New Delhi : Kicking off the New Year with a new structure, the Union Ministry of Information Technology (MIT) has been recast into seven independent groups, to create more synergy between its departments. Under the restructuring, relevant departments have been clubbed together under one umbrella. Each of the seven groups will now be headed by joint secretaries."These groups have been formed to capitalise the synergy between different departments and to ensure effective and faster implementation of projects," Mr Vinay Kohli, secretary, Ministry of Information Technology told The Financial Express in an exclusive interview.The move is expected to expedite the execution of projects such as IT for Masses and e-Governance, faster clearance of foreign investment, and better co-ordination for bilateral trade and exports promotion.
Under the new organisation structure, the group heads-now to be called `Group Co-ordinators'-would be responsible for all the activities and projects of their respective departments. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has also been set up under the chairmanship of IT Secretary. The committee comprising all group co-ordinators and director generals of STQC and NIC, will review and take decisions on matters which cut across more than one group.
The seven groups are: Industrial Growth (IT Hardware & Software) group; Industrial Growth (Electronics Equipment) group; Technology Forecasting and Policy group; Education Research and Training group; IT Application group; International Cooperation and Export Promotion Group; and Planning and Co-ordination group.
According to Mr Kohli, all the departments have been redistributed among these group on the basis of their activities to take care of overlapping of functions. Moreover, it will enable the Ministry to function as a more cohesive organisation with clear priorities and objectives, he added.
IT secretary's interview -- Insiders say that the reorganisation was long due as the departments were created with a focus on developing electronics technology and trade, prior to the formation of the Ministry. The new set up is more focussed on IT and related issues with a larger perspective of the entire industry.As per the new plan, the Industrial Growth group of IT Hardware and software would be responsible for policies on convergence, and development of hardware, software, communication and networking and Internet industry. The group will comprise of hardware and software division and the communication and networking division.
The Growth group of Electronics will be responsible for development of the electronic equipment industry including communication and broadcasting equipment. All the departments related to electronics development such as microelectronics, materials, bio-tech have been placed under this group.Similarly, Technology Forecasting and Policy group will take care of all matters related to technology assessment, forecasting, transfer and IPR aspects besides policies on IT and e-commerce such as cyber laws etc. In total five departments including forecasting and IPR, R&D, IT policy, e-commerce and information security will be part of this group.
Education and Research will be engaged in IT manpower development and education research projects such as IT education in schools, designing training course, e-learning and distant education etc. The two divisions: IT manpower development and training and education research are part of this group.
IT Application group will have an e-governance division, IT for Masses division and knowledge-based enterprise division under its umbrella and will take care of projects related to these sectors. The Export Promotion group will be responsible for international cooperation and approval of foreign investments under various schemes besides taking care of venture capital related issues. The Planning group will deal with all matters related to economic policy, interface with planning commission, servicing technical advisory committee etc.
The committee, according to sources, will also look into the relevance of each society in the current environment and may suggest the mergers of the societies having synergy with each other into one entity. Some of these organisations have lost their relevance in the present technological environment and have resorted to imparting training to meet their financial requirements, said a ministry official.
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