Guwahati, Sept. 5: It is time to raise a toast to Assam?s e-governance managers.

Though the e-governance initiative is still trying to find its feet in the state, a web portal ? www.assamagribusiness.nic.in ? pioneered by a state government agency is winning appreciation thick and fast.

The portal has not only ushered in a slow knowledge revolution in the rural belt, but has also given a new lease of life to the floundering 219 community information centres (CICs) in the state.

The Union ministry for information and communications technology has directed the northeastern states to adopt the model developed by the Assam government agency, Assam Small Farmers? Agri Business Consortium. The model, developed under a project called Asha, aims at maximising farm income by posting information necessary to the farmers on the portal which can be accessed through the CICs by paying a nominal user fee.

However, the best compliments and offers of collaboration have come from leading institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, and the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai.

The extent of IIT, Kharagpur?s admiration can be gauged by an e-mail sent by Prof. Jayanta Chatterjee ? a lead researcher with the institutions project, Digital Ecosystem for Agri & Rural Livelihood ? to the state agriculture department. Acknowledging that IIT has been avidly tracking the growth of this pioneering website because of its ?variety and depth?, Chatterjee states that his institute would like to collaborate with the department.

Then there is the Chennai-based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, headed by professor Swaminathan who is credited with ushering in the green revolution. It is also keen on collaborating with the consortium so that the concept can be replicated elsewhere.

The website offers information specific to the needs of those involved in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary, fishery and sericulture sectors.

Since its launch, 500 visitors ? mostly from Barak Valley and lower and central Assam ? have visited the website every day. Till August 30, 2,985 farmers had already registered with the CICs for fees ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 500 a year. Over Rs 2.6 lakh was raised with membership fees till August.

Confirming the development, M. Ariz Ahammad, additional secretary, agriculture department, said, ?Our website is bringing farmers, NGOs, officials, private players and bankers closer than ever before. It is a big boost for e-governance in the state.?

He said a farmer gets to know everything from weather to loans, from market prices to new practices by visiting the CIC. ?It is not only easy on the pocket but also a big time saver. Our target is to have 5,000 CICs by 2006. We have asked the Gauhati University to help us post our information in Assamese for wider reach,? he added.

Sources in the department, however, pointed out that steps need to be taken to sustain the encouraging take-off such as dedicated staff, faster connectivity and a massive awareness drive.