Author: Indo-Asian News Service
Publication: NDTV.com
Date: April 4, 2011
URL: http://www.ndtv.com/article/patna/how-nitish-plans-to-make-bihar-an-it-hub-96327
The Bihar government has decided to constitute
a Bihar Information Technology Authority (BITA) to develop and expand the
IT sector in the state to attract investment.
The state government had said last week it
would soon announce an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Policy,
2011.
An IT department official here said Monday
that BITA will be constituted as the apex body to oversee the comprehensive
development of the IT sector in the state.
The authority will be headed by Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar.
A high level committee headed by the chief
secretary will be constituted for monitoring the implementation of IT projects.
All departments will be required to regularly submit comprehensive reports
on the execution of these projects to the committee, the official said.
After BITA, district e-governance societies
(DeGS) will be constituted in under the chairmanship of the district magistrate
with the representation of various departments, including the National Informatics
Centre (NIC), to formulate, monitor and implement IT schemes and programmes
at the district level.
"In the new IT policy, which is yet to
be announced, the plans to constitute BITA has been made categorically clear.
The BITA will work to develop the IT sector and e-governance monitoring in
the state," principal secretary of IT Arun Kumar told IANS here.
In a bid to attract investments, the new policy
will give industry status to the IT sector.
"Nitish Kumar is keen to develop the
IT sector in the state," an official from the chief minister's office
said.
"The thrust of the new IT policy would
be to attract national and multinational IT companies to invest in the state,"
he said.
According to Kumar, the government was committed
to providing all possible facilities to IT companies investing in Bihar.
He also said the government had decided to
introduce IT education in all Plus Two schools in the state.
"Students will be given IT education
from Class 9 onwards," he said.
Besides, 10 percent of school teachers will
be given IT training.
Last year, the government had put out its
draft IT policy on its official website for suggestions and comments.
According to officials in IT department, suggestions
of people associated with different sectors have been incorporated in the
new policy.
The officials also said that there will be
four components of the policy - for citizens, education, governance and for
industries.
The state government created the department
of IT in 2007 to act as the nodal agency for the implementation of the IT
policy and computerisation within the state.
