Uttar Pradesh?s tech-savvy chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, who always remains ?connected?, wants his state to make giant strides on the IT highway. For this, he has instructed his officers to prepare an IT vision for the state with the help IT stalwarts such as HCL?s Shiv Nadar, Wipro?s Azim Premji and TCS?s Ramadorai.
Apart from this, he has asked the officials to set up IT and BPO hubs in Lucknow and Agra. The chief minister?s instructions are like sweet music for the industry in UP, which has been demanding that IT and ITeS be given a priority in the state, and Lucknow be made an IT/BPO hub.
?We have been asked to not only depend on the government sector while preparing the IT vision paper but to invite national and international names in the sector to help us, including Shiv Nader, Azim Premji and Ramadorai. In fact, he is keen to meet these stalwarts in order to find ways of implemeting his dream. Also, in keeping with his election promise, that he will promote IT in the state, the chief minister wants a long-term policy to introduce IT in education,? said an official requesting anonymity, and adding that the chief minister has also asked for developing a software park and BPO hub in Lucknow and Agra in order to cash in on the immense potential and large-scale employment opportunities in this sector.
During a review meeting of the department, Akhilesh is reported to have said that under the Samajwadi Party (SP) government, all efforts would be made to ensure that a favourable climate is created for the development of IT and ITeS industry.
In order to create employment avenues for the rural youth, the chief minister said e-facilities should be introduced on the public private partnership (PPP) model and centres of learning should be created for a wider reach.
The chief minister has also laid a lot of emphasis on making the e-Suvidha facility available all across the state. He has instructed the electronics and IT department to set up e-Suvidha centres on a public-private partnership model in Agra, Noida and Ghaziabad, and expand the e-Suvidha services in Lucknow. ?The CM wants us to increase the ambit of the services available under the e-Suvidha facility to include more people-friendly services?, the official said.
Talking to FE, a senior official of the state government said the present government?s ambitious scheme to distribute tablets and laptops to students passing out of classes 10 and 12 is a revolutionary one.