JAMMU: 21st February 2012
State’s Information Technology department has roped in local IT companies for the implementation of e-governance projects in J&K, sources said.
According to sources, IT department has revealed the IT companies that have been empanelled to implement e-Governance projects, according to sources.
The empanelled companies include Aman Technologies, Softnet, Wapmerr, Sanguine Infotech, iLocus, Charag Associates, Comtech, iKraft Software, Sanaatan Infotech, and Musky Software. The companies have been empanelled under four different categories: Consultancy, Software, Digitisation, and Networking. Eight out of the ten empanelled companies are members of ICTA.
The empanelment, sources said, follows a four-month departmental screening and forms part of government’s effort to boost the budding IT sector in the state.
“The empanelment is good for both the state government and the IT sector. By mandating local IT companies to implement state-funded projects, the IT department will be able to speed up the implementation of e-Governance initiatives and boost employment in the IT sector of the state.”
The empanelment of local companies follows a concerted period of advocacy by the Information and Communications Technology Association of J&K (ICTA) to promote the local IT sector.
As a result of this advocacy the state government has put in place another major policy decision which makes it mandatory for center-funded e-Governance projects like SWAN to include participation of local IT companies.
“Our two year period of advocacy has concluded on a positive note. I think our model of advocacy is a great example of how non-profit organisations and the state government can work together towards a common benefit a sector. Our next target is the corporate IT sector within India. Business sourced from the corporate IT sector can also create significant employment in the state,” said Jahangir Raina, Chairman ICTA.
The IT Department has recently accelerated the implementation of e-Governance projects.
The State Data Center (SDC) has already been commissioned with the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) scheduled to be commissioned by spring this year.
The policies are unique to the state of J&K only. No other state within India is known to have such promotional policies in place for their respective IT sectors.
Together with the empanelment to implement state-funded projects, the combined business contracted out of local IT companies is expected to generate substantial employment in the state.
The state government has enjoined upon all the administrative heads and DDCs to earmark 1.5% outlay for IT related activities.
A lot of these projects are going to be implemented by the empanelled companies.