Rural Bengal ready for e-Governance

Kolkata: The West Bengal government, in association with microprocessor manufacturing major Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), on Monday announced successful completion of rural e-Governance programme in the state.

In order to bridge the digital divide, the programme would providing effective governance through computer penetration within the Panchayati Raj institutions, covering 210 rural local bodies across 19 districts, reports IANS.

"The programme was initiated by the state Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department. The total project cost was Rs 3.8 crore of which 40 per cent was spent on capacity building activities in the Gram Panchayats," West Bengal Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department Joint Secretary Ranjit Kumar Maity said here on Monday.

The Gram Panchayat e-Governance project was initiated as part the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department's mandate to usher in social and economic progress in the rural areas through the Information Communication Technology (ICT).

"Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department in West Bengal is one of the progressive departments in India which endeavours to effectively leverage the benefits of ICT," AMD Corporate Vice-President Asia Pacific Region Ian Williams said.