February 2012

BRINGING , EDUCATION AND TO RURAL INDIABUSINESS GOVERNMENT

e utTMVol IV • Issue 2

Under the aegis of the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India

S

Public Services

now within easy reach

Public Services

G2C

services

special

issue

Content

02 CEO Speaks

06 Sahaj Triumph

16 Sahajites writing desk

08 Cover Story

More than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical

Published by :Department of Marketing Communications

Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited

www.sahajcorporate.com

EDITORIALDear Readers,

Hope you are enjoying the winter thoroughly. With Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti and Saraswati Puja just celebrated, we are again charged up for the coming months. From filing income tax returns to preparing the upcoming annual budget, the coming two month seems to be very busy for all.

This month's edition of Setu is a special issue on the various Government to Citizen (G2C) services provided by us to our rural counterparts. “Delivery of G2C Services to the citizens living in the rural areas through common outlets by using information and communication technology is the essence of the CSC scheme. As a private Partner of the government in the e-governance initiative in six States, Srei Sahaj has been driving its initiatives for making the G2C services available within the easy reach of the rural people during the last few years. Our experience says the task is very difficult. Yet we cannot give up and must continue our efforts to see that more and more G2C services are delivered through CSCs for the sustenance of the CSC Scheme. We are to continue building good relationship with the government authorities at the State as well as local levels for the roll out of these services. I am sure our dedicated G2C Services Team will continue to farther this initiative,” says Mr. Nepal Chandra Sen, Vice President-G2C services of Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited.

From this edition onwards, we have a new section to share with you the innumerable success stories of our Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) from across the six states of Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Two great news worth sharing with all of you are our win in the eIndia Awards 2011 for the best Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year for its project Uttar Pradesh eDistrict, and also the Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012 for its project "Tatkal Yatra - A go to customer Home".

The travel section as usual, takes you on a journey to the Scotland of India, Coorg.

With Valentine's Day round the corner, our very own Ms. Paromita Bhattacharya, Vice President- Capacity Building, shares with us the various myths behind celebrating this day with such grandeur.

All these and much more, this edition has a lot more in store for you.

Do not forget to get back to us with your valuable inputs or anything more that you want us to incorporate from the next edition.

Adios till the next edition.

Happy reading…

We shall wait for you to write back with your comments & suggestions to debolina.banerjee@sahaj.co.in or bhavna.shah@sahaj.co.in

BRINGING , EDUCATION AND TO RURAL INDIABUSINESS GOVERNMENT

e utTMVol IV • Issue 2

Under the aegis of the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India

S

Disclaimer :

The views expressed through the articles in this newsletter may not necessarily be those

of the organization.

Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited is not liable for any content and design carried in the

advertisements published in this issue.

22 Travellers' Delight

24 Sahaj Suswasthya

26 Fun Fundaa

26 VLE Success Story

28 Horoscope

29 Chaakri.co.in :List of Job Vacancies

15 Rural News Bulletin

14 Capacity Building's Diary

05 We, the people of Sahaj

04 News

03 Top VLEs

03 Other Successful VLEs

21 Sahaj Scape

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 1• •

Content

02 CEO Speaks

06 Sahaj Triumph

16 Sahajites writing desk

08 Cover Story

More than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical

Published by :Department of Marketing Communications

Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited

www.sahajcorporate.com

EDITORIALDear Readers,

Hope you are enjoying the winter thoroughly. With Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti and Saraswati Puja just celebrated, we are again charged up for the coming months. From filing income tax returns to preparing the upcoming annual budget, the coming two month seems to be very busy for all.

This month's edition of Setu is a special issue on the various Government to Citizen (G2C) services provided by us to our rural counterparts. “Delivery of G2C Services to the citizens living in the rural areas through common outlets by using information and communication technology is the essence of the CSC scheme. As a private Partner of the government in the e-governance initiative in six States, Srei Sahaj has been driving its initiatives for making the G2C services available within the easy reach of the rural people during the last few years. Our experience says the task is very difficult. Yet we cannot give up and must continue our efforts to see that more and more G2C services are delivered through CSCs for the sustenance of the CSC Scheme. We are to continue building good relationship with the government authorities at the State as well as local levels for the roll out of these services. I am sure our dedicated G2C Services Team will continue to farther this initiative,” says Mr. Nepal Chandra Sen, Vice President-G2C services of Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited.

From this edition onwards, we have a new section to share with you the innumerable success stories of our Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) from across the six states of Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Two great news worth sharing with all of you are our win in the eIndia Awards 2011 for the best Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year for its project Uttar Pradesh eDistrict, and also the Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012 for its project "Tatkal Yatra - A go to customer Home".

The travel section as usual, takes you on a journey to the Scotland of India, Coorg.

With Valentine's Day round the corner, our very own Ms. Paromita Bhattacharya, Vice President- Capacity Building, shares with us the various myths behind celebrating this day with such grandeur.

All these and much more, this edition has a lot more in store for you.

Do not forget to get back to us with your valuable inputs or anything more that you want us to incorporate from the next edition.

Adios till the next edition.

Happy reading…

We shall wait for you to write back with your comments & suggestions to debolina.banerjee@sahaj.co.in or bhavna.shah@sahaj.co.in

BRINGING , EDUCATION AND TO RURAL INDIABUSINESS GOVERNMENT

e utTMVol IV • Issue 2

Under the aegis of the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India

S

Disclaimer :

The views expressed through the articles in this newsletter may not necessarily be those

of the organization.

Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited is not liable for any content and design carried in the

advertisements published in this issue.

22 Travellers' Delight

24 Sahaj Suswasthya

26 Fun Fundaa

26 VLE Success Story

28 Horoscope

29 Chaakri.co.in :List of Job Vacancies

15 Rural News Bulletin

14 Capacity Building's Diary

05 We, the people of Sahaj

04 News

03 Top VLEs

03 Other Successful VLEs

21 Sahaj Scape

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 1• •

CEO

Sp

eaks

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 2• •

It is estimated that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.

Sahaj has been successful in rolling out a huge network of nearly 25, 000 CSCs across 6 states of India in less than four years. While it has been a very fascinating journey, Sahaj has faced innumerable challenges at each step some of which persist till date. Some of the infrastructure based challenges like unpredictable power supply and connectivity issue have been overcome by deploying generators and V-sats. While innovative solutions have been devised to overcome infrastructural constraints there are other impediments which continue to pose a serious threat to the CSC scheme over which Sahaj has no control. The most important of such constraints has been the extremely slow pace at which the CSC network is being used by the Government for routing of Government to Citizen (G2C) services. In near absence of G2C services, economic viability of the CSCs and sustainability of the VLEs has come under a serious cloud. Despite a number of business services (B2C) being offered through these centres at the initiative of the SCA and the VLE, the earnings of the latter continue to be negligible as neither the revenue nor the footfalls that the G2C services were expected to bring to the CSCs are anywhere in sight.

There is an urgent need to expedite the process of routing of Government Services through the CSCs as apart from the economic implications of the slow pace of flow of G2C services for the SCAs and the VLEs, there is a possibility of a political unrest as the VLEs are getting increasingly demoralized and frustrated as their investment are not bearing any fruit. Pending completion of the back end computerization and data digitization, the traditional G2C services like issue of certificates (birth, death, domicile, caste etc), ration cards, maintenance of land records etc may take some time in reaching the CSCs. Thus, it becomes imperative for the Government to ensure that some of the on-going/in the pipeline programmes of the Union and the State Governments are delivered through the CSCs using the expertise of the VLE and thereby generating some income for him/her.

There is a gnawing need for acceptance of the fact that CSCs, which have been created on a PPP mode, cannot be treated at par with any other business entity and, as a partner; the Government has a moral and contractual responsibility to provide them with enough G2C work to make these centres economically viable and self sustaining. The time has come for the Government to acknowledge the fact that the CSC network has been created through an open and transparent bidding process with the Government as well as the people (VLEs) as partners, apart from the private sector entities (SCA). In deference to these distinguishing features between the CSCs and other normal business entities, the government must declare the CSCs as the first and the obvious choice for implementation of all its programmes and such work should be allocated directly to the CSCs on a nomination basis rather than going through the price discovery mechanism, repeatedly.

We at Sahaj have constantly been in dialogue with the Union Government as well as the State Governments for acknowledging and using the CSC network for delivery of government services. We firmly believe that the underlying objectives of National e-Governance Plan will be truly achieved only when the CSCs become the points of delivery of the promised Government services. This will bring about a positive change not only in the lives of the VLEs but the rural populace at large as they are the target beneficiaries of the CSC scheme. In addition, such a move will bring about greater efficiency and transparency in delivery of government services to the intended beneficiaries of Government's flagship programmes. Using the CSC network for e-Governance in the true sense would help the government in combating the existing corruption in delivery of government services and offer a great relieve to the citizen who is the intended beneficiary but who unfortunately remains largely deprived of the benefits of government socio economic spending.

Meena Chaturvedi,CEO, G2C Services, Srei Sahaj e- Village Limited

AssamVLE Name

Sunil Kr. Chhetri

Prashanta Knowar

West Bengal

Rajibul Haque

VLE Name

Soma Tantubay

Uttar PradeshVLE Name

Bajrangi Kumar

Ram Kishor Singh

Tamil NaduVLE Name

Ramasamy S

Revathi S

OdishaVLE Name

Narayan Service Cooperative Society Ltd.

BiharVLE Name

Kisalay Upadhyay

Vijay Singh

Jamsher AliBongaigaon, Assam

Birendra Kr. Mishra Aurangabad, Bihar

Lingagada LAMPCS ltd.Kandhamal, Odisha

Madhavan PKrishnagiri, Tamil Nadu

Jayanta Biswas Bankura, West Bengal

Shamshad AliPratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh

Top

VLE

sOther Successful VLEs

Chadeigaon Service Co.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 3• •

Tigers have stripes to help them hide in the rainforest

May his soul rest in peaceMay his soul rest in peace

In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing

Sahaj is deeply shocked at the untimely demise of an innocent soul. Our deepest sympathies on the death of our VLE Mr. Sanjeevan S (VLE ID : 3304071700000001) of Pappireddipatti Taluk, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, who has departed for his heavenly abode on the 16th of January, 2012.

CEO

Sp

eaks

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 2• •

It is estimated that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.

Sahaj has been successful in rolling out a huge network of nearly 25, 000 CSCs across 6 states of India in less than four years. While it has been a very fascinating journey, Sahaj has faced innumerable challenges at each step some of which persist till date. Some of the infrastructure based challenges like unpredictable power supply and connectivity issue have been overcome by deploying generators and V-sats. While innovative solutions have been devised to overcome infrastructural constraints there are other impediments which continue to pose a serious threat to the CSC scheme over which Sahaj has no control. The most important of such constraints has been the extremely slow pace at which the CSC network is being used by the Government for routing of Government to Citizen (G2C) services. In near absence of G2C services, economic viability of the CSCs and sustainability of the VLEs has come under a serious cloud. Despite a number of business services (B2C) being offered through these centres at the initiative of the SCA and the VLE, the earnings of the latter continue to be negligible as neither the revenue nor the footfalls that the G2C services were expected to bring to the CSCs are anywhere in sight.

There is an urgent need to expedite the process of routing of Government Services through the CSCs as apart from the economic implications of the slow pace of flow of G2C services for the SCAs and the VLEs, there is a possibility of a political unrest as the VLEs are getting increasingly demoralized and frustrated as their investment are not bearing any fruit. Pending completion of the back end computerization and data digitization, the traditional G2C services like issue of certificates (birth, death, domicile, caste etc), ration cards, maintenance of land records etc may take some time in reaching the CSCs. Thus, it becomes imperative for the Government to ensure that some of the on-going/in the pipeline programmes of the Union and the State Governments are delivered through the CSCs using the expertise of the VLE and thereby generating some income for him/her.

There is a gnawing need for acceptance of the fact that CSCs, which have been created on a PPP mode, cannot be treated at par with any other business entity and, as a partner; the Government has a moral and contractual responsibility to provide them with enough G2C work to make these centres economically viable and self sustaining. The time has come for the Government to acknowledge the fact that the CSC network has been created through an open and transparent bidding process with the Government as well as the people (VLEs) as partners, apart from the private sector entities (SCA). In deference to these distinguishing features between the CSCs and other normal business entities, the government must declare the CSCs as the first and the obvious choice for implementation of all its programmes and such work should be allocated directly to the CSCs on a nomination basis rather than going through the price discovery mechanism, repeatedly.

We at Sahaj have constantly been in dialogue with the Union Government as well as the State Governments for acknowledging and using the CSC network for delivery of government services. We firmly believe that the underlying objectives of National e-Governance Plan will be truly achieved only when the CSCs become the points of delivery of the promised Government services. This will bring about a positive change not only in the lives of the VLEs but the rural populace at large as they are the target beneficiaries of the CSC scheme. In addition, such a move will bring about greater efficiency and transparency in delivery of government services to the intended beneficiaries of Government's flagship programmes. Using the CSC network for e-Governance in the true sense would help the government in combating the existing corruption in delivery of government services and offer a great relieve to the citizen who is the intended beneficiary but who unfortunately remains largely deprived of the benefits of government socio economic spending.

Meena Chaturvedi,CEO, G2C Services, Srei Sahaj e- Village Limited

AssamVLE Name

Sunil Kr. Chhetri

Prashanta Knowar

West Bengal

Rajibul Haque

VLE Name

Soma Tantubay

Uttar PradeshVLE Name

Bajrangi Kumar

Ram Kishor Singh

Tamil NaduVLE Name

Ramasamy S

Revathi S

OdishaVLE Name

Narayan Service Cooperative Society Ltd.

BiharVLE Name

Kisalay Upadhyay

Vijay Singh

Jamsher AliBongaigaon, Assam

Birendra Kr. Mishra Aurangabad, Bihar

Lingagada LAMPCS ltd.Kandhamal, Odisha

Madhavan PKrishnagiri, Tamil Nadu

Jayanta Biswas Bankura, West Bengal

Shamshad AliPratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh

Top

VLE

sOther Successful VLEs

Chadeigaon Service Co.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 3• •

Tigers have stripes to help them hide in the rainforest

May his soul rest in peaceMay his soul rest in peace

In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing

Sahaj is deeply shocked at the untimely demise of an innocent soul. Our deepest sympathies on the death of our VLE Mr. Sanjeevan S (VLE ID : 3304071700000001) of Pappireddipatti Taluk, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, who has departed for his heavenly abode on the 16th of January, 2012.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 4• •

Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its timber.

Srei Sahaj leads in Aadhaar generation in Tamil Nadu

Amongst all the Enrollment Agencies, Srei was declared to be in the top position for Aadhaar generation in Tamil Nadu. Since March 2011, Srei has generated a total number of 3,95,679 Aadhaar cards.

PFRDA Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet in Assam.

A PFRDA Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet was successfully held in Udalguri and Barpeta districts, organized by VLE Nabajit Deka, Nabin Ch. Sarma and Abul Kalam Azad respectively. Among those present included the VCDC Chairman, Gramp Panchayat President, Village Head, a well known Social Activist, Principal and teachers of nearby schools, few Self Help Groups, Tea Garden Labour Union members along with around 100 general public of the area. The benefit of the PFRDA scheme along with a brief introduction on SAHAJ and e-Learning were given during the meet.

CEO visits CSCs and government officials in Assam

Ms. Meena Chaturvedi, CEO (G2C & E-Learning), Srei Sahaj, undertook a 2 day tour of Assam in the month of December 2011, where she travelled to the districts of Golaghat, Sonitpur and Darrang accompanied by Col.

Shahidul Islam, State Head, and Mr. Gaurav Loomba, AVP (G2C service). During the tour, she visited a good number of CSCs and interacted with the VLEs. The CEO also met a number of senior government officials and discussed about the CSCs project with them.

Commercial tax service now available through Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra

The Commercial Tax e-Return filling service was

inaugurated by Mr. Nakul Dubey, Minister for Urban Development and Commercial Tax, Uttar Pradesh at Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra, Itaunja, Bakshi ka Talab, Lucknow. Mr. Balvinder Singh, Principal Secretary, Mr. Chandrabhanu, Commissioner, Commercial Tax (also Secretary to CM-UP) and Mr. Jivesh Nandan, Secretary IT were present to grace the occasion. Other officials from Commercial Tax Department, Centre for e-Governance were also present.

The first e-Return was also filled through the Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra on the same day by M/s Avadh Bihari Ram Prakash.

New

s

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 5• •

Half of the world's species of plants and animals will be destroyed over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.

“You can increase your brain power three to fivefold simply by laughing and having fun before working on an issue.”

Sahaj ushers in the New Year with great pomp and grandeur.

Games being conducted by the HR Team at the Sahaj Head Office.

We, th

e p

eo

ple

of S

ah

aj

- Doug Hall

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 4• •

Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its timber.

Srei Sahaj leads in Aadhaar generation in Tamil Nadu

Amongst all the Enrollment Agencies, Srei was declared to be in the top position for Aadhaar generation in Tamil Nadu. Since March 2011, Srei has generated a total number of 3,95,679 Aadhaar cards.

