Sibal unveils Saakshar Bharat portal

Portal to put forth information related to auditing of the mission in public domain

samirsachdeva

Samir Sachdeva | September 1, 2011



To induce efficiency and accountability in to Saakshar Bharat (SB) mission, the new variant of national literacy mission (NLM), and ensure optimum and transparent utilisation of allocated fund, Kapil Sibal, union minister for human resource development on Thursday launched web portal of the mission which will put forth information of auditing of the mission in public domain. The portal includes a web based planning and monitoring information system (WePMIS) and financial and accounting monitoring system (FAMS).  

The mission, which was launched by the prime minister in September, 2009, aims to make 70 million adults of above 15 years of age literate in duration of seven years from rural areas of 410 districts.  The mission has been allocated Rs 6000 crore during11th Five Year Plan. The mission focuses primarily on women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and other excluded groups.

By March 2012, it is expected to cover nearly 200,000 gram panchayats of the 410 districts. 

Under the WePMIS, government will have a centralised database of beneficiaries collated through intelligent survey forms. The new system will facilitate automatic preparation of physical and cost literacy plans from gram panchayat to national level.

FAMS is a comprehensive financial management information and decision support system, which will ensure timely and interrupted access to funds, up to the gram panchayat level and its optimal utilisation by ensuring funds to not lie idle. Besides, it would prevent diversion of funds for the purposes other than related to the SB programme. 

FAMS is based on fund flow system, customised banking system (based on core banking), online accounting system and the management information system (MIS).

Unlike the previous national literacy mission, under the revised fund flow system, funds are avilble to 200,000 implementing agencies from state to village level on the basis of already sanctioned financial plan. Work modules including preparation of financial plans as per approved norms, apportioning of funds and authorization are all ICT enabled. 

The applications have been developed by centre for development of advanced computing (CDAC) and national informatics centre (NIC). For banking related services, the government has partnered with four banks including, State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Indian Bank and Union Bank. 

Comments

 

Other News

Income Tax dept holds Ghatkopar Outreach on new IT Act

The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff

Making AI work where governance is closest to people

India’s next governance leap may not solely come from digitisation. It will come from making public systems more intelligent, more adaptive, and more responsive to the dynamics at the grassroots. That opportunity is especially significant at the panchayat level, where governance is not an abstract po

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor

A 19th-century pilgrim’s progress

The Travels of a Sadhu in the Himalayas By Jaladhar Sen (Translated by Somdatta Mandal) Speaking Tiger Books, 259 pages, ₹499.00  

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter