Computerized Dealer Service Centre

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 5Computerized Dealer Service Centre 75 Computerized Dealer Service Centre Suresh Chanda Secretary to the Government Department of Information Technology and Communication Government of Andhra Pradesh ABSTRACT Computerized Dealer Service Centre (CDSC) New Approach towards Service Delivery is a project focus on the delivery of Government services to Business. Is an online application for issue of Statutory Forms. As per AP VAT Act and Central Sales Tax Act when dealer transfer goods from dealer to another dealer the goods must be accompanied by relevant Statutory Forms issued by Commercial Tax Officers (CTO), based on demand made by the dealers and assessment of CTO, to registered dealers. When service delivery requires physical contact between service provider and service recipient, service recipient is likely to suffer. The goal is to eliminate human interfaces to the extent feasible and deliver services Any Time Any Where. Functionality of the CDSC Self Serving Online Registration Process, Service available from 6.00 AM to PM, on all working days. Dealer can indent any number of Forms as per his eligibility. CTO fixes limits base on dealer s eligibility. System will display eligibility, blank Form with the dealer, System indicates cost of Forms etc., Dealer can make payment either through Credit Card or make lump sum advance deposit. System Provide the accounting for forms of the dealer On submission of his indent, system sends confirmation mail to dealer. Centralized Dispatch Centre (CDC) will dispatch Forms within 24 hours of receipt of request. System sends dispatch details to dealer. CDC activity is out sourced on PPP model. One staff from department trained in customer care handles customer issues through system. Response to customer issues is ensured within 2 working days. System eliminated all physical interfaces between Tax Payers and Tax Collectors.

2 76 Compendium of e-governance Initiatives in India 1. Introduction Project conceptualization CDSC was designed based on the fundamental principles of Good Governance- Transparency, Reliability and Convenience from the view point of citizen. System is designed to be scalable and self sustainable through PPP model. System objectives are: Reduced cost of administration Satisfaction in providing improved services to customers Improved Image and Trust of the customers in Government Convenient, transparent and reliable services. The other goals and fringe benefits are: 1. System does not require any budgetary support from Government for its operation. 2. Reduced interface between Tax Collectors and Tax Payers 3. Transparency: Once one time parameters are fixed by CTO, system serves dealers without any intervention from Tax officials. It s a great relief to dealers. 4. Dealers can file their requests from the comfort of their business premises from 6.00 AM to PM on all days of the week. 5. On average two visits per month to Tax Collectors office avoided. 6. Saving in travel time and costs. 7. Dispatch forms within 24 hours of receipt of request. 8. Delivery of forms at the door steps of the dealer. 9. CDSC activity is out sourced on PPP model and payment to service provider is based on number of dispatches made to ensure efficient service. 2. Project Vision, Stakeholders, Objectives and Services CDSC vision was designed based on the fundamental principles of good governance, transparency, reliability and convenience from the view point of citizen The other goals and fringe benefits are: System does not require any budgetary support from Government for its operation. Reduced interface between Tax Collectors and Tax Payers Transparency: Once one time parameters are fixed by CTO, system serves dealers without any intervention from Tax officials. It is a great relief to dealers. Dealers can file their requests from the comfort of their business premises from 6.00 AM to PM on all days of the week. On average two visits per month to Tax Collectors office avoided.