PFRDA Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet in Assam.

A PFRDA Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet was successfully held in Udalguri and Barpeta districts, organized by VLE Nabajit Deka, Nabin Ch. Sarma and Abul Kalam Azad respectively. Among those present included the VCDC Chairman, Gramp Panchayat President, Village Head, a well known Social Activist, Principal and teachers of nearby schools, few Self Help Groups, Tea Garden Labour Union members along with around 100 general public of the area. The benefit of the PFRDA scheme along with a brief introduction on SAHAJ and e-Learning were given during the meet.

CEO visits CSCs and government officials in Assam

Ms. Meena Chaturvedi, CEO (G2C & E-Learning), Srei Sahaj, undertook a 2 day tour of Assam in the month of December 2011, where she travelled to the districts of Golaghat, Sonitpur and Darrang accompanied by Col.

Shahidul Islam, State Head, and Mr. Gaurav Loomba, AVP (G2C service). During the tour, she visited a good number of CSCs and interacted with the VLEs. The CEO also met a number of senior government officials and discussed about the CSCs project with them.

Commercial tax service now available through Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra

The Commercial Tax e-Return filling service was

inaugurated by Mr. Nakul Dubey, Minister for Urban Development and Commercial Tax, Uttar Pradesh at Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra, Itaunja, Bakshi ka Talab, Lucknow. Mr. Balvinder Singh, Principal Secretary, Mr. Chandrabhanu, Commissioner, Commercial Tax (also Secretary to CM-UP) and Mr. Jivesh Nandan, Secretary IT were present to grace the occasion. Other officials from Commercial Tax Department, Centre for e-Governance were also present.

The first e-Return was also filled through the Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra on the same day by M/s Avadh Bihari Ram Prakash.

New

s

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 5• •

Half of the world's species of plants and animals will be destroyed over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.

“You can increase your brain power three to fivefold simply by laughing and having fun before working on an issue.”

Sahaj ushers in the New Year with great pomp and grandeur.

Games being conducted by the HR Team at the Sahaj Head Office.

We, th

e p

eo

ple

of S

ah

aj

- Doug Hall

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 6• •

The howler monkey is the loudest animal living in the rainforests of South

Sahaj shines at e-India awards :

Wins Best Telecentre Initiative of the YearSrei Sahaj e-Village Limited has been conferred the eINDIA 2011 Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year Award for its project Uttar Pradesh eDistrict. The eINDIA 2011 Awards organised from 14-16 December, 2011 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is one of the largest platforms of the nation for recognizing the talents from across the government, industry and social sector organizations working for ICT, Healthcare & Telemedicine not only in India but internationally as well.

Various governments across the globe have hailed telecentres as the optimum solution to answer concerns of national development. It plays a crucial role in narrowing the very-prevalent digital divide in remote, rural and otherwise disadvantaged communities. These and other segments in rural areas can through it gain information, seamless access to knowledge and education, information by governments, and other services.

The eDistrict is one of the 27 Mission Mode Projects under National e-Governance Plan of India. The project seeks to automate field level government functioning and provide G2C services to rural

citizens in an easy, fast and cost effective manner. The project undertakes the backend computerization to enable e-delivery of services through the Common Service Centres, which ensures optimal leveraging and utilization of the core infrastructure. Srei Sahaj integrated the eDistrict portal with its portal in April 2011 and today provides a number of government services through the Sahaj Common Service Centres in the three districts of Uttar Pradesh - Sitapur, Raebareilly & Gorakhpur from 30th April 2011.

Introduction of the e-District services by Sahaj was a milestone in changing lives of the rural citizen. The idea of “governance at your doorstep” became true and a rural citizen now doesn't have to travel long distances in order to avail government services. The idea was to make the process of issuing certificates like Income, Domicile, Birth, and Death etc. transparent and as simple as possible. e-District helped common man in solving problems faced when going to a tehsil.

The award for Telecentre Initiative of the Year aims to honour organizations from throughout the world that demonstrates extraordinary effort, innovation, leadership and excellence in the use of digital technologies to support community, economic, educational social development. A total of 60 governmental, non-governmental, private enterprises, etc. had participated for the Awards. Many dignitaries like Ministers, Secretaries, Additional Secretaries of the Government of India and respective state governments are associated with this platform. Reputed corporate giants like Microsoft, Huawei, TCS, and HCL etc are also associated with this platform.

On receiving the award, Mr. Neeraj Chandra, Head of Operations – Uttar Pradesh, Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, said, “The eDistrict project resulted in the creation of a single-window-solution for the common man, who earlier used to invest incredible amount of time, effort and money to avail a utility-certificate. A survey conducted in the three e-Districts on over 300 rural citizens clearly shows that the above mentioned initiative has saved approx. 1.2 Crores of common citizen only in terms of transport from their respective village to the Tehsil head quarter. The integration has proved to be beneficial for Srei Sahaj in terms of online monitoring of transactions, ensuring accountability at every step and timeliness in delivery of service.”

Congratulating the entire team Ms. Meena Chaturvedi, CEO – Public Services & e-Learning, Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited said, “We are very proud to bag the e-India 2011 Awards. Winning the awards for the Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year has been the result of Team Sahaj's focused effort to provide the last mile connectivity which is essential for bridging the gulf between urban and rural India. With relentless efforts of nearly 4 years Sahaj has been successful in creating an amazing network of 25000 tele centres termed as “Common Service Centres” under the National e-Governance Plan, spread over 6 states of India. Each tele centre is ICT enabled and geared to provide IT based government to citizen services as well as e-commerce services. We have great senses of satisfaction in knowing that we offer these services to the door step of rural citizen, which saves them both time and energy. The journey has been very satisfying but arduous. We still have many more miles to travel and innumerable challenges to overcome. Awards and recognition of this kind helps strengthen our resolve and boost our morale. We are thus grateful to the organizer of the eINDIA Awards for recognizing Sahaj's effort at nation building.”

₨

Sah

aj Tr

ium

ph

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 7• •

Paper products make up approximately 40 per cent of our trash.

Srei Sahaj adds another feather to its cap:

Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012For nearly a decade now, the Skoch Consultancy Services has honored the extraordinary accomplishments enhancing inclusive growth and good governance. Skoch, today, enjoys the dist inct ion of having instituted several of the oldest, m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s a n d comprehensive civilian awards in the field of governance, capacity bu i l d i ng , empowermen t , inclusive growth, citizen services delivery, technology, academics and change management. The Skoch Awards identify the greatest interventions that have bene f i t ed human i t y and deepened our understanding of India on a greater scale.

Srei Sahaj E-Village Limited has been awarded the Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012 for its project “Tatkal Yatra A go to customer Home”. The award ceremony was held in Delhi on the 5th of January, 2012. The project has been rated amongst the top 50 Financial Inclusion Projects in India during the year 2011. The Tatkaal Yatra was a project conducted by the Sahaj representatives along with their 250 Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) where a house to house visit was made across 3,000 households in rural Uttar Pradesh. The basic idea of the project was to create mass awareness and educate the rural populace about the benefits of financial inclusion.

The drive was undertaken under the umbrella of “Bima Saksharta Aviyaan” The officials who visited these houses, carried a shoulder strapped, interactive touch-screen audio visual media kit which briefed about the benefits of financial inclusion through customized animations and short films.

In this manner, 15 households each was touched across 250 villages and VLE locations. The whole event was completed in 55 days with 5 teams working simultaneously.

The team was able to influence 30,000 plus villagers to actively consider and understand the need of financial services and generated approximately 2,000 interested leads to help them protect their families. More than 300 households voluntarily opted for the different savings schemes and were brought into the folds of financial inclusion.

The biggest challenge faced by the Sahaj officials during the project was to change the mindset of the rural populace about the concept of financial inclusion, create awareness about the various financial services and the value addition it does to their lives.

Mass media drives and road shows had a short memory recall, thus, devoid of one on one interaction. This left the rural citizens with a horde of unanswered queries and doubts resulting in poor acceptance of the financial products in rural India. It is not the lack of desire or power to purchase but due to the unavailability and lack of awareness of financial products in the rural areas that it has failed in the financial inclusion initiative.

Sahaj has taken the initiative through this project and is committed to take this on a larger scale through its widespread CSC network deep down to core of rural India in the times to come.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 6• •

The howler monkey is the loudest animal living in the rainforests of South

Sahaj shines at e-India awards :

Wins Best Telecentre Initiative of the YearSrei Sahaj e-Village Limited has been conferred the eINDIA 2011 Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year Award for its project Uttar Pradesh eDistrict. The eINDIA 2011 Awards organised from 14-16 December, 2011 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is one of the largest platforms of the nation for recognizing the talents from across the government, industry and social sector organizations working for ICT, Healthcare & Telemedicine not only in India but internationally as well.

Various governments across the globe have hailed telecentres as the optimum solution to answer concerns of national development. It plays a crucial role in narrowing the very-prevalent digital divide in remote, rural and otherwise disadvantaged communities. These and other segments in rural areas can through it gain information, seamless access to knowledge and education, information by governments, and other services.

The eDistrict is one of the 27 Mission Mode Projects under National e-Governance Plan of India. The project seeks to automate field level government functioning and provide G2C services to rural

citizens in an easy, fast and cost effective manner. The project undertakes the backend computerization to enable e-delivery of services through the Common Service Centres, which ensures optimal leveraging and utilization of the core infrastructure. Srei Sahaj integrated the eDistrict portal with its portal in April 2011 and today provides a number of government services through the Sahaj Common Service Centres in the three districts of Uttar Pradesh - Sitapur, Raebareilly & Gorakhpur from 30th April 2011.

Introduction of the e-District services by Sahaj was a milestone in changing lives of the rural citizen. The idea of “governance at your doorstep” became true and a rural citizen now doesn't have to travel long distances in order to avail government services. The idea was to make the process of issuing certificates like Income, Domicile, Birth, and Death etc. transparent and as simple as possible. e-District helped common man in solving problems faced when going to a tehsil.

The award for Telecentre Initiative of the Year aims to honour organizations from throughout the world that demonstrates extraordinary effort, innovation, leadership and excellence in the use of digital technologies to support community, economic, educational social development. A total of 60 governmental, non-governmental, private enterprises, etc. had participated for the Awards. Many dignitaries like Ministers, Secretaries, Additional Secretaries of the Government of India and respective state governments are associated with this platform. Reputed corporate giants like Microsoft, Huawei, TCS, and HCL etc are also associated with this platform.

On receiving the award, Mr. Neeraj Chandra, Head of Operations – Uttar Pradesh, Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, said, “The eDistrict project resulted in the creation of a single-window-solution for the common man, who earlier used to invest incredible amount of time, effort and money to avail a utility-certificate. A survey conducted in the three e-Districts on over 300 rural citizens clearly shows that the above mentioned initiative has saved approx. 1.2 Crores of common citizen only in terms of transport from their respective village to the Tehsil head quarter. The integration has proved to be beneficial for Srei Sahaj in terms of online monitoring of transactions, ensuring accountability at every step and timeliness in delivery of service.”

Congratulating the entire team Ms. Meena Chaturvedi, CEO – Public Services & e-Learning, Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited said, “We are very proud to bag the e-India 2011 Awards. Winning the awards for the Best Telecentre Initiative of the Year has been the result of Team Sahaj's focused effort to provide the last mile connectivity which is essential for bridging the gulf between urban and rural India. With relentless efforts of nearly 4 years Sahaj has been successful in creating an amazing network of 25000 tele centres termed as “Common Service Centres” under the National e-Governance Plan, spread over 6 states of India. Each tele centre is ICT enabled and geared to provide IT based government to citizen services as well as e-commerce services. We have great senses of satisfaction in knowing that we offer these services to the door step of rural citizen, which saves them both time and energy. The journey has been very satisfying but arduous. We still have many more miles to travel and innumerable challenges to overcome. Awards and recognition of this kind helps strengthen our resolve and boost our morale. We are thus grateful to the organizer of the eINDIA Awards for recognizing Sahaj's effort at nation building.”

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Sah

aj Tr

ium

ph

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 7• •

Paper products make up approximately 40 per cent of our trash.

Srei Sahaj adds another feather to its cap:

Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012For nearly a decade now, the Skoch Consultancy Services has honored the extraordinary accomplishments enhancing inclusive growth and good governance. Skoch, today, enjoys the dist inct ion of having instituted several of the oldest, m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s a n d comprehensive civilian awards in the field of governance, capacity bu i l d i ng , empowermen t , inclusive growth, citizen services delivery, technology, academics and change management. The Skoch Awards identify the greatest interventions that have bene f i t ed human i t y and deepened our understanding of India on a greater scale.

Srei Sahaj E-Village Limited has been awarded the Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012 for its project “Tatkal Yatra A go to customer Home”. The award ceremony was held in Delhi on the 5th of January, 2012. The project has been rated amongst the top 50 Financial Inclusion Projects in India during the year 2011. The Tatkaal Yatra was a project conducted by the Sahaj representatives along with their 250 Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) where a house to house visit was made across 3,000 households in rural Uttar Pradesh. The basic idea of the project was to create mass awareness and educate the rural populace about the benefits of financial inclusion.

The drive was undertaken under the umbrella of “Bima Saksharta Aviyaan” The officials who visited these houses, carried a shoulder strapped, interactive touch-screen audio visual media kit which briefed about the benefits of financial inclusion through customized animations and short films.

In this manner, 15 households each was touched across 250 villages and VLE locations. The whole event was completed in 55 days with 5 teams working simultaneously.

The team was able to influence 30,000 plus villagers to actively consider and understand the need of financial services and generated approximately 2,000 interested leads to help them protect their families. More than 300 households voluntarily opted for the different savings schemes and were brought into the folds of financial inclusion.

The biggest challenge faced by the Sahaj officials during the project was to change the mindset of the rural populace about the concept of financial inclusion, create awareness about the various financial services and the value addition it does to their lives.

Mass media drives and road shows had a short memory recall, thus, devoid of one on one interaction. This left the rural citizens with a horde of unanswered queries and doubts resulting in poor acceptance of the financial products in rural India. It is not the lack of desire or power to purchase but due to the unavailability and lack of awareness of financial products in the rural areas that it has failed in the financial inclusion initiative.

Sahaj has taken the initiative through this project and is committed to take this on a larger scale through its widespread CSC network deep down to core of rural India in the times to come.

One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 8• •

Co

ver

Sto

ry

“E-Governance today is like a half empty glass, some people look at the part that is full, some look at the part that is empty”

most promising Developing Nation. But on the other hand, 300 million population of India still lives below the poverty line. The 2011 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report ranked India 45th, amongst the leading countries

The scale of e-governance in a country with alarming hunger situation. A like India is vastly different from significant number of people in India something being attempted in Europe or are living below the minimal socio-even the United States. In both these economic benchmarks sections like the regions the use of computers and literacy urban and rural poor, historically levels far exceeds the levels prevailing in disadvantaged people, etc. constitute a India. In fact, there exists a clear digital major portion of the population. Adding divide in India and as a recent UN survey to the woes is the fact that the shows that “while in the United States, vulnerability of these sections has been 54.3 per cent of citizens use the Internet, increasing ever since the onset of compared to a global average of 6.7 per globalization. This has resulted in these cent, in the Indian subcontinent, the sect ions becoming even more proportion is just 0.4 per cent.” And this marginalized both socially as well percentage comprises largely of the e c o n o m i c a l l y. I t i s a l s o a n urban populace.” acknowledged fact that whi le

Information Technology can act as an India is a land of diverse cultures, important tool to bridge this divide, a traditions, geography and equally diverse digital divide, can actually result in is the social and economic condition of widening the gulf. its people. With an economic growth rate

of 6.9 per cent in the third quarter of The government of the day, through its 2011, India is emerging as one of the policy decisions can effectively use

Public Services

now within easy reach

Public Services

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 9• •

Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.

technology, can bring about Government or e-Government or unprecedented changes in the Digital Government can be way people live their lives, defined as “the employment of communicate, interact and the Internet and the world-wide-conduct business. Believing that web for delivering government IT interventions can become an information and services to the enabling tool for reaching out to citizens.' the citizens of the country with e-Governance is the use of ease, speed and economy, the information technology for the Government of India launched free movement of information to the Common Services Centre's overcome the physical barriers of (CSC) Scheme in 2006 as a part traditional paper and physical of its initiative under the based systems.National e-Governance Plan

e-Governance enhances the (NeGP). Through the CSC

access to technology and delivery scheme, the government has

of government services to benefit committed itself to addressing

the citizens, business partners the divide, since it believed that

and employees. It involves the e-governance would improve

automation or computerization the standards of living of those

of the existing paper-based on the wrong side of the divide

procedures that will prompt new and those residing in the rural

styles of leadership, new ways of areas, and allow them access to

debating and deciding strategies, e conomic oppo r tun i t i e s

new ways of transacting business, avai lable to their urban

new ways of listening to citizens counterparts.

and communities, and new ways The National e-Governance of organizing and delivering Plan of the Indian Government information.seeks to lay the foundation and

The primary objective of provide the impetus for the

e-government is to establish a long - term growth of e -

long-term, organization - wide Governance within the country.

strategy to constantly improve The plan seek to create to the

operations with the end in view r i g h t g o v e r n a n c e a n d

of fulfilling citizen needs by institutional mechanisms, set up

transforming internal operations the core infrastructure and

such as staffing, technology, policies and also implement a

processes and work f low number of Mission Mode

management.Projects at the center, state and integrated service levels to create a citizen-centric and business-centric environment for governance.

