system will ensure higher levels of transparency in police functioning, as the 

officers will have round-the-clock access to details and developments in investigations. 

That would not only mean better follow-up and watertight scrutiny of cases but will also 

instill confidence among the general public. 

The following are some of the specific issues of automating the Police Stations : 

• Significant reduction in manual register maintenance. 

• Keeping track of the status of cases. 

• Introducing element of transparency in the working of Police. 

• Facilitating Investigating Officer with availability of records. 

• Facilitating supervision by the Senior Officers. 

• Generating various reports required from time to time. 

- 98 -


• Faster response to public. 

• Open Source software tools for rollout at Police Stations. 

• Ownership of Application with Government for continuous support. 

‣ CIPA Modules 

The CIPA software for the Police Stations is classified functionally into eight modules : 

1. Daily Station Diary 

2. Registration 

3. Investigation 

4. Prosecution 

5. Information 

6. Reports / Queries 

7. State Specific 

8. Software Administration 

The first 7 modules is for PS activities and the 8 th module is for system administration. 

1. Daily Station Diary 

When the information of non-cognizable offence is given to a police officer, the 

substance, thereof, is entered in a book known as General Diary or Station Diary or Non- 

Cognizable Report Register. 

This module facilitates the police officer to enter day-to-day activities taking place in the 

Police Station. The list of events include accidents, cash in hand, visit by convict, visit of 

senior officials, sentry change etc. GD Entry No. is automatically generated by the 

system once the form is saved and is not editable. 

2. Registration 

Registration is the starting point of a case setting the Police in motion. This module 

facilitates the Duty Officer (DO) in registering a case by capturing the details of 

complainant, accused, properties stolen / involved, victims, place and time of occurrence 

etc. FIR should be lodged in the respective police stations under whose jurisdiction the 

offence is committed. 

In Registration module there are 9 major classifications which are listed below : 

• First Information Report 

• Missing Persons Report 

• Unclaimed Properties 

• Medico Legal Case 

• Unnatural Death 

• Deserter Case 

• Other Cases 

• FIR from other Police Stations (zero FIR) 

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• Non-Cognizable Case 

Once the registration type is selected the corresponding data screens will appear and data 

can be filled in. For each registration type the user can select the Acts and their 

corresponding Sections from the respective drop down list. 

3. Investigation 

This module facilitates the Investigating Officer (IO) to record the information of 

developments / progresses as and when taking place / made by the IO during the course 

of investigation e.g. arrest / surrender of accused, seizure of properties, witness 

statements recorded etc. and also facilitate entering the text of his Case Diary. 

In Progress Type the following events are covered : 

• Crime Details captured 

• Chance Fingerprint Report received from expert 

• Accused / Victim / Property Details 

• Accused Arrested / Surrendered 

• Accused Fingerprints sent to FPB / NCRB matching 

• Accused Fingerprints Matching Report received from FPB / NCRB 

• Accused Information Sheet sent to concerned PS 

• Accused released on bail by Police / Court 

• Accused sent to Police Remand / Judicial Custody 

• Properties Seizure Form 

• Property deposited in Malkhana 

• Property matched with stolen / involved 

• Property released from Malkhana 

• Property sent for Analysis to FSL etc. 

• Property Analysis Report received from FSL etc. 

• Property presented in the Court 

• Witness Details captured 

• Missing Person reported 

• Missing Person traced 

• UIDB matched in the Missing Person 

• MLC deposited in Hospital 

• Injured Person Statement recorded / discharged 

• Dead Body sent for Postmortem 

• Dead Body handed over to relative / cremated after Postmortem 

• Postmortem Report received 

• Inquest Report sent to Magistrate 

• Inquest Report received from Magistrate 

• Alteration Memo 

• Case transferred to Other IO / PS / Agency 

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• Final Report / Charge Sheet generated 

• Final Report / Charge Sheet sent to Public Prosecutor 

• Final Report / Charge Sheet filed in the Court 

• Accused declared Proclaimed Offender 

• Accused Property Attachment Order 

• Accused Property attached 

• Accused Reward declared 

4. Prosecution 

This module facilitates the Investigating Officer (IO) to record the progress, taking place 

from time-to-time in the Case, during Prosecution i.e., from filing in the Court till it is 

disposed off by the Court. Prosecution of a Case is allowed only if the ‘Final Report filed 

in the Court’ event is recorded while Investigation and is freezed. 

The following are the events of the Prosecution : 

• Hearing of the Case held in the Court 

• Witness Statement in the Court 

• Summon / Warrant issued by the Court 

• Summon / Warrant executed 

• Accused declared Proclaimed Offender 

• Accused Property Attachment Order 

• Accused Property attached 

• Accused Reward declared 

• Court Disposal Form received 

• Convict’s Fingerprints sent to FPB / NCRB for record 

5. Information 

This module facilitates in maintaining the Personal Record of the Criminals and updating 

it from time-to-time based on the information received from various sources. 

6. Reports / Queries 

This module generates various outputs required at different levels. 

7. State Specific 

Any additional Input and / or Output requirements developed by individual States are 

made available through this module. 

8. System Administration 

This module facilitates Creation of New User, Updating User Details, Changing 

Password, System Backup etc. 

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CIPA (Common Integrated Police Application) 

Logic & Flow 

Module I 

Registration 

Submodule 

Freezed 

Investigation 

1) FIR 

2) Missing Person 

Report 

3) Unclaimed Properties 

4) Medico legal Cases 

5) Unnatural Death 

6) Desertion Cases 

7) Other Cases 

8) Zero FIR 

9) Non Cognizable 

Report birth 

Progress 

Event 

IIF form 

II to 

IIF form 

V 

Case Diary 

Prosecution 

Reports and 

Queries 

Register Periodic Queries 

Module II 

DAILY STATION DIARY 

Registration Investigation Prosecution 

Report and 

Queries 

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SCREENSHOTS- CIPA 

The Opening Screen of CIPA 

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The 

Menus 

Console 

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Progress Events 


GD ( General Diary ) Entry 

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Objective Interface - Official Website of Howrah District

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