e-Gov can bridge public-govt chasm: Governor

Kohima: A robust IT infrastructure with good connectivity and offering of public service can greatly improve governance and bring government closer to people, Nagaland Governor K Sankaranarayanan said.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Capacity Building Workshop on e-Governance here, the Governor said that technology has the potential to make interactions between governments and citizens a much more satisfying experience for the citizens.

Sankaranarayanan said that the Workshop would go a long way in making e-Governance a priority area for all government departments and ensuring that all departments take steps to improve their systems of public service delivery.



"e-Governance and IT applications will benefit people in Nagaland much more on account of the hilly terrain and general feeling of remoteness both with respect to mainland India as also within the state," he said.

He said that very often people of Mon and Tuensang feel that they are remote and cut off from Kohima and Dimapur also; this remoteness and distance can be bridged by use of technology.

State Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his speech said that in the 21st Century, e-Governance has become synonymous with good governance.

Rio reiterated the Mission Statement of the State Government's IT Policy and said that in order to fulfill the objectives outlined by the IT Policy, the e-Governance road map has been framed.

He also outlined various strategies for e-Governance in the state along with the identified sectors. Rio mentioned that in order to facilitate growth of IT and ITeS industry in Nagaland, we need capacity building of the youth to equip them with skills that will help them in getting jobs in this sector.

As part of capacity building, Rio urged the Government of India to support training of youth in IT, ITeS and BPO skill training.

He said that the state was also in the process of establishing an IT park in Dimapur for which help and support from various quarters was needed to ensure that IT companies actually come forward with substantial investment in Nagaland.

Speaking on the occasion, the state Information Technology Secretary Abhishek Singh said that Nagaland was comparatively lacking on e-Governance and information technology when compared to the southern states which are much developed and have implemented various programme which we have to also initiate.

He added that it was the state policy to promote e-Governance and to make IT as a tool to bridge connectivity among all section of the people including the rural and remote places.