E-Government is any kind of The four types of e-governance digital interactions between government and citizens services are Government-to-Cit izen (G2C), (G2C), government and businesses/Commerce (G2B), Government-to-Business (G2B), Government-to-government and employees (G2E), and also between Enterprise (G2E), and Government-to-Government government and governments /agencies (G2G). (G2G) out of which G2C, G2B and G2G services are

important for us.According to the United Nations, Electronic

Ty p e s o f s e r v i c e s d e l i v e r e d t h r o u g h e-governance

G2C services aims at c o n n e c t i n g t h e government to the citizens by talking to citizens and supporting accountability, by listening to their grievances and by abiding to the true meaning of

democracy. We have been discussing of how the ICT platform for G2C, G2B, and G2G has been transforming changes in the life of the citizens. There is another platform, namely, “consumer to government” or C2G, which mainly constitutes the area where the citizens can interact with the government. We can also call it an e-democracy which is an earnest effort to change the role of the citizens from a passive information giver to an actively involved citizen. In an e-democracy, the government informs the citizen, represents them, encourages them to vote and engage the city in governance. E-debate can be platform where all the stakeholders such as government, civil society, private organization and the citizens of the country can share their opinions and debate on policies to strengthen the democracy further. Let us take an example of the political leader contesting for elections with a defined manifesto, the manifesto can be shared with citizens through an e-platform and can be changed in accordance with the feedback from the citizen. This initiative will further strengthen the process by enhancing the representative role, improving accessibility of citizens to their elected members and developing the capacity of the elected representative to engage in e-government. For such transformation, infrastructure, technology and capacity building of people is only one aspect, whereas, the most important aspect is the political willingness among the ministries and the senior public officials which plays a critical role. For the e-governance initiative to succeed, e-readiness needs to be built. This means strengthening infrastructural inadequacies, reducing the barriers to e-governance and strengthening the drivers of e-governance.

Gaurav LoombaAVP-G2C Services

Sahaj- Delhi

One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 8• •

Co

ver

Sto

ry

“E-Governance today is like a half empty glass, some people look at the part that is full, some look at the part that is empty”

most promising Developing Nation. But on the other hand, 300 million population of India still lives below the poverty line. The 2011 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report ranked India 45th, amongst the leading countries

The scale of e-governance in a country with alarming hunger situation. A like India is vastly different from significant number of people in India something being attempted in Europe or are living below the minimal socio-even the United States. In both these economic benchmarks sections like the regions the use of computers and literacy urban and rural poor, historically levels far exceeds the levels prevailing in disadvantaged people, etc. constitute a India. In fact, there exists a clear digital major portion of the population. Adding divide in India and as a recent UN survey to the woes is the fact that the shows that “while in the United States, vulnerability of these sections has been 54.3 per cent of citizens use the Internet, increasing ever since the onset of compared to a global average of 6.7 per globalization. This has resulted in these cent, in the Indian subcontinent, the sect ions becoming even more proportion is just 0.4 per cent.” And this marginalized both socially as well percentage comprises largely of the e c o n o m i c a l l y. I t i s a l s o a n urban populace.” acknowledged fact that whi le

Information Technology can act as an India is a land of diverse cultures, important tool to bridge this divide, a traditions, geography and equally diverse digital divide, can actually result in is the social and economic condition of widening the gulf. its people. With an economic growth rate

of 6.9 per cent in the third quarter of The government of the day, through its 2011, India is emerging as one of the policy decisions can effectively use

Public Services

now within easy reach

Public Services

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 9• •

Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.

technology, can bring about Government or e-Government or unprecedented changes in the Digital Government can be way people live their lives, defined as “the employment of communicate, interact and the Internet and the world-wide-conduct business. Believing that web for delivering government IT interventions can become an information and services to the enabling tool for reaching out to citizens.' the citizens of the country with e-Governance is the use of ease, speed and economy, the information technology for the Government of India launched free movement of information to the Common Services Centre's overcome the physical barriers of (CSC) Scheme in 2006 as a part traditional paper and physical of its initiative under the based systems.National e-Governance Plan

e-Governance enhances the (NeGP). Through the CSC

access to technology and delivery scheme, the government has

of government services to benefit committed itself to addressing

the citizens, business partners the divide, since it believed that

and employees. It involves the e-governance would improve

automation or computerization the standards of living of those

of the existing paper-based on the wrong side of the divide

procedures that will prompt new and those residing in the rural

styles of leadership, new ways of areas, and allow them access to

debating and deciding strategies, e conomic oppo r tun i t i e s

new ways of transacting business, avai lable to their urban

new ways of listening to citizens counterparts.

and communities, and new ways The National e-Governance of organizing and delivering Plan of the Indian Government information.seeks to lay the foundation and

The primary objective of provide the impetus for the

e-government is to establish a long - term growth of e -

long-term, organization - wide Governance within the country.

strategy to constantly improve The plan seek to create to the

operations with the end in view r i g h t g o v e r n a n c e a n d

of fulfilling citizen needs by institutional mechanisms, set up

transforming internal operations the core infrastructure and

such as staffing, technology, policies and also implement a

processes and work f low number of Mission Mode

management.Projects at the center, state and integrated service levels to create a citizen-centric and business-centric environment for governance.

E-Government is any kind of The four types of e-governance digital interactions between government and citizens services are Government-to-Cit izen (G2C), (G2C), government and businesses/Commerce (G2B), Government-to-Business (G2B), Government-to-government and employees (G2E), and also between Enterprise (G2E), and Government-to-Government government and governments /agencies (G2G). (G2G) out of which G2C, G2B and G2G services are

important for us.According to the United Nations, Electronic

Ty p e s o f s e r v i c e s d e l i v e r e d t h r o u g h e-governance

G2C services aims at c o n n e c t i n g t h e government to the citizens by talking to citizens and supporting accountability, by listening to their grievances and by abiding to the true meaning of

democracy. We have been discussing of how the ICT platform for G2C, G2B, and G2G has been transforming changes in the life of the citizens. There is another platform, namely, “consumer to government” or C2G, which mainly constitutes the area where the citizens can interact with the government. We can also call it an e-democracy which is an earnest effort to change the role of the citizens from a passive information giver to an actively involved citizen. In an e-democracy, the government informs the citizen, represents them, encourages them to vote and engage the city in governance. E-debate can be platform where all the stakeholders such as government, civil society, private organization and the citizens of the country can share their opinions and debate on policies to strengthen the democracy further. Let us take an example of the political leader contesting for elections with a defined manifesto, the manifesto can be shared with citizens through an e-platform and can be changed in accordance with the feedback from the citizen. This initiative will further strengthen the process by enhancing the representative role, improving accessibility of citizens to their elected members and developing the capacity of the elected representative to engage in e-government. For such transformation, infrastructure, technology and capacity building of people is only one aspect, whereas, the most important aspect is the political willingness among the ministries and the senior public officials which plays a critical role. For the e-governance initiative to succeed, e-readiness needs to be built. This means strengthening infrastructural inadequacies, reducing the barriers to e-governance and strengthening the drivers of e-governance.

Gaurav LoombaAVP-G2C Services

Sahaj- Delhi

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 10• •

Recycled materials can return to the marketplace in as little as 30 days.

G2C Services (Government to citizen services)

G2B Services (Government to business services)

G2G services (Government to government services)

G2E services (Government to enterprise)

Objective of Sahaj

These services are delivered to Customers/ common people through various channels.

E.g. Services through e District portal, basic citizen services such as license renewals, ordering of birth/death/marriage certificates and filing of income taxes, as well as citizen assistance for such basic services as education, health care, hospital information, libraries, and the like.

The government interacts with various business in terms of policy enforcement, collection of taxes, contract management etc. The biggest area that falls under the government is contract management.

Government to government (G2G) is the electronic sharing of data and/or information systems between government agencies, departments or organizations. E.g MGNREGA data entry work.

Enterprises like Water Board, electricity are controlled by the governments and should react quickly to the

•Catering to the rural population.government policies. Policy enforcements, security and auditing (for accountability) are the biggest challenges. •Making G2C as well as B2C services available right at

the door step of the rural populace.

•Reducing intermediaries in the delivery of the Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, a subsidiary of Srei government services.Infrastructure Finance Limited, was incorporated in

•Bridging the economic and digital divide between May, 2007, as a Special Purpose Vehicle to function as

urban and rural Indiaan SCA under the CSC scheme. Today, in terms of

•Reducing the time and money spent by the rural volume, Sahaj is the largest SCA as it has been mandated population in the acquisition of services.(through an open competitive bidding process) to roll

out more than 28,000 of the total 10,00,00 CSCs •Assist the government in bringing about greater targeted to be set up under the CSC scheme. Sahaj has efficiency and transparency in the delivery of already established a strong network of more than government services.24,000 CSCs across the six states of Assam, Bihar, •Empowering the rural population by making available Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal IT based channels for easy access to information. covering 107 districts spread over 1,386 blocks. More

In creating this amazing network, which is the largest of than 16,000 of these centres are connected through V-its kind in the area of IT in the whole world, Sahaj has sat, broadband, data cards etc. to its 'State of Art', Level 3 created not only a platform of delivery of Government to data centre located in Kolkata.

The guiding principles of Sahaj's CSC initiative are as follows:

Mr. Shardendu Tripathi, Village Chaumukha, Block Brahmpur, Tehsil Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, UP.

The Brahmpur block is situated 32 kilometers. away from Gorakhpur. With a population of 15, 8615, people, the literacy rate 41.6 per cent is just by having 4 PHCs with a facility of 10 Beds & no college level educational institute Mr. Shardendu Tripathi although from a well off background started his CSC with a noble cause to provide his villagers Government services right at their door step. and support them in every possible way. His CSC was established with a hope to transform the rural dynamics and ease the life of the rural villagers. The government services were made available in May 2011.The edistrict service launch created a new energy in the rural gamut. They now have a “Chota Tehsil” providing birth, death, domicile, caste and income certificates to the villagers. This took away their pain of travelling to far flung location for the government certificates and negotiating with middlemen for getting the same in time.This has also helped the VLE in bringing more visibility of his kiosk and cross selling of e-learning and other B2C services. .People now looks up to him with more respect and as an associate of government.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 11• •

The safest place to be when a tornado hits is underground.

Citizen Services (G2C) as well as Business to Citizen incurred is quite high as it includes travelling expense, (B2C) services, but has ushered in an entrepreneurial food expense, cost on account of loss of income for the revolution in rural India as each of its CSC is owned and number of managed by a Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE). In working days creating over 24, 000 CSCs, Sahaj has created an equal i n v e s t e d , number of entrepreneurs who are increasingly and o ther becoming friends, philosophers and guides of the rural i n c i d e n t a l citizens. If CSCs are the cornerstones of economic e x p e n s e s change, the VLEs are acting as catalysts of social change. add up to a

h u g e Although the CSCs were supposed to be centers for the a m o u n t delivery of government services under NeGP, only a few often beyond the paying capacity of a rural citizen. As G2C services covering a very limited number of districts per the study conducted, an average citizen spends are being routed through Sahaj CSCs currently. Although more than Rs.109 to avail these essential government these services are still in the nascent stage but they have services from the Tehsil as compared to the mere been able to make a significant contribution to lives of amount of Rs 25 through the Sahaj CSCs. The CSC saves the rural populace.both, time and money, which can easily be utilized more productively for some other important priority.

Till date more than 4, 00,000 certificates have been issued from the month of April Dec'11 providing a financial saving of approximately 3.28 crores to the common man, other than the mental and physical relief for availing these services through the nearby common service centres. In the 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh, already six

government services are being delivered through the Following are the details of the distribution of the CSCs which include income; birth, death; caste; services.domicile and handicapped certificates. A study conducted by Sahaj has shown that an average distance a citizen has to travel for the e-district service is as little as

“When sparkle becomes fire and enlightens the world, 3.86 kilometers as compared to Tehsils where a citizen there comes the hope for the era which brings revolution has to travel more than 18 kilometers and the response to change the world”time of the services through CSC is less than seven days

as compared to fifteen days taken at the Tehsil's office. This sparkle twinkled first in a small district of Bihar, Jehanabad, which has shown a new pathway for the roll A rural Indian citizen would normally spend a good out of G2C Services at local level with an opportunity for a good revenue generation. In view of the fact that large number of works such as MNREGA data entry, FCI report scanning/mailing, IAY photography etc. of the government is regulated by the District Administration under the various functional department co-coordinating and getting these orders to be executed by the VLEs is a mammoth task. One of such Herculean initiatives was taken by the district team of Jehanabad. They started building a good rapport with the VLEs to understand their skill set and area of expertise and then strategically started following up with the District

amount of money on availing an essential government Administration for the work order. Their sheer service like obtaining a Birth Certificate. The cost perseverance and communication with the

Few of the case studies as discussed will entail the key benefits derived through the G2C services.

Case study : e-district service in Uttar Pradesh

Case Study : G2C services Bihar

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 10• •

Recycled materials can return to the marketplace in as little as 30 days.

G2C Services (Government to citizen services)

G2B Services (Government to business services)

G2G services (Government to government services)

G2E services (Government to enterprise)

Objective of Sahaj

These services are delivered to Customers/ common people through various channels.

E.g. Services through e District portal, basic citizen services such as license renewals, ordering of birth/death/marriage certificates and filing of income taxes, as well as citizen assistance for such basic services as education, health care, hospital information, libraries, and the like.

The government interacts with various business in terms of policy enforcement, collection of taxes, contract management etc. The biggest area that falls under the government is contract management.

Government to government (G2G) is the electronic sharing of data and/or information systems between government agencies, departments or organizations. E.g MGNREGA data entry work.

Enterprises like Water Board, electricity are controlled by the governments and should react quickly to the

•Catering to the rural population.government policies. Policy enforcements, security and auditing (for accountability) are the biggest challenges. •Making G2C as well as B2C services available right at

the door step of the rural populace.

•Reducing intermediaries in the delivery of the Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, a subsidiary of Srei government services.Infrastructure Finance Limited, was incorporated in

•Bridging the economic and digital divide between May, 2007, as a Special Purpose Vehicle to function as

urban and rural Indiaan SCA under the CSC scheme. Today, in terms of

•Reducing the time and money spent by the rural volume, Sahaj is the largest SCA as it has been mandated population in the acquisition of services.(through an open competitive bidding process) to roll

out more than 28,000 of the total 10,00,00 CSCs •Assist the government in bringing about greater targeted to be set up under the CSC scheme. Sahaj has efficiency and transparency in the delivery of already established a strong network of more than government services.24,000 CSCs across the six states of Assam, Bihar, •Empowering the rural population by making available Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal IT based channels for easy access to information. covering 107 districts spread over 1,386 blocks. More

In creating this amazing network, which is the largest of than 16,000 of these centres are connected through V-its kind in the area of IT in the whole world, Sahaj has sat, broadband, data cards etc. to its 'State of Art', Level 3 created not only a platform of delivery of Government to data centre located in Kolkata.

The guiding principles of Sahaj's CSC initiative are as follows:

Mr. Shardendu Tripathi, Village Chaumukha, Block Brahmpur, Tehsil Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, UP.

The Brahmpur block is situated 32 kilometers. away from Gorakhpur. With a population of 15, 8615, people, the literacy rate 41.6 per cent is just by having 4 PHCs with a facility of 10 Beds & no college level educational institute Mr. Shardendu Tripathi although from a well off background started his CSC with a noble cause to provide his villagers Government services right at their door step. and support them in every possible way. His CSC was established with a hope to transform the rural dynamics and ease the life of the rural villagers. The government services were made available in May 2011.The edistrict service launch created a new energy in the rural gamut. They now have a “Chota Tehsil” providing birth, death, domicile, caste and income certificates to the villagers. This took away their pain of travelling to far flung location for the government certificates and negotiating with middlemen for getting the same in time.This has also helped the VLE in bringing more visibility of his kiosk and cross selling of e-learning and other B2C services. .People now looks up to him with more respect and as an associate of government.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 11• •

The safest place to be when a tornado hits is underground.

