IT-YT? Don't mention the same to the BJP.
Union minister for communications and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday talked about the various IT schemes the Centre had for Bihar, adding that the state government's approach towards the sector's development was not very proactive.
"There is no politics involved in whatever I am saying. I had written several letters to the Bihar chief minister and even his predecessor, Jitan Ram Manjhi, requesting them to work in sync with the Centre towards the establishment of an electronic cluster in Bihar. However, I must say that the state government did not take much interest in it. But efforts have been made by the Centre and the first electronic manufacturing cluster will come up in Gaurichak near Patna soon. A private investor is developing this cluster on an area of 21 acres which will attract an investment of Rs 150 crore and will be ready in three years," Ravi Shankar said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the opening of the second Patna centre of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT). With the Assembly polls nearing, he did not waste the chance to iterate the Digital India campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while talking extensively about the plans the Centre had and those which were being implemented in the field of communications and information technology for Bihar.
"The Centre has approved a scheme to set up seven electronics and ICT (information and communications technology) academies as a unit in the IITs, IIITs, NITs and others, aimed at improving the employability of graduates and diploma holders in various streams. One such academy will be set up in NIT-Patna at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore. An incubation centre is being constructed with all modern facilities designated for ESDM (electronic system design and manufacturing) at IIT Patna with an outlay of Rs 47.1 crore," he added.
The NIELIT Patna centre on the 11th floor of the Biscomaun Bhavan will train 40,000 professionals in various courses related to basic computer, Internet, digital marketing etc. In addition to Patna, two NIELIT centres will be set up in Muzaffarpur and Buxar. "In addition to this, a permanent NIELIT campus is being constructed in Bihta at a cost of Rs 36 crore as part of the state's IT park plan. The state government too is working towards the development of IT and different floors of the Biscomaun Bhavan are now being used for different kinds of IT-related works," S. Siddhartha, the state IT secretary, said.
