Planning Commission & Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India : Desktop Exec Video Confe. System

Advances in videoconferencing technology, availability of bandwidth and

equipment, and reduction in equipment price are key to the popularity and

adoption of videoconferencing solution in both public and private sector. With

Indian governments initiative to prioritize e-Governance, Desktop EVCS was

undertaken to enhance efficiency to reduce total process time by complementing

travel and thus saving lot of public money. In the earlier communication system,

officials mainly used RAX phones. EVCS on other hand enables virtual meetings

between officials and ensure quick response by holding conferences where large

number of Chief Secretaries and Secretaries can frequently interact.

With this system, the point-to-point video conferencing can be initiated by

anyone connected to EVCS and multi-point video conferencing can be arranged

through National Information Center, Delhi. In EVCS, existing IP based network

infrastructure of National Informatics center called NICNET has been used for

providing high-speed bandwidth needed (768 Kbps) for QoS (which is critical for

any videoconferencing solution). Videoconferencing equipment for EVCS has been

purchased from Polycom via an open tender process. These equipment come with 3

year warranty. Actual usage of system is very important, therefore, for

efficient utilization of EVCS system, Chief Secretaries/ Secretaries and their

staff are being trained and supported by members of NIC.