3 Computerized Dealer Service Centre 77 Saving in travel time and costs. Dispatch forms within 24 hours of receipt of request. Delivery of Forms at the door steps of the dealer. CDSC activity is out sourced on PPP model and payment to service provider is based on number of dispatches made to ensure efficient service. 3. Public Private Partnership (PPP) Roles and Responsibilities System is designed to be scalable and self sustainable through PPP model. CDSC activity is out sourced on PPP model and payment to service provider is based on number of dispatches made to ensure efficient service. M/s United Telecom Limited (UTL), Bangalore PPP model Operator/PPP partner in handling the CDSC. CDC activity is out sourced on PPP model and payment to service provider is based on number of dispatches made to ensure efficient service. There by a great satisfaction to the dealer The PPP partners revenue increasers based on the dispatches. Penalties (SLA) are stringent so that the PPP partner never delay the dispatches 4. SLA The Service provider shall procure and install required IT hardware, furniture along with site preparation, software and other equipments, integration of Computerized Dealer Service Centre application with Internet Payment Gateway, operate the Computerized Dealer Service Centre and maintain the same to achieve the required quality standards during the entire contract period. Running expenses on manpower, IT consumables, stationery, dispatch envelope, courier charges will also be the responsibility of the operator (s) of the M/s UTL. The Statutory Forms for dispatch will be printed and supplied by the CT Department to the M/s UTL on cost basis. The forms must be delivered with in the time agreed. Penalty is defined for the delay in services. 5. Funding Process CAPEX (Capital expenditure) Application software development and AMC for one year at Rs. 6lakhs. Infrastructure is as existing in department. OPEX (Operative expenditure): Rs.32,000/- per month

4 78 Compendium of e-governance Initiatives in India 6. Audit There is no third party audit, however, the project was considered for the best challenger on the PC Quest and published in the May 2007 issue. Please refer the page no 121 of the issue. 7. Project Plan Project Start Date conceptualization of project: Project launch date/start of service delivery for Pilot: Pilot phase was done in twin cities of Hyderabad. Twin cities constitute almost 30% of all the dealers in the State. Pilot was completed in 10 weeks. Project planned and actual implementation period 8. Requirements of Process Re-engineering Each dealer conducting business requires various statutory Forms during the Course of Business. These statutory Forms are issued by the Department to a registered dealer from time to time. The various forms issued by the Commercial Taxes Department are: (i) Waybills, (ii) C Forms (iii) F Forms (iv) H Forms. Entire process is person dependent. If staff or CTO is not available in the office, no Forms can be issued. CTO being a field officer has many field duties. DSC in its present form had too many human interfaces with the dealers CTO, ACTO, Assistant and attendant. With these interface in place, in the present form, it is highly difficult to meet the expectations of dealers to provide quality service and meet 24 hours delivery standard. Present system is department staff dependent and provides delivery of service provided office staff is available. Customer needs and conveniences are subject to availability and capacity of department staff. Hence it is not possible especially for CTO to available all the time at office. Thus the 24 hours time limit for issue of Forms is just on paper. As per citizen charter the issue of Forms is the 24 hours. Dealers have to make at least two trips to get Forms. One for submitting application and other to receive Forms from DSC. These trips costs time and money for the dealer. This is against the citizen charter. The CTO will account for the various forms issued to the dealer and gives the new allotment based on the DSC register (manual) details. There is very little transparency in the decision making process of CTO as there is no automatic accounting of the forms issued and the returns submitted.

5 Computerized Dealer Service Centre 79 Dealer service Centre (DSC) is the place the dealer has to submit the request/indent for the new forms. The DSC, a personnel interface, service quality varies on many factors and added one more layer of bureaucracy and resultant ills. All the forms are to be stamped by attendant. Attendant takes lot of time in stamping the Forms to make the service delay to get benefit out of the slow process. 9. Legal Framework Technology Architecture Reduced cost of administration Savings for the Department Typically in the manual system, each centre for issuing of forms is manned by 4 people. There are 7 such centres in the Twin cities alone. That makes it 28 people doing the work of issuing statutory Forms to the dealers. The CDSC that is currently in operation in the twin cities in managed by only ONE Person. So if 28 people can be replaced by two person and the services of balance 26 persons are utilized for better Tax administration activities, the cost saving to the dept will be enormous. Satisfaction in providing improved services to customers Centralized Dispatch Centre (CDC) at Hyderabad which works from AM to 6.00 PM on all working days will dispatch Forms within 24 hours of receipt of request (excluding holidays). In all most all the cases, all the requests received prior to 5.00 PM are dispatched on the same day. The Forms are dispatched through courier to the business place of the dealer. System sends dispatch detail to dealer. One staff from department trained in customer care handles customer issues through system. Response to customer issues is ensured within 2 working days. Dealer can also enter utilization of Forms previously received by him. System will mail it to CTO concerned also. CDC activity is out sourced on PPP model and payment to service provider is based on number of dispatches made to ensure efficient service. Thereby a great satisfaction to the dealer. Improved Image and Trust of the customers in Government Convenient, Transparent and Reliable Services Reduced interface between Tax Collectors and Tax Payers Transparency. Once one time parameters are fixed by CTO, system serves dealers without any intervention from Tax officials. It is a great relief to dealers. On average two visits per month to Tax Collectors office avoided. Saving in travel time and costs. Delivery of Forms at the door steps of the dealer. Table 1. The entire architecture is following the SOA principles. Frame Work Frame Work 1.0 Architecture 3 tier architecture Technology.Net Programming Languages ASP.net, VB.Net with java script Operating Systems Windows 2000 Server (Server End) with Service Pack4,