Citizen Services (G2C) as well as Business to Citizen incurred is quite high as it includes travelling expense, (B2C) services, but has ushered in an entrepreneurial food expense, cost on account of loss of income for the revolution in rural India as each of its CSC is owned and number of managed by a Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE). In working days creating over 24, 000 CSCs, Sahaj has created an equal i n v e s t e d , number of entrepreneurs who are increasingly and o ther becoming friends, philosophers and guides of the rural i n c i d e n t a l citizens. If CSCs are the cornerstones of economic e x p e n s e s change, the VLEs are acting as catalysts of social change. add up to a

h u g e Although the CSCs were supposed to be centers for the a m o u n t delivery of government services under NeGP, only a few often beyond the paying capacity of a rural citizen. As G2C services covering a very limited number of districts per the study conducted, an average citizen spends are being routed through Sahaj CSCs currently. Although more than Rs.109 to avail these essential government these services are still in the nascent stage but they have services from the Tehsil as compared to the mere been able to make a significant contribution to lives of amount of Rs 25 through the Sahaj CSCs. The CSC saves the rural populace.both, time and money, which can easily be utilized more productively for some other important priority.

Till date more than 4, 00,000 certificates have been issued from the month of April Dec'11 providing a financial saving of approximately 3.28 crores to the common man, other than the mental and physical relief for availing these services through the nearby common service centres. In the 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh, already six

government services are being delivered through the Following are the details of the distribution of the CSCs which include income; birth, death; caste; services.domicile and handicapped certificates. A study conducted by Sahaj has shown that an average distance a citizen has to travel for the e-district service is as little as

“When sparkle becomes fire and enlightens the world, 3.86 kilometers as compared to Tehsils where a citizen there comes the hope for the era which brings revolution has to travel more than 18 kilometers and the response to change the world”time of the services through CSC is less than seven days

as compared to fifteen days taken at the Tehsil's office. This sparkle twinkled first in a small district of Bihar, Jehanabad, which has shown a new pathway for the roll A rural Indian citizen would normally spend a good out of G2C Services at local level with an opportunity for a good revenue generation. In view of the fact that large number of works such as MNREGA data entry, FCI report scanning/mailing, IAY photography etc. of the government is regulated by the District Administration under the various functional department co-coordinating and getting these orders to be executed by the VLEs is a mammoth task. One of such Herculean initiatives was taken by the district team of Jehanabad. They started building a good rapport with the VLEs to understand their skill set and area of expertise and then strategically started following up with the District

amount of money on availing an essential government Administration for the work order. Their sheer service like obtaining a Birth Certificate. The cost perseverance and communication with the

Few of the case studies as discussed will entail the key benefits derived through the G2C services.

Case study : e-district service in Uttar Pradesh

Case Study : G2C services Bihar

Sahaj also participated in the bid for MNREGA work in administration helped them in getting the work order for the Bhojpur district of Bihar and got the work order for 6 MNREGA data entry and FCI report scanning work.blocks. Presently, work has already commenced in the 6

The local district officials visited various CSC locations to blocks involving 24 VLEs.

check the feasibility as well as viability of these centers to provide government services and at every step the Sahaj team and their VLEs proved themselves competent. They made the District Administration feel that the CSCs are the windows where a large number of services could be facilitated and completed in a successful manner and on time.

Positive feedback and a satisfactory report from the Jehanabad district team and the VLEs lead the District Administration to rely on Srei Sahaj to become a government partner in the successful facilitation of work by doing the task like MNREGA data entry. The Sahaj team also proved that by believing them, the District Administration was not wrong. Involvement of the Sahaj VLEs in the data entry work (both present and back-log), resulted Jehanabad to be among the top district of the

Since the day Sahaj came into existence, and the day we state to complete the data entry of work on time. started functioning; we started with the spirit that we would serve the society even in the remotest corner of rural area by providing them all those facilities which is far from their reach in spite of being in the era of IT & Communication. We took the promise that we would also facilitate the government in all kind of service d e l i v e r y a n d w o r k w h e n e v e r w h e r e v e r desired/required. With the similar spirit we started our Journey in Bihar.

With various initiatives, Srei Sahaj continued to show its presence and relevance for the scheme to Government Department and citizens. To conduct a free and fair Assembly Election in a peaceful manner was one of biggest challenge for the District Administration. In pursuance of the same, the administration was looking

The MNREGA Data Entry work is being successfully carried on by the Sahaj employees in the Jehanabad district since June, 2011. This has helped the District Administration to complete the data entry work on time. Presently it is being done in all the 7 blocks of Jehanabad.

A unique initiative Team Bihar

Election Webcasting in Bihar

Details of MNREGA data Entry work

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 12• •

A catfish has about 100,000 taste

Mr. Vivek Anand, Village Gopal Ganj Bajar, Ghosi Block, Jehanabad, Bihar

Like any other VLE with the hope of getting good revenue & s o c i a l p r e s t i g e b y establishing a Sahaj CSC, Mr. Vivek Anand, started his career as a SAHAJ VLE. Vivek was so passionate for this work that he left his job for setting up a CSC. Though initial unavailability of G2C Services affected his business & hopes but now with the MGNREGA data entry work he has started achieving what he dreamt of. He is a household name in his locality and due to availability of G2C services, customers also trust him to be reliable. Not only socially but economically as well, this service has given his business a boost in terms of revenue generation and cross selling. Only by data entry work in the past 6 months, he has generated revenue of Rs 10,000 for himself.

towards the agency/partner to support them for the made the revenue model even more complex and same. Srei Sahaj again proved its mettle by standing by challenging. While innovative solutions have been the administration and worked with full dedication devised to overcome infrastructural constraints there are during the Assembly Elections. other impediments which continue to pose a serious

threat to the CSC scheme over which Sahaj has no The District Administration gave training to the VLEs and control. also helped them in related software installation. The live

webcast was conducted from the booths with the Delay in roll out of G2C services is one such constraint. Slow pace of routing of G2C services is, perhaps, the biggest threat to the CSC scheme as the entire model was developed based on the understanding that all Government services will be brought to the door-step of each villager through these centres, bridging the urban and rural digital divide and consequently reducing the economic divide. Another casualty of this is the important underlying objective of NeGP to deliver essential government services and programmes through a transparent IT enabled platform so as to reduce manual intervention and thereby corruption and leakages hitherto associated with delivery of Government schemes and programmes.

Being the largest partner of government unavailability/ limited availability of G2C Services is a major issue of concern for Srei Sahaj e Village Limited. This is due to the fact that the G2C services are considered as a major footfall driver at the CSCs. But it takes great efforts in bringing these services smoothly to the rural customers in the existing system.

The Government of India, recently, has received a loan involvement of 1,358 VLEs and 68 employees of the IT amount of 150 million USD for the NeGP project from department of Sahaj. The work of the Election the World Bank. In the deliverables, the government has Webcasting, a first of its kind in India, was completed committed to the World Bank to launch 1,000 e Services successfully by Sahaj and its VLEs with continuous and 130 PPP based e Services (56 at present) by 2012 cooperation from the District Administration. 13. The key areas to be focused by the government are:

health, education, skill upgradation, safety and security and mobile service.

In less than four years, Sahaj has been successful in rolling out a huge network of nearly 24,000 CSCs across 6 states of India. While it has been a very fascinating journey, Sahaj has faced innumerable challenges at each step some of which persist till date.

The infrastructural constraints like absence or unpredictable power supply in rural areas and inadequate connectivity solutions have been daunting. We have, however, managed to overcome these constraints by deploying of generators and V-sats but these solutions have proved to be expensive and have

Future of G2C Services

Challenges faced and possible solutions

State Ongoing service Upcoming service

Assam

· Grievance Redressal, e – District in

Sonitpur & Goalpara,

· NREGA Job Card Preparation

work

· Health MIS through SAHAJ

CSCs

· E – Filing of VAT/ CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Social Welfare Services

Bihar

· NREGA data entry work in

Jehanabad & Bhojpur,

· BSFC report Scanning work in

Jehanabad & Arwal,

· PDS coupon Scanning work

· E – Filing of VAT/ CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Health MIS through SAHAJ

CSCs,

· SNP Anganwadi Photography

work under ICDS,

· e – Nagrik in Jehanabad & e –

District in Nalanda

Odisha

· Revision of Electoral roll & EPIC

preparation

· Health MIS submission through

SAHAJ CSCs,

· e – Payment of VAT/CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Social Welfare Services,

· E – payment of Commercial

Tax

Tamil Nadu

· e – District in Krishnagiri through

Govt. Portal

· Land records through Govt. Portal

· Electoral roll registration

service

· PRIASoft training to PRI

representatives,

· Health MIS submission

Uttar Pradesh

· e – District in Rae Bareli, Sitapur

& Gorakhpur,

· PRIASoft training to PRI

representatives,

· PRIASoft data entry work,

· Commercial tax

· Land records

· Social Welfare Services,

· Health MIS submission,

· E – Filing of Vat/ CST

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 13• •

Gorillas can catch human colds and other illnesses.

With inputs from:Mr.Gaurav Loomba and Ms. Namrata Tyagi

Sahaj- Delhi Team

Sahaj also participated in the bid for MNREGA work in administration helped them in getting the work order for the Bhojpur district of Bihar and got the work order for 6 MNREGA data entry and FCI report scanning work.blocks. Presently, work has already commenced in the 6

The local district officials visited various CSC locations to blocks involving 24 VLEs.

check the feasibility as well as viability of these centers to provide government services and at every step the Sahaj team and their VLEs proved themselves competent. They made the District Administration feel that the CSCs are the windows where a large number of services could be facilitated and completed in a successful manner and on time.

Positive feedback and a satisfactory report from the Jehanabad district team and the VLEs lead the District Administration to rely on Srei Sahaj to become a government partner in the successful facilitation of work by doing the task like MNREGA data entry. The Sahaj team also proved that by believing them, the District Administration was not wrong. Involvement of the Sahaj VLEs in the data entry work (both present and back-log), resulted Jehanabad to be among the top district of the

Since the day Sahaj came into existence, and the day we state to complete the data entry of work on time. started functioning; we started with the spirit that we would serve the society even in the remotest corner of rural area by providing them all those facilities which is far from their reach in spite of being in the era of IT & Communication. We took the promise that we would also facilitate the government in all kind of service d e l i v e r y a n d w o r k w h e n e v e r w h e r e v e r desired/required. With the similar spirit we started our Journey in Bihar.

With various initiatives, Srei Sahaj continued to show its presence and relevance for the scheme to Government Department and citizens. To conduct a free and fair Assembly Election in a peaceful manner was one of biggest challenge for the District Administration. In pursuance of the same, the administration was looking

The MNREGA Data Entry work is being successfully carried on by the Sahaj employees in the Jehanabad district since June, 2011. This has helped the District Administration to complete the data entry work on time. Presently it is being done in all the 7 blocks of Jehanabad.

A unique initiative Team Bihar

Election Webcasting in Bihar

Details of MNREGA data Entry work

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 12• •

A catfish has about 100,000 taste

Mr. Vivek Anand, Village Gopal Ganj Bajar, Ghosi Block, Jehanabad, Bihar

Like any other VLE with the hope of getting good revenue & s o c i a l p r e s t i g e b y establishing a Sahaj CSC, Mr. Vivek Anand, started his career as a SAHAJ VLE. Vivek was so passionate for this work that he left his job for setting up a CSC. Though initial unavailability of G2C Services affected his business & hopes but now with the MGNREGA data entry work he has started achieving what he dreamt of. He is a household name in his locality and due to availability of G2C services, customers also trust him to be reliable. Not only socially but economically as well, this service has given his business a boost in terms of revenue generation and cross selling. Only by data entry work in the past 6 months, he has generated revenue of Rs 10,000 for himself.

towards the agency/partner to support them for the made the revenue model even more complex and same. Srei Sahaj again proved its mettle by standing by challenging. While innovative solutions have been the administration and worked with full dedication devised to overcome infrastructural constraints there are during the Assembly Elections. other impediments which continue to pose a serious

threat to the CSC scheme over which Sahaj has no The District Administration gave training to the VLEs and control. also helped them in related software installation. The live

webcast was conducted from the booths with the Delay in roll out of G2C services is one such constraint. Slow pace of routing of G2C services is, perhaps, the biggest threat to the CSC scheme as the entire model was developed based on the understanding that all Government services will be brought to the door-step of each villager through these centres, bridging the urban and rural digital divide and consequently reducing the economic divide. Another casualty of this is the important underlying objective of NeGP to deliver essential government services and programmes through a transparent IT enabled platform so as to reduce manual intervention and thereby corruption and leakages hitherto associated with delivery of Government schemes and programmes.

Being the largest partner of government unavailability/ limited availability of G2C Services is a major issue of concern for Srei Sahaj e Village Limited. This is due to the fact that the G2C services are considered as a major footfall driver at the CSCs. But it takes great efforts in bringing these services smoothly to the rural customers in the existing system.

The Government of India, recently, has received a loan involvement of 1,358 VLEs and 68 employees of the IT amount of 150 million USD for the NeGP project from department of Sahaj. The work of the Election the World Bank. In the deliverables, the government has Webcasting, a first of its kind in India, was completed committed to the World Bank to launch 1,000 e Services successfully by Sahaj and its VLEs with continuous and 130 PPP based e Services (56 at present) by 2012 cooperation from the District Administration. 13. The key areas to be focused by the government are:

health, education, skill upgradation, safety and security and mobile service.

In less than four years, Sahaj has been successful in rolling out a huge network of nearly 24,000 CSCs across 6 states of India. While it has been a very fascinating journey, Sahaj has faced innumerable challenges at each step some of which persist till date.

The infrastructural constraints like absence or unpredictable power supply in rural areas and inadequate connectivity solutions have been daunting. We have, however, managed to overcome these constraints by deploying of generators and V-sats but these solutions have proved to be expensive and have

Future of G2C Services

Challenges faced and possible solutions

State Ongoing service Upcoming service

Assam

· Grievance Redressal, e – District in

Sonitpur & Goalpara,

· NREGA Job Card Preparation

work

· Health MIS through SAHAJ

CSCs

· E – Filing of VAT/ CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Social Welfare Services

Bihar

· NREGA data entry work in

Jehanabad & Bhojpur,

· BSFC report Scanning work in

Jehanabad & Arwal,

· PDS coupon Scanning work

· E – Filing of VAT/ CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Health MIS through SAHAJ

CSCs,

· SNP Anganwadi Photography

work under ICDS,

· e – Nagrik in Jehanabad & e –

District in Nalanda

Odisha

· Revision of Electoral roll & EPIC

preparation

· Health MIS submission through

SAHAJ CSCs,

· e – Payment of VAT/CST

through SAHAJ CSCs,

· Social Welfare Services,

· E – payment of Commercial

Tax

Tamil Nadu

· e – District in Krishnagiri through

Govt. Portal

· Land records through Govt. Portal

· Electoral roll registration

service

· PRIASoft training to PRI

representatives,

· Health MIS submission

Uttar Pradesh

· e – District in Rae Bareli, Sitapur

& Gorakhpur,

· PRIASoft training to PRI

representatives,

· PRIASoft data entry work,

· Commercial tax

· Land records

· Social Welfare Services,

· Health MIS submission,

· E – Filing of Vat/ CST

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 13• •

Gorillas can catch human colds and other illnesses.

With inputs from:Mr.Gaurav Loomba and Ms. Namrata Tyagi

Sahaj- Delhi Team

Valentine's Day is a joyous festival which stands for love and

romance. On February 14 every year this festival is celebrated

across the globe. The festival is intended to commemorate the

martyrdom of St Valentine, a Christian Saint. However, the religious

significance of the festival has diminished and today Valentine's Day

is a global phenomenon celebrated by people who belong to

different ages and races. This only invokes a lot of interest about the

history of Valentine's Day. How it evolved over the ages?

One of the interesting facts about the origin of this day is that there

were several early Christian martyrs bearing the name of

“Valentine”! Until 1969 eleven Valentine's Days were recognized

by the Christian Church. The Valentines who are traditionally

honoured on February 14th are Valentine of Rome and the

Valentine of Terni. Valentine of Rome was a Roman priest who was

martyred on AD 269 and was buried on Via Flaminia. Valentine of

Terni was the bishop of Interamna around AD 197 and was killed

during the rule of Emperor Aurilean. He was also buried on Via

Flaminia though at a separate location than that of Saint Valentine.

Another legend goes that a saint called Valentine sent 'Valentine'

greeting to a young girl while in prison. It is said that before his death he sent her a letter where he signed 'From your

Valentine”.

There are a number of legends regarding Saint Valentine but one thing is evident-Valentine was a person who was

heroic, sympathetic and romantic.

There is a widespread belief that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to remember the anniversary of

Valentine's death. Others believe that the Christian church decided to celebrate the festival in the middle of February in

a bid to Christianize the pagan Luprecalia celebrations.

As the century drew to a close written letters were replaced by printed cards. In America exchange of hand made

Valentines started in the early 1700s. Esther A. Howland was the first person to sell mass produced valentines in America

in the 1840s. The oldest known Valentine Card is on display at the British Museum.

In present day world Valentine's Day is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm all around the globe. The markets catch the

Valentine's Day fever days before the festival with the shops selling flowers, cards and other romantic gifts wearing a

festive look. Special Valentine's Day gifts like hearts, rose, cards, cupid and jewellery are in huge demand. In different

countries it is the time of the year when people go in for a shopping spree.

