KL Report
SRINAGAR
Stating that Jammu and Kashmir has to travel many miles to catch up race with other states in the field of Information Technology and Electronics, Chief Minster, Omar Abdullah Thursday said that despite being ideally located and potentially rich for these sectors the continuous law and order situation and disturbance in the State for over two decades has hampered its growth severally.
“Though with the restoration of peace we have come a long way but we have to go a long way to make the State a hub of IT and Electronics”, he has said reiterating his government’s firm resolve in this direction. He said during the last four years many new initiatives have been introduced to make e-governance rule the roost and upgrade service delivery making it prompt, transparent and hassle-free by introducing IT measures.
As per a statement the chief minister while inaugurating the two-day ‘Knowledge Exchange Conference Srinagar’, on e-governance theme here this afternoon organized by State Information Technology Department in collaboration with Elets Technomedia, has said that he wants to improve and universalize healthcare and educational facilities across the State by utilizing up-to-date and modern IT and technological interventions.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Dr Kruparani Killi presented resume of the measures Union Government has taken to develop and grow IT sector. She said besides Tourism and Handicrafts potential, Jammu and Kashmir is highly rich for growth and development of IT and Electronics adding that Union Government would provide all help to the State in the comprehensive development of this sector.
She has said IT is key pillar for economic development and generation of employment for youth. She said this sector provides direct employment to 22 lakh youth and 80 lakh persons indirectly. She said by 2020 end IT sector would be providing livelihood to two crore youth directly and five crore indirectly. She said Union Government has implemented 31 mission mode projects in IT sector besides operationalizing one lakh common service centres in the country.
The Chief Minister has also said that he has asked the Information Technology Department to move ahead in digitalizing land records and making revenue papers available to the people electronically. “I have also asked them to introduce IT initiatives in other departments including education and health, making communication technology focal point in the development process”, he said adding that CISCO can be roped in to prepare pilot projects in this regard. He said that like Border Area Development Programme other flagship and public importance programme needed to be brought under the ambit of IT to ensure transparency, regular monitoring and meaningful implementation.