6 80 Compendium of e-governance Initiatives in India Table 1. (Continues Microsoft Windows XP/ Windows 98 onwards (Client End) Application Server IDE Visual Studio 2003 Database Oracle 10g All the process designed developed and implemented as per the departmental procedures. No deviation from procedure, however an approval of the Govt. is taken wide G.O Ms No: 10. Milestones Development of application Identification of PPP partner Selection of the Payment gateway Implementation 11. Implementation Table 2. Strategy for Pilot to roll out Project start Date Was a pilot done? Yes, for twin cities of Hyderabad. Twin cities constitute almost 30% of all the dealers in the State. When? 19 January 2007 What is the overall time line? 8 months Where has it reached now? Pilot completed successfully. What is left for the future? Rollout to all other locations across the state. Further enhancements to the software such as: More MIS reports, value added features such as bulk label printing. What is the expected life of It is ongoing service to dealers. the project? How many stages is the Two (Pilot and Roll out) project being executed in? Which are they? Pilot and roll-out What are the key deliverables Delivery of Forms to dealers of each stage? What is the duration of Pilot completed in 8 months. Roll out in 3 each stage? months. Project start date conceptualization of project: Project launch date/start of service delivery for Pilot: Pilot phase was done in twin cities of Hyderabad. Twin cities constitute almost 30% of all the dealers in the State. 10 weeks. Pilot was completed.

7 Computerized Dealer Service Centre 81 Project planned and actual implementation period 1. Planned implementation period of 11 months. Pilot in 8 months. Roll out in the entire state in 3 months. 2. Actual implementation period was Pilot was planned and completed in 8 months. The rollout was delayed for the reason of the internet spread and currier service in the entire state. 12. Capacity Building Governance structure, Project management teams, Exit management team, Change management and training. The application is developed by M/s APTSL, and operationalized by M/s UTL in PPP model, as the application is developed in SOA model, hence user friendly. 13. Evaluation and Measurement Advantage of getting services at door steep in the said time period. Reduced cost of administration savings Satisfaction in providing improved services to customers Improved Image and Trust of the customers in Government Delivery of services as per SLA Other benefits: lakh person km per year can be avoided 2. Fuel consumption to an extent of 4.0 lakh litres per year can be reduced (Fuel consumption for two 1 litre for 60 km) 3. Reduction in traffic congestion on roads especially leading to CT department offices 4. Reduction in air pollution 5. Reduction in air pollution triggered diseases. 6. Improved health for citizens and reduced expenditure for Government as well as citizens on Medical 7. Improved health leads to better productivity 8. Reduction in travel time and cost for citizens 9. Overall improvement in quality of life for citizens 14. Road Ahead Road ahead Extended to Visakhapatnam city in Andhra Pradesh and will be extended to entire state.

8 82 Compendium of e-governance Initiatives in India 15. Status and Results Present status Implemented in Twin cites and Visakhapatnam city No forms Future plans for readers seeking more information on project Extended to Visakhapatnam city in Andhra Pradesh. Will be extended to entire state.