In India also Valentine's Day has gradually gone on to become a big festival with people going in for widespread

shopping. Valentine's Day cards are the best sellers followed by special gifts for men like shirts, perfumes and wallets and

great gifts for women like jewellery, jewellery boxes, showpieces and soft toys. Online shopping is much in vogue

nowadays.

In modern days Valentine's Day is not only restricted in exchanging gifts between romantic couples. It is a day to

celebrate love and people wish their friends, siblings, teachers or any other special person in their lives -'Happy

Valentine's Day on the auspicious day of 14th February!'

How is it Celebrated “Today”?

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 14• •

Valentine's Day: a myth or just another reason to celebrate?

Paromita BhattacharyaVP - Capacity Building,Sahaj

Cap

aci

ty B

uil

din

g's

Dia

ry

Ford motor company indicates that 75% of every vehicle is

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 15• •

An elephant's trunk can hold 2.5 gallons of water.

Bengal Planning 50 Job Days Under MNREGA By March:

Accordinbg to State Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Subrata Mukherjee, the West Bengal government has decided to increase the number of job-days under MNREGA from 19 days at present to 50 days within the current financial year.

Ru

ral N

ew

s Bu

lletin

$130 Million World Bank Aid For 300,000 Village Homes In NE India:

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a US$130 million credit to finance the Government of India's (GOI) efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East (NE) region to improve their livelihood opportunities. The North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) seeks to support the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged, in four North Eastern states to improve their standard of living by establishing sustainable community institutions and enhancing their livelihoods. The Vision envisages using a partnership-approach with all relevant stakeholders to make interventions responsive to people's needs and aspirations for a better quality of life. The NERLP will be implemented in eight districts of the four participating states- Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura. A separate activity for skills development and job placement has thus been included in the project to ensure that such opportunities are available to the rural poor.

Kisan Credit Cards To Double Up As Debit Cards:

The nearly 10 crore farmers who hold kisan credit cards (KCC) will soon be able to use their card as a deposit account and a debit card. This will help the government scale up its financial inclusion plan quickly without relying on bank accounts alone. The revamped card will have features of both credit card and deposit account.

Government rolls out 97,439 CSCs:

The Department of IT has rolled out 97,439 Common Service Centres (CSCs) in 33 states and union territories. The ministry said that the government has a proposal to set up additional 1.5 lakh Bharat Nirman Common Service Centres i.e. to have one CSC in each panchayat in whole of rural India. The ministry has also added four new Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) - education, health, PDS and posts under the National e-Governance plan (NeGP) taking the total number of MMPs under NeGP to 31. The ministry has also operationalize 29 SWANs (state wide area network) while the State Data Centres (SDC) have been made operational in 16 states. Recently, the union cabinet approved Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS) Bill provisioning mandatory delivery of all public services in e-mode in the next five years. e-District pilot project has gone live in 12 states and the guidelines for national rollout of e-District MMP has also been finalized. The government has set up ICT infrastructure in more than 450 court complexes during the current financial year.

Source: voicendata.ciol.com

Source: The Economic Times

Source: IBN Live

Source: hillpost.in

Compiled by : Deepti Punj, Sahaj - Delhi

Vocational Training For Rural Youth:

The George Telegraph Training Institute (GTTI) tied up with Srei Sahaj for the vocational training of rural youth in order to make them suitably equipped for bagging a job in todays market. Through the programme, courses like electronic and telecommunication engineering, computer hardware engineering, mobile and telephone technician, audio video engineering and other similar vocational courses will be imparted with the help of e classes. According to the association, Srei Sahaj will conduct an independent and un-biased online examination of the students to enhance the value of the programmes by the GTTI. A joint certificate by Sahaj and the GTTI will also be issued on the successful completion of the examination. They also plan to introduce other vocational courses like web designing, skill development programme and speaking English courses so that the rural youth are able to make a place for themselves in society.

Source: The Times of India

Source: hillpost.in

Valentine's Day is a joyous festival which stands for love and

romance. On February 14 every year this festival is celebrated

across the globe. The festival is intended to commemorate the

martyrdom of St Valentine, a Christian Saint. However, the religious

significance of the festival has diminished and today Valentine's Day

is a global phenomenon celebrated by people who belong to

different ages and races. This only invokes a lot of interest about the

history of Valentine's Day. How it evolved over the ages?

One of the interesting facts about the origin of this day is that there

were several early Christian martyrs bearing the name of

“Valentine”! Until 1969 eleven Valentine's Days were recognized

by the Christian Church. The Valentines who are traditionally

honoured on February 14th are Valentine of Rome and the

Valentine of Terni. Valentine of Rome was a Roman priest who was

martyred on AD 269 and was buried on Via Flaminia. Valentine of

Terni was the bishop of Interamna around AD 197 and was killed

during the rule of Emperor Aurilean. He was also buried on Via

Flaminia though at a separate location than that of Saint Valentine.

Another legend goes that a saint called Valentine sent 'Valentine'

greeting to a young girl while in prison. It is said that before his death he sent her a letter where he signed 'From your

Valentine”.

There are a number of legends regarding Saint Valentine but one thing is evident-Valentine was a person who was

heroic, sympathetic and romantic.

There is a widespread belief that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to remember the anniversary of

Valentine's death. Others believe that the Christian church decided to celebrate the festival in the middle of February in

a bid to Christianize the pagan Luprecalia celebrations.

As the century drew to a close written letters were replaced by printed cards. In America exchange of hand made

Valentines started in the early 1700s. Esther A. Howland was the first person to sell mass produced valentines in America

in the 1840s. The oldest known Valentine Card is on display at the British Museum.

In present day world Valentine's Day is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm all around the globe. The markets catch the

Valentine's Day fever days before the festival with the shops selling flowers, cards and other romantic gifts wearing a

festive look. Special Valentine's Day gifts like hearts, rose, cards, cupid and jewellery are in huge demand. In different

countries it is the time of the year when people go in for a shopping spree.

In India also Valentine's Day has gradually gone on to become a big festival with people going in for widespread

shopping. Valentine's Day cards are the best sellers followed by special gifts for men like shirts, perfumes and wallets and

great gifts for women like jewellery, jewellery boxes, showpieces and soft toys. Online shopping is much in vogue

nowadays.

In modern days Valentine's Day is not only restricted in exchanging gifts between romantic couples. It is a day to

celebrate love and people wish their friends, siblings, teachers or any other special person in their lives -'Happy

Valentine's Day on the auspicious day of 14th February!'

How is it Celebrated “Today”?

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 14• •

Valentine's Day: a myth or just another reason to celebrate?

Paromita BhattacharyaVP - Capacity Building,Sahaj

Cap

aci

ty B

uil

din

g's

Dia

ry

Ford motor company indicates that 75% of every vehicle is

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 15• •

An elephant's trunk can hold 2.5 gallons of water.

Bengal Planning 50 Job Days Under MNREGA By March:

Accordinbg to State Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Subrata Mukherjee, the West Bengal government has decided to increase the number of job-days under MNREGA from 19 days at present to 50 days within the current financial year.

Ru

ral N

ew

s Bu

lletin

$130 Million World Bank Aid For 300,000 Village Homes In NE India:

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a US$130 million credit to finance the Government of India's (GOI) efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East (NE) region to improve their livelihood opportunities. The North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) seeks to support the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged, in four North Eastern states to improve their standard of living by establishing sustainable community institutions and enhancing their livelihoods. The Vision envisages using a partnership-approach with all relevant stakeholders to make interventions responsive to people's needs and aspirations for a better quality of life. The NERLP will be implemented in eight districts of the four participating states- Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura. A separate activity for skills development and job placement has thus been included in the project to ensure that such opportunities are available to the rural poor.

Kisan Credit Cards To Double Up As Debit Cards:

The nearly 10 crore farmers who hold kisan credit cards (KCC) will soon be able to use their card as a deposit account and a debit card. This will help the government scale up its financial inclusion plan quickly without relying on bank accounts alone. The revamped card will have features of both credit card and deposit account.

Government rolls out 97,439 CSCs:

The Department of IT has rolled out 97,439 Common Service Centres (CSCs) in 33 states and union territories. The ministry said that the government has a proposal to set up additional 1.5 lakh Bharat Nirman Common Service Centres i.e. to have one CSC in each panchayat in whole of rural India. The ministry has also added four new Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) - education, health, PDS and posts under the National e-Governance plan (NeGP) taking the total number of MMPs under NeGP to 31. The ministry has also operationalize 29 SWANs (state wide area network) while the State Data Centres (SDC) have been made operational in 16 states. Recently, the union cabinet approved Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS) Bill provisioning mandatory delivery of all public services in e-mode in the next five years. e-District pilot project has gone live in 12 states and the guidelines for national rollout of e-District MMP has also been finalized. The government has set up ICT infrastructure in more than 450 court complexes during the current financial year.

Source: voicendata.ciol.com

Source: The Economic Times

Source: IBN Live

Source: hillpost.in

Compiled by : Deepti Punj, Sahaj - Delhi

Vocational Training For Rural Youth:

The George Telegraph Training Institute (GTTI) tied up with Srei Sahaj for the vocational training of rural youth in order to make them suitably equipped for bagging a job in todays market. Through the programme, courses like electronic and telecommunication engineering, computer hardware engineering, mobile and telephone technician, audio video engineering and other similar vocational courses will be imparted with the help of e classes. According to the association, Srei Sahaj will conduct an independent and un-biased online examination of the students to enhance the value of the programmes by the GTTI. A joint certificate by Sahaj and the GTTI will also be issued on the successful completion of the examination. They also plan to introduce other vocational courses like web designing, skill development programme and speaking English courses so that the rural youth are able to make a place for themselves in society.

Source: The Times of India

Source: hillpost.in

Relative Economics: Public FinanceOften on the road, we see a lot of examples of public ventures which have dramatically altered the socio-economic landscape of the place helping the local public sustain and earn from their community itself. An example of the same would be the road leading to Sirohi, Rajasthan. Earlier this area was notorious for looting incident of passengers passing through that route during night, basically done by tribal people staying in that area, who had nothing better to do.

To d a y, t h e s c e n a r i o i s completely changed; this is because of growth of standard of l i v ing , employment and availability of basic needs

created by a cement factory in Pindwara. This development has made the entire location from backward to a developed economy. This socio-economic growth is known as the effect of relative economics. Relative economics is always human centric whereas absolute economic is money centric. The quote of teaching a man how to fish, instead of giving him fish is highly relevant in understanding examples of successful public funding. The importance of public finance in context of relative economics is to lift up the citizens in the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category to a certain level of prosperity.

As Indian citizens and tax payers, we would like to understand public finance clearly, the corpus available, its impact on society and problems associated with disbursement of fund.

Under the Tenth Five Year Plan, the Government has allocated ₨424,839 Crore in different development investment on infrastructure plans, rural empowerment schemes for different subsidies and grants. Often these funds don’t reach to the target population due to complex d i s t r ibut ion sys tem of government agencies

Understanding Relative Economics:

•

• Objective of investment planning of the Government of India on various schemes is to raise standard of living of its APL & BPL population and to provide basic needs of

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 16• •

Sah

aji

tes

Wri

tin

g D

esk

Atlantic salmon can jump as high as 4.5 meters out of the

Economic development could be through development of infrastructure in an area or it could be through the skills development of the people in the area. Project Chanderiyaan is a good example of sustainable people development. This town in rural Madhya Pradesh is well known for its beautiful saris which embellished with the richness of weaving evolved over a few centuries and a very exotic representation of the skill of the weavers. Unfortunately, due to rapid urbanization and development of new technologies, more than 3000 weaving families in this town are struggling to sustain their livelihoods. On further probing the economic scenario of the town was found to generate over ₨65 crore per annum, the weaving families got around ₨30,000 per family every year – making them look at other parallel work opportunities. The lack of finance, knowledge and modern skills left the weavers to be exploited by the master weavers, who had the control and the wealth. Digital Empowerment Foundation along with the Government of India worked on Project Chanderiyaan and this brought in the modern means of weaving, faster produce, easier marketability and higher financial gains to the weavers.

The name “Vaseline” is a combination of the German word wasser and the Greek word elaion.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 17• •

the its citizens. However while designing this socio-economic structure often the human element gets sidetracked and the focus solely stays money centric.

Employment of people in BPL

Public finance is the revenue and expenditure of public authorities. The purview of public finance is considered to be threefold -

The objectives of Public Finance involves both correction and development:

Removing Inequalities of Income

Fighting Social Stigmas like Child Employment, Alcoholisms, Crime etc

Improvement of Nutrition and Public Health

The Primary Issue in public finance is that often in the cycle of Economy - Society - Work - Economy, the BPL population is not in the scheme of things and so the people neither gain the benefits, nor add to the economy. In this approach, benefit derived from regular economy or government initiatives/ schemes, does not reach to the bottom of the pyramid. This creates a gap of inequality between rich and poor class.

A better way to utilize public finance would be to have a larger cycle of Economy -BPL - Society - Work - Economy. By doing so, there would be significant reductionin percentage of the BPL population and an increase of Per Capita Income of the BPL population and maybe in the larger scheme of things - sharing of wealth amongst a larger percentage of population (for example through increase of land and other asset ownership amongst ex BPL population).

Since the Census doesn’t capture the growth of this segment, we would need to add filters on understanding the movement of income and expenditure amongst the BPL population in India. Through this, we would also be able to understand the impact of Public funding on the BPL population far more accurately than now.

The important aspect to ponder in the study of Relative Economics is the measurement of success.

The indicators used for measurement of economic growth and increase prosperity needs a change. Some of the indicators used are more of macro in nature which overlooks the micro prospective of growth measurement. It is essential for economists to include the measurement for the assessment of public finance initiatives undertaken by the Government of India.

If Public and Private Sector work hand in hand at creating opportunities for the BPL category to move out of the bracket, they could then gain from the opportunities of the new larger markets where they could ply their goods and services making this a win-win situation.

(1) Efficient allocation of resources

(2) Distribution of income

(3) Macroeconomic stabilization

Public Finance: Objectives and Issues

•

•

•

•

Examples of Sustainable Economic Development

The example quoted at the beginning of this article of the cement unit in Rajasthan, which empowered tribal population to work, earn and contribute to the economy could be one example of successful private funding. This structure of financing can be used for making effective structure of public financing.

By Hemant Kothari (EA to the CEO) and Pradeep Kumar

Relative Economics: Public FinanceOften on the road, we see a lot of examples of public ventures which have dramatically altered the socio-economic landscape of the place helping the local public sustain and earn from their community itself. An example of the same would be the road leading to Sirohi, Rajasthan. Earlier this area was notorious for looting incident of passengers passing through that route during night, basically done by tribal people staying in that area, who had nothing better to do.

To d a y, t h e s c e n a r i o i s completely changed; this is because of growth of standard of l i v ing , employment and availability of basic needs

created by a cement factory in Pindwara. This development has made the entire location from backward to a developed economy. This socio-economic growth is known as the effect of relative economics. Relative economics is always human centric whereas absolute economic is money centric. The quote of teaching a man how to fish, instead of giving him fish is highly relevant in understanding examples of successful public funding. The importance of public finance in context of relative economics is to lift up the citizens in the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category to a certain level of prosperity.

As Indian citizens and tax payers, we would like to understand public finance clearly, the corpus available, its impact on society and problems associated with disbursement of fund.

Under the Tenth Five Year Plan, the Government has allocated ₨424,839 Crore in different development investment on infrastructure plans, rural empowerment schemes for different subsidies and grants. Often these funds don’t reach to the target population due to complex d i s t r ibut ion sys tem of government agencies

Understanding Relative Economics:

•

• Objective of investment planning of the Government of India on various schemes is to raise standard of living of its APL & BPL population and to provide basic needs of

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 16• •

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Atlantic salmon can jump as high as 4.5 meters out of the

Economic development could be through development of infrastructure in an area or it could be through the skills development of the people in the area. Project Chanderiyaan is a good example of sustainable people development. This town in rural Madhya Pradesh is well known for its beautiful saris which embellished with the richness of weaving evolved over a few centuries and a very exotic representation of the skill of the weavers. Unfortunately, due to rapid urbanization and development of new technologies, more than 3000 weaving families in this town are struggling to sustain their livelihoods. On further probing the economic scenario of the town was found to generate over ₨65 crore per annum, the weaving families got around ₨30,000 per family every year – making them look at other parallel work opportunities. The lack of finance, knowledge and modern skills left the weavers to be exploited by the master weavers, who had the control and the wealth. Digital Empowerment Foundation along with the Government of India worked on Project Chanderiyaan and this brought in the modern means of weaving, faster produce, easier marketability and higher financial gains to the weavers.

The name “Vaseline” is a combination of the German word wasser and the Greek word elaion.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 17• •

the its citizens. However while designing this socio-economic structure often the human element gets sidetracked and the focus solely stays money centric.

