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COMMUNITY INFORMATON CENTRE (CIC) |
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BRIEF HISOTRY
The Community Information Centre (CIC) has formally been launched in Tsirang Dzongkhag by 1st October 2006.It is being initiated by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) under Ministry of Information and Communication (MOIC) in collaboration with the Renewable Natural Resource (RNR) sector of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and funded by Microsoft Unlimited Potential Project. The proposed duration of the project is for about seventeen months. While the obligation of the RNR is to provide infrastructural facilities like accommodation, telephone lines etc the responsibility of the DIT is to hire staff with required technical expertise.
Actually the CIC center is to be located in Gosaling gewog, but because of the following reasons it’s being situated at lower Damphu under Kikhorthang gewog.
The reasons are:
1. Since the RNR center at Gosaling gewog is still on construction.
2. Lack of electricity facilities at Gosaling gewog.
3. Lack of telephone connection at Gosaling gewog.
Once the construction of the RNR center is completed the CIC center will be shifted to Gosaling gewog so that the center will benefit to all the farmers and the people in the gewog .
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
While the broad objective of the CIC is to create awareness about the importance of computer and its application in day to day life among the people of the community, it carries other primary mandates like making available various type of Govt. forms, assisting the users in typing application, helping the people of the community in internet browsing etc.
ACTIVITIES
The CIC is mandated with the following specific activities.
1. To provide various type of Govt. forms available both offline and online
2. Conduct basic computer operation course
3. To assist the users of the centre in internet browsing
4. Help the users in downloading information from websites
5. To assist the users as to how to send and receive E-mails
6. Type application in favor of the users.
7. Shall assist the user in accessing to the Dzongkha Linux Operating system.
8. Shall give access preference to women and people with disabilities.
BENEFICIARIES OF THE CIC
The targeted beneficiaries of the project shall be the people of the rural community. However, at this early stage, since not many of the rural people know about the importance of computer, service is being extended even to the people of the town especially in terms of issuing forms. As more and more rural people become aware of the importance of computer, the centre shall be lifted to some other viable community centre where there is adequate power supply and telephone line.
SERVICES RENDERED SO FAR
The CIC, from its inception (1st October 2006) till date, has rendered various type of services. Based on the verbal approval from the Project Manager of the CIC, the centre has trained fifteen candidates in basic computer operation. The candidates includes dropped out students, students on vacation and educated farmers. The course included computer application like MS Words, MS Excel, Power point, MS Access, Internet browsing and E- mails. Beside above service, various types of forms have been issued to the community people and the town as well. Applications were typed in favor of many clients especially those who came for processing their new Citizenship Card.
FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY
After the initial free year of implementation, the CIC shall collect a minimal fee of Nu. 30.00 (Ngultrum Thirty) per hour for internet service as well as with other computer related assistance and services. The CIC shall also conduct IT classes and levy a reasonable fee. As the project phases out after seventeen month of its operation, it shall be commercialized meaning it has to sustain on its own income generation.
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