What if Gujarat missed the IT bus in the ’90s when states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were aggressively preparing themselves to harness the opportunities that existed in the sector. However, Gujarat, under chief minister Narendra Modi, is now aggressively trying to hardsell the state by making it a model IT-enabled state.
With brand Gujarat on a high now with Gujarat having persuaded the Tatas to shift their Nano plant to the state, Modi says the state is now well-poised to become a role model as far as e-governance is concerned, a factor which will help the state attract more investments into the ICT sector.
“I accept that we are late starters in the IT industry, but I can say we are early starters in holistic e-governance. We don’t look at IT sector only in terms of the amount of investment but in terms of the ease of operations for the offices, companies and the common man,” the Gujarat chief minister who was here to inaugurate Bangalore’s annual IT event said.
According to Modi, Gujarat has already deployed e-procurement in 118 government departments and organisations with total purchases of above Rs 15,000 crore per annum. The state has also set up a dedicated organisation to issue digital certificates for e-governance and e-business, which also makes it the first state in the country in doing so. Besides, the state is using the Edusat programme to train students starting from primary school to engineering or medical colleges.
“As regards to my own state Gujarat, I would like to say that we have laid strong emphasis on making Gujarat an IT-enabled state through the usage of IT for the common man. It has the most comprehensive statewide area network in the country, and Gujarat is the first state to have a fully-developed state data centre,” he added.
A recent study by Nasscom and A T Kearney has included Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Vadodara as challengers. Many Indian and global IT firms like Satyam, MphasiS, TCS, Patni and L&T Infotech have already established their base in the state.
The eleventh edition of the state’s IT event is being attended by over 100 companies including many Indian and global IT firms. Gujarat is participating in the three-day event as a partner state, and Mexico is the partner country for the event.
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa who inaugurated the event on Thursday said the country’s premier IT event had grown with the global brand Bangalore to showcase the technological prowess of the southern state to the global community.
“The fundamentals of ICT have taken a firm foothold during the past decade. In the coming decade too, ICT will be the driving force of economic growth and a success story of the Indian economy,” Yeddyurappa added.
With the aim of improving the business environment in the state, the Karnataka government is planning to set up an independent IT, BT and Science & Technology Authority. This would offer single window clearance for all ITôBT-related projects. The state is also in the process of revising the IT Policy and for that it is taking suggestions from the industry and the Vision Group of IT.