Employment of people in BPL

Public finance is the revenue and expenditure of public authorities. The purview of public finance is considered to be threefold -

The objectives of Public Finance involves both correction and development:

Removing Inequalities of Income

Fighting Social Stigmas like Child Employment, Alcoholisms, Crime etc

Improvement of Nutrition and Public Health

The Primary Issue in public finance is that often in the cycle of Economy - Society - Work - Economy, the BPL population is not in the scheme of things and so the people neither gain the benefits, nor add to the economy. In this approach, benefit derived from regular economy or government initiatives/ schemes, does not reach to the bottom of the pyramid. This creates a gap of inequality between rich and poor class.

A better way to utilize public finance would be to have a larger cycle of Economy -BPL - Society - Work - Economy. By doing so, there would be significant reductionin percentage of the BPL population and an increase of Per Capita Income of the BPL population and maybe in the larger scheme of things - sharing of wealth amongst a larger percentage of population (for example through increase of land and other asset ownership amongst ex BPL population).

Since the Census doesn’t capture the growth of this segment, we would need to add filters on understanding the movement of income and expenditure amongst the BPL population in India. Through this, we would also be able to understand the impact of Public funding on the BPL population far more accurately than now.

The important aspect to ponder in the study of Relative Economics is the measurement of success.

The indicators used for measurement of economic growth and increase prosperity needs a change. Some of the indicators used are more of macro in nature which overlooks the micro prospective of growth measurement. It is essential for economists to include the measurement for the assessment of public finance initiatives undertaken by the Government of India.

If Public and Private Sector work hand in hand at creating opportunities for the BPL category to move out of the bracket, they could then gain from the opportunities of the new larger markets where they could ply their goods and services making this a win-win situation.

(1) Efficient allocation of resources

(2) Distribution of income

(3) Macroeconomic stabilization

Public Finance: Objectives and Issues

•

•

•

•

Examples of Sustainable Economic Development

The example quoted at the beginning of this article of the cement unit in Rajasthan, which empowered tribal population to work, earn and contribute to the economy could be one example of successful private funding. This structure of financing can be used for making effective structure of public financing.

By Hemant Kothari (EA to the CEO) and Pradeep Kumar

studios. He has taken part in

several television and radio

programs which are directed to

progressive farmers. He receives

numerous calls from all parts of

India asking him for advices.

Without having any science

degree Arjun Ghosh is a well

known figure among many

eminent agriculturists of our

state. He is known for his

innovations of new cultivation

techniques, which adds to his

repertoire of being the first

successful farmer in S.R.I.

cultivation of paddy in the entire

Hooghly district. As directed by

his elder brother, Krishna uplifted

some bitter gourd plants and I

noticed some plastic bags hanging underneath them from a thin wire. Arjun babu smiled, “This is one of my new

experiments. I am trying to grow brinjals in plastic bags, making them pest attack proof and thereby bring down the input

cost. After all, this is not only my field, this is my laboratory!” I asked him how he learned all these. He said, “I read all

magazines and books that publish latest trends in agriculture. I have studied up to class X only, but I think that is enough

education for making a man able to read and write”, he quipped. He added, “I also get help from the ADO Saheb. He is a

regular visitor to my field. We share our views with each other. I also learn from other farmers who call me for help. If I am

not open to problems how will I invent solutions?” I looked at this man. He stands against our generalized idea of a Bengali

farmer – a skeptic figure unwilling to go for new cultivation techniques, always complaining about his financial issues and,

indulge in country spirit during the evening. It is not to say that issues are false or unjustified, but Arjun Ghosh stands out to

show that there are people who dare to think beyond that, and, to our surprise, are well able to ponder over the situation.

It was Arjun babu who first told me about a very unique way to earn money, which is, perhaps, the first example of agri-

tourism in Hooghly. His cultivation field is used by Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalay (BCKV) and television channels as

an ideal site. Students in teams visit his field to conjure practical knowledge whereas TV channels shoot agricultural

programs there. Arjun babu, as a return earns a little extra money without giving any labor. He is a tech savvy man who uses

a 'QWERTY' keypad mobile phone and types SMS using his both thumbs. He has an Internet connection at home and with

the help of his son, who is a high school student, he has learned to receive and send emails. All these can never be read

from his simple shirt, muffler, pajamas and Hawaii Chappals. Above everything, the hearty behavior and humanitarian

expressions – which, I suppose, are the true essences of rural Bengal – have not left Arjun Ghosh despite his close

connection with the city people.

He filled my bag with 5-6 bitter gourds grown in his field and said, “Check out the taste. It is a guarantee from my side.” He

saved my contact number on his mobile handset and said as he bade good bye to me, “I shall call you. I am not like other

friends who tend to forget.” This promise, for your kind information, has been religiously kept by him followed by my

Another Side Of The Notion

Maliya Halt comes after the

local train to Tarakeshwar

crosses Nalikul in Hooghly.

The urban landscape slowly

f a d e s a w a y a f t e r

Sheoraphuli Junction as

g r e e n e r y i n t e n s i f i e s .

Agricultural fields, meadows

with infinite horizon and

sporadic signs of dwelling

can be seen in plenty. As you

get down at Maliya Halt, a

30 seconds stoppage, you

are sure to be struck by the

humbleness of the station. It

comprises of two platforms,

one half built ticket counter

and a few temporary tea

stalls here and there.

Beyond these – on both the

sides – nothing can be seen

except endless green fields,

which, of course, change

the i r complex ions in

harmony with the seasons. Then, you are needed to cross the railway tracks and take the Kuchcha road which vanishes

somewhere in the horizon.

I found Arjun Ghosh standing with his bicycle at the beginning of this road. I had informed him about my possible visit

the previous night and had also confirmed it in that very morning. I was greeted with a simple but honest smile. The man

is about 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches high, thinly built, but strong enough to protect himself from the inevitable exposure

to nature's brutality. What attracted me were his sharp expressive eyes glistening with a common man's intelligence

which is undoubtedly, a better alternative to wisdom when daily struggle is the concern. The man led me through

vegetable growing fields and finally the road, which at first seemed to be endless, came to a diversion. We took the left

path and abruptly ended our journey after half an hour of walking in the midst of a bitter gourd field.

“This is my field”, said Arjun babu, grinning as he made an eye to eye to signal to a man who had suddenly appeared

from underneath the thicket. The man, as Arjun babu introduced, happened to be his younger brother Krishna Ghosh.

The younger Ghosh is a man of my age. He brought us two jute bags and laid them on field for us to sit. Arjun babu, on

the way, had proposed that we could sit and talk in his home; but I had purposefully turned down the invitation as

people like Arjun Ghosh are more open for discussion when they are placed upon the field – that is where they belong.

Moreover, if you accept their invitation to warm residences, you will, in a way also accept your vulnerability to the

natural hostility that a mid December north wind holds during afternoons. My insisting to go to the field brought out the

real shine on the man. It was a salutation to his world.

We sat down on the jute bags and I started interviewing him. My purpose was limited to take a product feedback from

him, but what I discovered is a gold mine; an experience worthy to be shared among all of us who, generally carry a fixed

notion about the agrarian mass of Bengal. Arjun babu's appearance will never tell you how great an entrepreneur he is.

As we went on discussing things and sharing ideas, he mentioned his visits to Kolkata Doordarshan and Akashvani

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 18• •

Approximately 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water. Only 1 percent of the water is drinkable.

Sah

aji

tes

Wri

tin

g D

esk

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 19• •

The Earth is the most dense planet five times denser than water, while Saturn is the least dense.

Mr. Sarnath MukherjeeAssistant Manager

Strategy & Agri-Business

studios. He has taken part in

several television and radio

programs which are directed to

progressive farmers. He receives

numerous calls from all parts of

India asking him for advices.

Without having any science

degree Arjun Ghosh is a well

known figure among many

eminent agriculturists of our

state. He is known for his

innovations of new cultivation

techniques, which adds to his

repertoire of being the first

successful farmer in S.R.I.

cultivation of paddy in the entire

Hooghly district. As directed by

his elder brother, Krishna uplifted

some bitter gourd plants and I

noticed some plastic bags hanging underneath them from a thin wire. Arjun babu smiled, “This is one of my new

experiments. I am trying to grow brinjals in plastic bags, making them pest attack proof and thereby bring down the input

cost. After all, this is not only my field, this is my laboratory!” I asked him how he learned all these. He said, “I read all

magazines and books that publish latest trends in agriculture. I have studied up to class X only, but I think that is enough

education for making a man able to read and write”, he quipped. He added, “I also get help from the ADO Saheb. He is a

regular visitor to my field. We share our views with each other. I also learn from other farmers who call me for help. If I am

not open to problems how will I invent solutions?” I looked at this man. He stands against our generalized idea of a Bengali

farmer – a skeptic figure unwilling to go for new cultivation techniques, always complaining about his financial issues and,

indulge in country spirit during the evening. It is not to say that issues are false or unjustified, but Arjun Ghosh stands out to

show that there are people who dare to think beyond that, and, to our surprise, are well able to ponder over the situation.

It was Arjun babu who first told me about a very unique way to earn money, which is, perhaps, the first example of agri-

tourism in Hooghly. His cultivation field is used by Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalay (BCKV) and television channels as

an ideal site. Students in teams visit his field to conjure practical knowledge whereas TV channels shoot agricultural

programs there. Arjun babu, as a return earns a little extra money without giving any labor. He is a tech savvy man who uses

a 'QWERTY' keypad mobile phone and types SMS using his both thumbs. He has an Internet connection at home and with

the help of his son, who is a high school student, he has learned to receive and send emails. All these can never be read

from his simple shirt, muffler, pajamas and Hawaii Chappals. Above everything, the hearty behavior and humanitarian

expressions – which, I suppose, are the true essences of rural Bengal – have not left Arjun Ghosh despite his close

connection with the city people.

He filled my bag with 5-6 bitter gourds grown in his field and said, “Check out the taste. It is a guarantee from my side.” He

saved my contact number on his mobile handset and said as he bade good bye to me, “I shall call you. I am not like other

friends who tend to forget.” This promise, for your kind information, has been religiously kept by him followed by my

Another Side Of The Notion

Maliya Halt comes after the

local train to Tarakeshwar

crosses Nalikul in Hooghly.

The urban landscape slowly

f a d e s a w a y a f t e r

Sheoraphuli Junction as

g r e e n e r y i n t e n s i f i e s .

Agricultural fields, meadows

with infinite horizon and

sporadic signs of dwelling

can be seen in plenty. As you

get down at Maliya Halt, a

30 seconds stoppage, you

are sure to be struck by the

humbleness of the station. It

comprises of two platforms,

one half built ticket counter

and a few temporary tea

stalls here and there.

Beyond these – on both the

sides – nothing can be seen

except endless green fields,

which, of course, change

the i r complex ions in

harmony with the seasons. Then, you are needed to cross the railway tracks and take the Kuchcha road which vanishes

somewhere in the horizon.

I found Arjun Ghosh standing with his bicycle at the beginning of this road. I had informed him about my possible visit

the previous night and had also confirmed it in that very morning. I was greeted with a simple but honest smile. The man

is about 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches high, thinly built, but strong enough to protect himself from the inevitable exposure

to nature's brutality. What attracted me were his sharp expressive eyes glistening with a common man's intelligence

which is undoubtedly, a better alternative to wisdom when daily struggle is the concern. The man led me through

vegetable growing fields and finally the road, which at first seemed to be endless, came to a diversion. We took the left

path and abruptly ended our journey after half an hour of walking in the midst of a bitter gourd field.

“This is my field”, said Arjun babu, grinning as he made an eye to eye to signal to a man who had suddenly appeared

from underneath the thicket. The man, as Arjun babu introduced, happened to be his younger brother Krishna Ghosh.

The younger Ghosh is a man of my age. He brought us two jute bags and laid them on field for us to sit. Arjun babu, on

the way, had proposed that we could sit and talk in his home; but I had purposefully turned down the invitation as

people like Arjun Ghosh are more open for discussion when they are placed upon the field – that is where they belong.

Moreover, if you accept their invitation to warm residences, you will, in a way also accept your vulnerability to the

natural hostility that a mid December north wind holds during afternoons. My insisting to go to the field brought out the

real shine on the man. It was a salutation to his world.

We sat down on the jute bags and I started interviewing him. My purpose was limited to take a product feedback from

him, but what I discovered is a gold mine; an experience worthy to be shared among all of us who, generally carry a fixed

notion about the agrarian mass of Bengal. Arjun babu's appearance will never tell you how great an entrepreneur he is.

As we went on discussing things and sharing ideas, he mentioned his visits to Kolkata Doordarshan and Akashvani

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 18• •

Approximately 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water. Only 1 percent of the water is drinkable.

Sah

aji

tes

Wri

tin

g D

esk

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 19• •

The Earth is the most dense planet five times denser than water, while Saturn is the least dense.

Mr. Sarnath MukherjeeAssistant Manager

Strategy & Agri-Business

For six decades we have been a democratic republic and have been guided by the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The world's largest democracy has made impressive strides in the realm of Economy, Science & Technology. The democratic vibrancy has ensured that we are among the top countries of the world. Therefore, Republic Day is a day of remembrance of the untold sacrifices of our founding fathers who have made it possible for us to stand together to breathe the fresh air of freedom and democracy. It is also a day for assessment, introspection and reflection.

India is definitely galloping its way towards development, but by treading upon the dreams and aspirations of the millions of poor. The rural-urban divide has only increased

over the past half a century. A chocolate eating, English speaking, net savvy kid is now accepted as the face of an emerging India while we have children who cannot differentiate between the chalk and the cheese. Rampant corruption, ineffective bureaucracy, growing nepotism, unbridled consumerism etc have eaten into the very vitals of the Indian society. Unfortunately, public apathy has become an unconscious sanction to these growing menaces.

So what should a man of intellect and integrity do? Should he cynically resign to his fate and let the society decay and degenerate further? Or should he take charge to arouse and harness a public opinion and initiate action to bring about a change? We may choose to remain silent, but the answer is obvious. As, enlightened citizens of the nation, who have enjoyed the benefits of the Indian Republic, it becomes imperative for us to ensure that the underprivileged are also a part of the Progressive India.

This republic day as my dear colleagues were pinning up the Indian flag crests, I saw pride on their faces and I felt a sense of pride within. At Sahaj, we are people who are creating a difference and are harbingers of change. Information is power and technology can act as a great leveler. By providing a digital platform to rural people we are trying to bring in more transparency in governance. By providing, educational courses online we are taking the best of education to the last mile and by creating village level entrepreneurs we are ensuring social inclusive growth. Yes, indeed the task is herculean but we have started the process of change. We are the agents of change.

Our Constitution is our charter of democracy and of the rights of the people. There is a saying, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. It is our duty as responsible citizens of the nation to uphold the tenets of the Indian Constitution. We can look at our achievements with justifiable pride and focus on our shortcomings with a spirit of resolve. We must always aim high in life, work with integrity and succeed with integrity, be good members of the family, society and the world and above all, we must believe in the Indian Republic and the strong edifices of values it is built upon.

!Vande Matram

Sah

aji

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Relevance of Republic Day for a Sahajite

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 20• •

Japan's water has a very high dissolved oxygen concentration - but not enough to prevent drowning in the bath.

Sah

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Republic Day Slogan Contest Winner

Participant Name ContentRank

1stTamal Chatterjee,

Chief Manager, Marketing

There are no wailing mothers no desolate screams;No tears of despair, in the India of my dreams.She lives in her villages, and has no dearth of urban gleams;Every girl gets education, in the India of my dreams.

2ndSaugata Bhattacharya,

Manager, Capacity Building

R Rest Not Till WeE EradicateP PovertyU - UnemploymentB Bureaucratic red-tapismL Lack of Health careI IlliteracyC Corruption

3rdDipanjan Chakaraborty,

TA, Information Technology

Let's walk together in “India against Corruption” movement. Change yourself, protest against bribe, and change India to a better India. Dream always come true if we dare to believe; that we can make it happen and make a true Incredible India.

Sah

aj S

cap

e

Mr. Nakul Dubey, Minister for Urban Development and Commercial Tax, UP, at Sahaj CSC during the launch of Commercial Tax service.

Customer Meet held in Dhemaji, Assam Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet for Central Bank Banking Correspondence held at Dibrugarh district

Photographs being clicked at Sahaj Head Office for UID Aadhaar Cards

eLearning presentation in a CSC of Master VLE in Pratapgarh, UP.

An Induction Training, "Swagat" conducted at Delhi Office on 4th January, 2012 for SGSY employees.

First Master VLE Training in West Bengal held at Darjeeling RCC

Biometric scanning conducted at Sahaj Head Office for UID Aadhaar Cards

Indu Paramita MahapatraAsst. Manager, HR, Sahaj HO

For six decades we have been a democratic republic and have been guided by the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The world's largest democracy has made impressive strides in the realm of Economy, Science & Technology. The democratic vibrancy has ensured that we are among the top countries of the world. Therefore, Republic Day is a day of remembrance of the untold sacrifices of our founding fathers who have made it possible for us to stand together to breathe the fresh air of freedom and democracy. It is also a day for assessment, introspection and reflection.

