Project SELO, which stands for CRPF's motto of SErvice
and LOyalty, was conceptualized way back in 1997 and due to its scale, was
finally signed off in November last year. Interestingly, 1997 was also the year
when Intranets take off in the country. To think that a govt controlled
body like CRPF also conceptualized its own massive Intranet at that time and
completely changed the way it functions is quite commendable. The entire
approach to computerization in this project is very innovative and systematic,
which is only to be expected from the armed forces.
Business problem Managing a large force over manual processes |
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IT solution Complete computerization and Intranet with an integrated application |
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Implemented |
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Technology platform Microsoft, Oracle, Lotus |
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Brigadier J S Sawhney (Retd)CRPF |
The entire command and control structure of CRPF was
covered by SELO, right from the Directorate General, to sector and range
headquarters, group centers, and battalion headquarters in the fields. As a
first step, they brought the IT culture into the workforce, so that the force
would be ready to accept and appreciate the computerization when it happened.
For this, CRPF used its Central college of telecommunications at
Ranchi
to train 1500 officers and men. They even sanctioned Internet access to
everybody to let them explore the power of the Internet and computers on their
own.
Next, the software requirements were identified and a
tailor made application was created for the work force. This is much better than
simply dumping PCs and other hardware across all divisions. This requirement
analysis took three months, and everybody from the dealing assistant to the
Director General were approached. Based on this, the application was broken up
into five different modules. One was to track personnel information, which is
extremely essential given CRPF's 2.4 Lakh strong force. An operations module
kept track of CRPF deployments; a finance module tracked finances, budgets,
auditing, etc. An inventory management module ensured that troops were never
deprived of any requirements.
Lastly, was a workflow and document management system,
having an email system and posting of all rules and regulations of the workforce
set by the government. Like any other Intranet, the key to a successful Intranet
is regular updating of data. CRPF maintains it regularly, with data updations
happens 24x7.