Bihar’s roadmap to be the next IT hub

Patna: 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

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/patna/how-nitish-plans-to-make-bihar-an-it-hub-96327?cp

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