India is definitely galloping its way towards development, but by treading upon the dreams and aspirations of the millions of poor. The rural-urban divide has only increased

over the past half a century. A chocolate eating, English speaking, net savvy kid is now accepted as the face of an emerging India while we have children who cannot differentiate between the chalk and the cheese. Rampant corruption, ineffective bureaucracy, growing nepotism, unbridled consumerism etc have eaten into the very vitals of the Indian society. Unfortunately, public apathy has become an unconscious sanction to these growing menaces.

So what should a man of intellect and integrity do? Should he cynically resign to his fate and let the society decay and degenerate further? Or should he take charge to arouse and harness a public opinion and initiate action to bring about a change? We may choose to remain silent, but the answer is obvious. As, enlightened citizens of the nation, who have enjoyed the benefits of the Indian Republic, it becomes imperative for us to ensure that the underprivileged are also a part of the Progressive India.

This republic day as my dear colleagues were pinning up the Indian flag crests, I saw pride on their faces and I felt a sense of pride within. At Sahaj, we are people who are creating a difference and are harbingers of change. Information is power and technology can act as a great leveler. By providing a digital platform to rural people we are trying to bring in more transparency in governance. By providing, educational courses online we are taking the best of education to the last mile and by creating village level entrepreneurs we are ensuring social inclusive growth. Yes, indeed the task is herculean but we have started the process of change. We are the agents of change.

Our Constitution is our charter of democracy and of the rights of the people. There is a saying, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. It is our duty as responsible citizens of the nation to uphold the tenets of the Indian Constitution. We can look at our achievements with justifiable pride and focus on our shortcomings with a spirit of resolve. We must always aim high in life, work with integrity and succeed with integrity, be good members of the family, society and the world and above all, we must believe in the Indian Republic and the strong edifices of values it is built upon.

!Vande Matram

Sah

aji

tes

Wri

tin

g D

esk

Relevance of Republic Day for a Sahajite

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 20• •

Japan's water has a very high dissolved oxygen concentration - but not enough to prevent drowning in the bath.

Sah

aji

tes

Wri

tin

g D

esk

Republic Day Slogan Contest Winner

Participant Name ContentRank

1stTamal Chatterjee,

Chief Manager, Marketing

There are no wailing mothers no desolate screams;No tears of despair, in the India of my dreams.She lives in her villages, and has no dearth of urban gleams;Every girl gets education, in the India of my dreams.

2ndSaugata Bhattacharya,

Manager, Capacity Building

R Rest Not Till WeE EradicateP PovertyU - UnemploymentB Bureaucratic red-tapismL Lack of Health careI IlliteracyC Corruption

3rdDipanjan Chakaraborty,

TA, Information Technology

Let's walk together in “India against Corruption” movement. Change yourself, protest against bribe, and change India to a better India. Dream always come true if we dare to believe; that we can make it happen and make a true Incredible India.

Sah

aj S

cap

e

Mr. Nakul Dubey, Minister for Urban Development and Commercial Tax, UP, at Sahaj CSC during the launch of Commercial Tax service.

Customer Meet held in Dhemaji, Assam Public Awareness & Customers Connect Meet for Central Bank Banking Correspondence held at Dibrugarh district

Photographs being clicked at Sahaj Head Office for UID Aadhaar Cards

eLearning presentation in a CSC of Master VLE in Pratapgarh, UP.

An Induction Training, "Swagat" conducted at Delhi Office on 4th January, 2012 for SGSY employees.

First Master VLE Training in West Bengal held at Darjeeling RCC

Biometric scanning conducted at Sahaj Head Office for UID Aadhaar Cards

Indu Paramita MahapatraAsst. Manager, HR, Sahaj HO

Trave

llers

' Deli

gh

t

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 22• •

The largest water eddy in the world is the Sargasso Sea between the Azores and the West Indies.

Living in a city, you can quite forget the beauty and power of nature and its entire splendor. Being stuck in traffic jams twice a day does not help either. When you feel the need to get your life back into your own hands and to release your soul from all the stress of day-to-day existence, the best place to be is Coorg.

Not for nothing do they call it the Scotland of India. Coorg is set amidst clean, green natural surroundings away from the bustling crowds. Misty hills, roads that wind their way through lush forests, aromatic pepper and spice plantations and sprawling coffee estates that are reminiscent of the days of yore and above all, a haven to rejuvenate your soul.. Coorg is

not just verdant hills, or impromptu waterfalls, animals strolling across the road, or peace and tranquility to please your heart. It is also unrivaled hospitality, the homeland of a proud and brave race called the Kodavas, (Kod meaning give and avva meaning mother, i.e mother Kaveri, the river Kaveri) - a race of warm, friendly people proud of their martial heritage with a hospitable disposition that is legion, a culture that is unique.

Similarly, just listening to stories of or talking about Coorg will not even come close to experiencing the land of the Kodavas. All it takes is one visit to this extraordinary land to leave a part of your soul behind.As a visitor here, it is better to arrive in daylight, since the darkness is so absolute, it can take a city dweller by surprise. A few years ago, there were only a handful of places to stay, but now, there are innumerable options for all budgets. From bed and breakfast home stays, to the better-known resorts, there is no dearth of accommodation. The home stays are one of the best ways to enjoy Coorg hospitality.

The only way to get to Coorg is by road. From Bangalore hire a taxi for a five hours trip to Coorg or take a bus. From Mysore, regular buses and taxis are available to Madikeri with drive time being around 3 hours. As you drive up the Western Ghats, you get the sensation of being in a totally different world. The forest covers you in a protective embrace and the air suddenly feels lighter and more fragrant.

Other than relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere, there are a variety of activities and quite a few places of interest to see. Activities could include, walking in the coffee estates, a tour of different floriculture and spice plantations by private planters, biking, trekking, angling and savouring the distinctive cuisine of Coorg.

Resting in the lap of Gods: CoorgSome of the places of interest that you can visit while on holiday are

that has a temple dedicated by Lord Rama, while on exile, to Lord Shiva. It is a place of pilgrimage to thousands of devotees during the Shivarathri festival and is also believed to have the power to cleanse a person of his sins.

, which covers an area of 284 square kilometers, and its exotic wildlife form the country's first bio-sphere reserve. The Forest Department conducts tours along pre-defined routes for tourists, in the early mornings and evenings. One can be sure of seeing bison, elephant, spotted deer, sambhar, barking deer, wild boar, mongoose, peacock, jungle fowl and many other birds and animals. Lucky ones may get to catch a glimpse of a tiger or even a king cobra.

At stands a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is also the confluence of the rivers Cauvery, Kannike and Sujyothi. TalaCauvery is the birthplace of the river Cauvery and a place of religious interest.

built in 1792 by Doddaveeraraja, served as the royal hunting lodge and summer home of the Kodagu kings.

dedicated to Lord Igguthappa and the at Virajpet are also places to visit for their architecture and history. The district headquarters of Coorg, , is also another place of interest. Besides having a variety of shops and restaurants, you could also visit (the Raja's Tomb),

, and the which now houses the courts, the jail and a museum.

And if all these still do not stir your soul to poetry, then the birds of Coorg should definitely set your heart aflutter. With varieties like Malabar whistling thrush, the Racket Tailed Drongo, Imperial pigeon, Ruby Throated bulbul, Fairy Bluebird, Little Spiderhunter, Spotted Babbler, Jerdon's Blackbird, Orange Headed Ground Thrush, Paradise Flycatcher etc, Coorg is truly a bird watcher's paradise.

Once this land has worked its magic on you, you can go back to your day-to-day life a changed and refreshed person.

Iruppu Falls

The Nagarahole National Park

Bagamandala

The Nalaknad Palace,

The Igguthappa Temple, St. Anne's ChurchMadikeri

Raja Seat, Gaddige Stewart Hill, Abby falls, the Omkareshwar, Chowdeshwari and Rajarajeshwari Temples Fort

Take a breakand fly to your

dream destinationand fly to your

dream destinationpartners

Get holiday packages, hotel bookings and air tickets all in one place

Available at any Sahaj Common Service Centre near youAvailable at any Sahaj Common Service Centre near you

Get holiday packages, hotel bookings and air tickets all in one place

Trave

llers

' Deli

gh

t

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 22• •

The largest water eddy in the world is the Sargasso Sea between the Azores and the West Indies.

Living in a city, you can quite forget the beauty and power of nature and its entire splendor. Being stuck in traffic jams twice a day does not help either. When you feel the need to get your life back into your own hands and to release your soul from all the stress of day-to-day existence, the best place to be is Coorg.

Not for nothing do they call it the Scotland of India. Coorg is set amidst clean, green natural surroundings away from the bustling crowds. Misty hills, roads that wind their way through lush forests, aromatic pepper and spice plantations and sprawling coffee estates that are reminiscent of the days of yore and above all, a haven to rejuvenate your soul.. Coorg is

not just verdant hills, or impromptu waterfalls, animals strolling across the road, or peace and tranquility to please your heart. It is also unrivaled hospitality, the homeland of a proud and brave race called the Kodavas, (Kod meaning give and avva meaning mother, i.e mother Kaveri, the river Kaveri) - a race of warm, friendly people proud of their martial heritage with a hospitable disposition that is legion, a culture that is unique.

Similarly, just listening to stories of or talking about Coorg will not even come close to experiencing the land of the Kodavas. All it takes is one visit to this extraordinary land to leave a part of your soul behind.As a visitor here, it is better to arrive in daylight, since the darkness is so absolute, it can take a city dweller by surprise. A few years ago, there were only a handful of places to stay, but now, there are innumerable options for all budgets. From bed and breakfast home stays, to the better-known resorts, there is no dearth of accommodation. The home stays are one of the best ways to enjoy Coorg hospitality.

The only way to get to Coorg is by road. From Bangalore hire a taxi for a five hours trip to Coorg or take a bus. From Mysore, regular buses and taxis are available to Madikeri with drive time being around 3 hours. As you drive up the Western Ghats, you get the sensation of being in a totally different world. The forest covers you in a protective embrace and the air suddenly feels lighter and more fragrant.

Other than relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere, there are a variety of activities and quite a few places of interest to see. Activities could include, walking in the coffee estates, a tour of different floriculture and spice plantations by private planters, biking, trekking, angling and savouring the distinctive cuisine of Coorg.

Resting in the lap of Gods: CoorgSome of the places of interest that you can visit while on holiday are

that has a temple dedicated by Lord Rama, while on exile, to Lord Shiva. It is a place of pilgrimage to thousands of devotees during the Shivarathri festival and is also believed to have the power to cleanse a person of his sins.

, which covers an area of 284 square kilometers, and its exotic wildlife form the country's first bio-sphere reserve. The Forest Department conducts tours along pre-defined routes for tourists, in the early mornings and evenings. One can be sure of seeing bison, elephant, spotted deer, sambhar, barking deer, wild boar, mongoose, peacock, jungle fowl and many other birds and animals. Lucky ones may get to catch a glimpse of a tiger or even a king cobra.

At stands a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is also the confluence of the rivers Cauvery, Kannike and Sujyothi. TalaCauvery is the birthplace of the river Cauvery and a place of religious interest.

built in 1792 by Doddaveeraraja, served as the royal hunting lodge and summer home of the Kodagu kings.

dedicated to Lord Igguthappa and the at Virajpet are also places to visit for their architecture and history. The district headquarters of Coorg, , is also another place of interest. Besides having a variety of shops and restaurants, you could also visit (the Raja's Tomb),

, and the which now houses the courts, the jail and a museum.

And if all these still do not stir your soul to poetry, then the birds of Coorg should definitely set your heart aflutter. With varieties like Malabar whistling thrush, the Racket Tailed Drongo, Imperial pigeon, Ruby Throated bulbul, Fairy Bluebird, Little Spiderhunter, Spotted Babbler, Jerdon's Blackbird, Orange Headed Ground Thrush, Paradise Flycatcher etc, Coorg is truly a bird watcher's paradise.

Once this land has worked its magic on you, you can go back to your day-to-day life a changed and refreshed person.

Iruppu Falls

The Nagarahole National Park

Bagamandala

The Nalaknad Palace,

The Igguthappa Temple, St. Anne's ChurchMadikeri

Raja Seat, Gaddige Stewart Hill, Abby falls, the Omkareshwar, Chowdeshwari and Rajarajeshwari Temples Fort

Take a breakand fly to your

dream destinationand fly to your

dream destinationpartners

Get holiday packages, hotel bookings and air tickets all in one place

Available at any Sahaj Common Service Centre near youAvailable at any Sahaj Common Service Centre near you

Get holiday packages, hotel bookings and air tickets all in one place

Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors such as family history, sex or age there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take.

A heart attack occurs if the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. If blood flow isn't restored quickly, the section of heart muscle begins to die.

Heart attacks most often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy

substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.

Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open) inside of an artery. This causes a blood clot to form on the plaque's surface. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery.

If the blockage isn't treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die. Healthy heart tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This heart damage may not be obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.

A less common cause of heart attack is a severe spasm (tightening) of a coronary artery. The spasm cuts off blood flow through the artery. Spasms can occur in coronary arteries that aren't affected by atherosclerosis. What causes a coronary artery to spasm isn't always clear. A spasm may be related to:

Emotional stress or pain.

Exposure to extreme cold

Cigarette smoking.

Acting fast at the first sign of heart attack symptoms can save ones life and limit damage to ones heart. Treatment works best when it's given right after symptoms occur.

Chest pain or discomfort. This involves uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center or left side of the chest that can be mild or strong. This discomfort or pain often lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.

Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.

Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.

What Is a Heart Attack?

•

•

•

Get Help Quickly

Heart attack symptoms include:

•

•

•

Life is too precious: Protect it

Sah

aj Su

swast

hya

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 24• •

Hippos drink as much as 250 liters of water in any given 24 hour

•

•

Risk Factors You Can Control

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Life After a Heart Attack

Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.

Symptoms also may include sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), and lack of energy.

The major risk factors for a heart attack that you can control include:

Smoking

High blood pressure

High blood cholesterol

Overweight and obesity

An unhealthy diet (for example, a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium)

Lack of routine physical activity

High blood sugar due to insulin resistance or diabetes

Some of these risk factorssuch as obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugartend to occur together. When they do, it's called metabolic syndrome. In general, a person who has metabolic syndrome is twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to develop diabetes as someone who doesn't have metabolic syndrome.

The risk of heart disease increases for men after age 45 and for women after age 55 (or after menopause).

Not all heart attacks begin with the sudden, crushing chest pain that often is shown on TV or in the movies. In one study, for example, one-third of the patients who had heart attacks had no chest pain. These patients were more likely to be older, female, or diabetic.

The warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack aren't the same for everyone. Many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. Some people don't have symptoms at all. Heart attacks that occur without any symptoms or very mild symptoms are called silent heart attacks.

Following a healthy diet is an important part of a heart healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars.

Many people survive heart attacks and live active, full lives. If you get help quickly, treatment can limit damage to your heart muscle. Less heart damage improves your chances for a better quality of life after a heart attack.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 25• •

Squids move through the ocean using a jet of water forced out of the body by a

Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors such as family history, sex or age there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take.

A heart attack occurs if the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. If blood flow isn't restored quickly, the section of heart muscle begins to die.

Heart attacks most often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy

substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.

Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open) inside of an artery. This causes a blood clot to form on the plaque's surface. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery.

If the blockage isn't treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die. Healthy heart tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This heart damage may not be obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.

A less common cause of heart attack is a severe spasm (tightening) of a coronary artery. The spasm cuts off blood flow through the artery. Spasms can occur in coronary arteries that aren't affected by atherosclerosis. What causes a coronary artery to spasm isn't always clear. A spasm may be related to:

Emotional stress or pain.

Exposure to extreme cold

Cigarette smoking.

Acting fast at the first sign of heart attack symptoms can save ones life and limit damage to ones heart. Treatment works best when it's given right after symptoms occur.

Chest pain or discomfort. This involves uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center or left side of the chest that can be mild or strong. This discomfort or pain often lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.

Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.

Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.

What Is a Heart Attack?

•

•

•

Get Help Quickly

Heart attack symptoms include:

•

•

•

Life is too precious: Protect it

Sah

aj Su

swast

hya

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 24• •

Hippos drink as much as 250 liters of water in any given 24 hour

•

•

Risk Factors You Can Control

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Life After a Heart Attack

Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.

Symptoms also may include sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), and lack of energy.

The major risk factors for a heart attack that you can control include:

Smoking

High blood pressure

High blood cholesterol

Overweight and obesity

An unhealthy diet (for example, a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium)

Lack of routine physical activity

High blood sugar due to insulin resistance or diabetes

Some of these risk factorssuch as obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugartend to occur together. When they do, it's called metabolic syndrome. In general, a person who has metabolic syndrome is twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to develop diabetes as someone who doesn't have metabolic syndrome.

