Proper use of information technology is necessary to take governance to the next level of efficiency and meet demands of the new knowledge based economy. This is the view that emerged at a roundtable organized by industry body, FICCI in collaboration with Price Waterhouse Coopers in Guwahati. The round table on the theme "Technology as an enabler for the Government in the North East region" was attended by senior representatives from the state governments of the region and industry representatives including Microsoft and PWC.
A statement from FICCI said, "India stands at an inflexion point on its path to be among the fastest growing economies of the world. The nation however is faced with paradoxes in terms of skills and capabilities relevant to the demands of a modern knowledge-based economy. There remains an urgent need to reform and innovate to enhance the learning curve, especially in the North East region. Information Technology as an enabler can help adapt, innovate and improve the socio-economic scenario in the region."
"The North East is going to be a potential growth driver for the country with emerging new connectivity with the neighboring countries. For the region to be able to capitalize on the developments and to ensure inclusive growth, it will be important to adopt and leverage technology," The FICCI statement added.
Dhiraj Mathur, executive director, PwC presented an overview on Technology Partnerships for sustainable growth in the North East. Sudhir Singh Dungarpur (executive director, PwC) spoke about green state IT initiatives and highlighted the benefits this would bring to the region.
Vikas Agarwal, director, Industry Solutions and Market development of Microsoft, spoke on the role that technology can play in improving the security scenario in the region, he also spoke about IT initiatives in the departmental and state levels.
Kishalay Bhattacharyya, head of public sector vertical in RICOH highlighted the trends in E - Governance and made a strong case for increased use of E Governance tools.
While speaking on Green State IT as a program for the North Eastern states, Sudhir Singh Dungarpur, executive Director, PwC said, "With the recent changes in our political environment, India is hopefully gearing towards an era of development, good governance and stability. The present Government promises a dream of a strong, progressive and inclusive India. This will not be possible without the development of manpower to meet the demands of a knowledge-based economy. The North East could benefit greatly through innovation and skills development. Information Technology can enable and improve the socio-economic scenario in the region, and integrate it more closely to the rest of the country".
Agarwal said Microsoft was keen to engage with the states in the North East to enable citizens to broadly participate in the growth process through improved systems and infrastructure, thus contributing to inclusive growth.