The risk of heart disease increases for men after age 45 and for women after age 55 (or after menopause).

Not all heart attacks begin with the sudden, crushing chest pain that often is shown on TV or in the movies. In one study, for example, one-third of the patients who had heart attacks had no chest pain. These patients were more likely to be older, female, or diabetic.

The warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack aren't the same for everyone. Many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. Some people don't have symptoms at all. Heart attacks that occur without any symptoms or very mild symptoms are called silent heart attacks.

Following a healthy diet is an important part of a heart healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars.

Many people survive heart attacks and live active, full lives. If you get help quickly, treatment can limit damage to your heart muscle. Less heart damage improves your chances for a better quality of life after a heart attack.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 25• •

Squids move through the ocean using a jet of water forced out of the body by a

Fun

Fu

nd

aa

Gla

dd

en y

ou

r ta

ste

bu

ds

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

•150 gm sugar5 mins •3 large sized apple (peeled and grated)

•1 tbsp saffron soaked in milk •1 tbsp cardamom powder

20 mins •Dry fruits of your choice to garnishServes: 2

Method:A p p l e •Take the milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Lower the flame kheer is an and let it boil till the quantity becomes half. Now add sugar I n d i a n to it and stir continuously. Now add the condensed milk recipe that and further cook for 5 minutes.is bound to •Add the saffron and mix it along with cardamom powder entice the in the boiling milk and cook for a minute.

people with sweet tooth. It can be served as a dessert after •Add the grated apples and cook for 10 minutes. Put off the the main course. flame and pour the content into a bowl. Let it cool.

•Garnish it with dry fruits of your choice like cashews, Ingredients: almonds, raisins, pistachio. Refrigerate and serve chilled.•1 litre full cream milk•½ cup condensed milk

Apple Kheer

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 26• •

An egg that is fresh will sink in water, but a stale one won't.

CrosswordAcross

1 Free of charge (6)

4 Overweight (5)

7 Someone who wilfully

damages property (6)

8 Sign of the zodiac (6)

9 Shoot — thin layer (4)

10 Awful (8)

12 Ordinary people as

opposed to their leaders

(4,3,4)

17 Chinese-style dish of

shredded meat(s) and fried

noodles (4,4)

19 Being of two or more

colours (4)

20 On bad terms (with) (2,4)

21 Solution (6)

22 Old gold coin — stag with

12 or more points (5)

23 Under the most favourable

conditions (2,4)

Down

1 River of ice (7)

2 Ban demo (anag) (7)

3 Uncomfortable (3,2,4)

4 Clergyman — earlier (5)

5 Unit of intensity of sound(7)

6 Sycophants (3-3)

11 Superfluous (9)

13 Explanation for a fault (7)

14 Stalemate (7)

15 Operative part of an

electric kettle (7)

16 Cake (long in shape, but

short in duration!) (6)

18 Award for merit (5)

1 2 3

8

14

13

9 10

15

16

17 19

20

4 5 6

18

21

22

7

11

12 13

23

Solu

tion at p

age no. 3

0

VLE

Su

ccess S

tory

Around every dark cloud there's a silver liningA small hamlet in the district of Purba Medinipur, Keshadpur Jalpai, is a name not familiar to many of us has a tale to share that many would want to know. A real story of a person, who actually believes in the saying, “behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining.” And this proves to be just applicable in the case of Village Level Entrepreneur of Sahaj, Mr. Ashwini Kumar Mal.

In spite of severe financial crunch in his family, Ashwini always dreamt of doing something big in life. Hardships could never bend his strong determination. In order to accomplish his ambitions in life he not only completed his graduation with an honours degree in Chemistry but also completed his B.Ed. Ashwini was confident of bagging a good job after having a decent amount of degrees in his kitty. With great expectations, he applied for the post of a teacher in a primary school run by the government in his native village. He was confident that after getting the job, all the sorrows and miseries of his family would finally come to an end. But fate had something else in store for him.

Ashwini's rose tinted image of life was shattered when he learnt that the post for which he had applied was given to some one else much less

deserving than him. Bureaucratic red tapism had cost him his job. Struggle for livelihood become even more challenging with every passing day. Even the basic needs of sustenance became difficult.

Dejected and with no faith in the government for some corrupt officials, Ashwini went to Kolkata in search of a job to feed his family of four comprising of himself, his little son, daughter and his wife. It was here that an advertisement in a Bengali newspaper altered his entire outlook towards life.

He got introduced to the new world of Sahaj. And since then it has been a journey to cherish for Ashwini. Ashwini today is a household name in his small little hamlet of Keshadpur Jalpai. Fame has not made his proud; rather, he is a simple and humble man who is very particular about the services available at his CSC like electricity bill submission, railway reservation tickets, various e-Learning facilities, travel bookings, etc. As a result, whenever people would think of these services, the name that would come to their mind is Sahaj Common Service Centre.

His everlasting zeal and untiring effort has made him the idol of his locality. His conviction in this project is so strong, that many seek motivation from him.

Fun

Fu

nd

aa

Gla

dd

en y

ou

r ta

ste

bu

ds

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

•150 gm sugar5 mins •3 large sized apple (peeled and grated)

•1 tbsp saffron soaked in milk •1 tbsp cardamom powder

20 mins •Dry fruits of your choice to garnishServes: 2

Method:A p p l e •Take the milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Lower the flame kheer is an and let it boil till the quantity becomes half. Now add sugar I n d i a n to it and stir continuously. Now add the condensed milk recipe that and further cook for 5 minutes.is bound to •Add the saffron and mix it along with cardamom powder entice the in the boiling milk and cook for a minute.

people with sweet tooth. It can be served as a dessert after •Add the grated apples and cook for 10 minutes. Put off the the main course. flame and pour the content into a bowl. Let it cool.

•Garnish it with dry fruits of your choice like cashews, Ingredients: almonds, raisins, pistachio. Refrigerate and serve chilled.•1 litre full cream milk•½ cup condensed milk

Apple Kheer

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 26• •

An egg that is fresh will sink in water, but a stale one won't.

CrosswordAcross

1 Free of charge (6)

4 Overweight (5)

7 Someone who wilfully

damages property (6)

8 Sign of the zodiac (6)

9 Shoot — thin layer (4)

10 Awful (8)

12 Ordinary people as

opposed to their leaders

(4,3,4)

17 Chinese-style dish of

shredded meat(s) and fried

noodles (4,4)

19 Being of two or more

colours (4)

20 On bad terms (with) (2,4)

21 Solution (6)

22 Old gold coin — stag with

12 or more points (5)

23 Under the most favourable

conditions (2,4)

Down

1 River of ice (7)

2 Ban demo (anag) (7)

3 Uncomfortable (3,2,4)

4 Clergyman — earlier (5)

5 Unit of intensity of sound(7)

6 Sycophants (3-3)

11 Superfluous (9)

13 Explanation for a fault (7)

14 Stalemate (7)

15 Operative part of an

electric kettle (7)

16 Cake (long in shape, but

short in duration!) (6)

18 Award for merit (5)

1 2 3

8

14

13

9 10

15

16

17 19

20

4 5 6

18

21

22

7

11

12 13

23

Solu

tion at p

age no. 3

0

VLE

Su

ccess S

tory

Around every dark cloud there's a silver liningA small hamlet in the district of Purba Medinipur, Keshadpur Jalpai, is a name not familiar to many of us has a tale to share that many would want to know. A real story of a person, who actually believes in the saying, “behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining.” And this proves to be just applicable in the case of Village Level Entrepreneur of Sahaj, Mr. Ashwini Kumar Mal.

In spite of severe financial crunch in his family, Ashwini always dreamt of doing something big in life. Hardships could never bend his strong determination. In order to accomplish his ambitions in life he not only completed his graduation with an honours degree in Chemistry but also completed his B.Ed. Ashwini was confident of bagging a good job after having a decent amount of degrees in his kitty. With great expectations, he applied for the post of a teacher in a primary school run by the government in his native village. He was confident that after getting the job, all the sorrows and miseries of his family would finally come to an end. But fate had something else in store for him.

Ashwini's rose tinted image of life was shattered when he learnt that the post for which he had applied was given to some one else much less

deserving than him. Bureaucratic red tapism had cost him his job. Struggle for livelihood become even more challenging with every passing day. Even the basic needs of sustenance became difficult.

Dejected and with no faith in the government for some corrupt officials, Ashwini went to Kolkata in search of a job to feed his family of four comprising of himself, his little son, daughter and his wife. It was here that an advertisement in a Bengali newspaper altered his entire outlook towards life.

He got introduced to the new world of Sahaj. And since then it has been a journey to cherish for Ashwini. Ashwini today is a household name in his small little hamlet of Keshadpur Jalpai. Fame has not made his proud; rather, he is a simple and humble man who is very particular about the services available at his CSC like electricity bill submission, railway reservation tickets, various e-Learning facilities, travel bookings, etc. As a result, whenever people would think of these services, the name that would come to their mind is Sahaj Common Service Centre.

His everlasting zeal and untiring effort has made him the idol of his locality. His conviction in this project is so strong, that many seek motivation from him.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 28• •

Prediction of the month

Ho

rosc

op

e

Aries (March 21-April 20):

Taurus (April 21-May 21):

Gemini (May 23-June 20):

Cancer (June 21-July 20):

Leo (July 21-Aug. 22):

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

You will revisit previous ideas on how you want to be recognized in the world and you will find them failing in enthusiasm. This is good. Go home and think new things now. Find someone who listens well and talk about art, culture, and beauty. You need new music, too. And a long-awaited field trip to parts unknown.

Not only will you encounter past lovers on a sidewalk somewhere but other, more subtle things will occur that stimulate the more passionate side of you and provide existing love relations with a greater intensity. Money is an attractive issue along with other, till now, unearthed psychological issues. The phoenix is burning.

Past work issues proliferate and shadowy encounters occur, reflecting previous behaviours with coworkers. You will have to try and create a balance here between past and present, and present and future. Three points of a triangle. One point is the neutralizer. Which is it and how do you create Right Human Relations? You will want to know this because you want peace.

The only thing you can do with Venus now is work hard on making your work environment a place of color, light, and beauty. Relationships may confront you, difficulties may mishandle you, and problems may arise unclearly. You can handle all of this through discussion, good health, and being excessively practical.

You become pragmatic, more organized and efficient. Everything at work is serious business almost to the point of too much responsibility. This creates tension everyplace but especially inwardly so that you can't take care of personal things like pets, children and your heart. Laughter and a bit of play are needed for several months.

As the days unfold you will feel more and more peaceful. Quiet minutes, hours, and days will ease previous month's stresses. You may enjoy this time alone or with intimates. You won't assert yourself, won't go out much, and others may think you have become internal, withdrawn and shy. Elegance plays a part here, too, as you consider how your home looks from that sophisticated lens. Sensitivity makes you wear midnight blue.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 20):

Capricorn (Dec. 21-Jan. 20):

Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 18):

Pisces (Feb. 18-March 20):

Social aspects, talking a lot, surrounding yourself with people, plans, and activities, all for fun and pleasantry occupies your waking hours. You might discover, in this social milieu, that people actually love you. Hopefully, both you and they will communicate this reality. Imagination doesn't talk so you'll have to. It's a good time to peruse art objects and/or things you find beautiful.

The eclipse finds you balancing all sorts of values - even some you don't know about. There's a great need to ask yourself what nurtures you. What values give you sustenance and embrace your quality of life for the

present and for the future? This is the core of the eclipse and before change occur you

would best ponder these questions and find answers.

You will express yourself with greater ease and willingness. This is because you aspire to relate to others in a way that they r e cogn i ze you r wa rmth , enthusiasm and love. You will do

whatever it takes so controversy doesn't occur. Making peace with

others will be your main focus. Remember peace is an outcome of right

human relations. And a right human relation is an outcome of intentional goodwill.

Once again check your finances, maintain the savings account, and exchange ideas concerning the best way to use (and not misuse) the resource called money. You may have to reorient all previous financial dealings. This can be done by creating a plan for the future.

Something undercover is coming up for air. It may feel hard, but in the end it will provide you with more personal freedom. You'll be working hard to create new endeavors both professionally and socially. New friends are about to knock on your door Orange is the lucky colour to wear this month for you.

Absorbing great qualities of information will expand your already absorbable mind and should the study prove difficult at first, later it will be easier than you expected. View life with a big picture mentality, and all the parts and pieces will fall into place. Professionally you will broaden into new endeavors. Listen to no one who says, “|No” Only you know what's best.

Source: www.2011horoscope.org

There is about one quarter-pound of salt in every gallon of seawater.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 29• •

Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb the water through their skin.

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Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 28• •

Prediction of the month

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Aries (March 21-April 20):

Taurus (April 21-May 21):

Gemini (May 23-June 20):

Cancer (June 21-July 20):

Leo (July 21-Aug. 22):

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

You will revisit previous ideas on how you want to be recognized in the world and you will find them failing in enthusiasm. This is good. Go home and think new things now. Find someone who listens well and talk about art, culture, and beauty. You need new music, too. And a long-awaited field trip to parts unknown.

Not only will you encounter past lovers on a sidewalk somewhere but other, more subtle things will occur that stimulate the more passionate side of you and provide existing love relations with a greater intensity. Money is an attractive issue along with other, till now, unearthed psychological issues. The phoenix is burning.

Past work issues proliferate and shadowy encounters occur, reflecting previous behaviours with coworkers. You will have to try and create a balance here between past and present, and present and future. Three points of a triangle. One point is the neutralizer. Which is it and how do you create Right Human Relations? You will want to know this because you want peace.

The only thing you can do with Venus now is work hard on making your work environment a place of color, light, and beauty. Relationships may confront you, difficulties may mishandle you, and problems may arise unclearly. You can handle all of this through discussion, good health, and being excessively practical.

You become pragmatic, more organized and efficient. Everything at work is serious business almost to the point of too much responsibility. This creates tension everyplace but especially inwardly so that you can't take care of personal things like pets, children and your heart. Laughter and a bit of play are needed for several months.

As the days unfold you will feel more and more peaceful. Quiet minutes, hours, and days will ease previous month's stresses. You may enjoy this time alone or with intimates. You won't assert yourself, won't go out much, and others may think you have become internal, withdrawn and shy. Elegance plays a part here, too, as you consider how your home looks from that sophisticated lens. Sensitivity makes you wear midnight blue.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 20):

Capricorn (Dec. 21-Jan. 20):

Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 18):

Pisces (Feb. 18-March 20):

Social aspects, talking a lot, surrounding yourself with people, plans, and activities, all for fun and pleasantry occupies your waking hours. You might discover, in this social milieu, that people actually love you. Hopefully, both you and they will communicate this reality. Imagination doesn't talk so you'll have to. It's a good time to peruse art objects and/or things you find beautiful.

The eclipse finds you balancing all sorts of values - even some you don't know about. There's a great need to ask yourself what nurtures you. What values give you sustenance and embrace your quality of life for the

present and for the future? This is the core of the eclipse and before change occur you

would best ponder these questions and find answers.

You will express yourself with greater ease and willingness. This is because you aspire to relate to others in a way that they r e cogn i ze you r wa rmth , enthusiasm and love. You will do

whatever it takes so controversy doesn't occur. Making peace with

others will be your main focus. Remember peace is an outcome of right

human relations. And a right human relation is an outcome of intentional goodwill.

Once again check your finances, maintain the savings account, and exchange ideas concerning the best way to use (and not misuse) the resource called money. You may have to reorient all previous financial dealings. This can be done by creating a plan for the future.

Something undercover is coming up for air. It may feel hard, but in the end it will provide you with more personal freedom. You'll be working hard to create new endeavors both professionally and socially. New friends are about to knock on your door Orange is the lucky colour to wear this month for you.

Absorbing great qualities of information will expand your already absorbable mind and should the study prove difficult at first, later it will be easier than you expected. View life with a big picture mentality, and all the parts and pieces will fall into place. Professionally you will broaden into new endeavors. Listen to no one who says, “|No” Only you know what's best.

Source: www.2011horoscope.org

There is about one quarter-pound of salt in every gallon of seawater.

Sahaj Setu February 2012 Page 29• •

Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb the water through their skin.

Ch

aakri

.co

.in

: L

ist

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Job

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Solutions

Crossword Solution

GRATISPODGYLBLREE

VANDALPISCESCOAOIM

FILMTERRIBLEN E E E E E

RANKANDFILEL M U S P E

CHOWMEINPIEDLLEDAMATODDSANSWERIGANSNROYALATBEST

13

Business Trivia•

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•

•

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The new SUV launched with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan,

endorsing it is - Force One

The FMCG Company that will soon have Prabha Parameswaran as Managing Director is - Colgate Palmolive India Limited.

The only item sourced by Rolls Royce from India is the Malabar woods

The car giant that is likely to replace Toyota as the largest car manufacturer in the world is Volkswagen

The interest rate in EPF being proposed for 2011- 12 is - 8.25 per cent.