Chief minister Nitish Kumar, at his Lok Samvad (public dialogue) programme on Monday, held forth on the lofty ideal of privacy and stressed that technology cannot be an end by itself if it is not tailored to requirement.

Nitish's lecture on privacy came in response to Saurabh Singh from Patna, who wanted to develop a system where illness and treatment history of all patients at government hospitals could be uploaded and shared to help doctors.

Pointing out that the concept was not new and was a part of telemedicine, Nitish said: "You must bear in mind that freedom and privacy of human beings are important things and everything, even medical records, cannot not be shared in public domain.

"We already know that all data generated by the smart i-Watch (of Apple) is going to the US (government), but we cannot compromise on privacy and freedom of people."

Vinod Bhanti, an engineer who retired from state government service and whose sons work in the US, said he wants to bring latest technical advancements and equipment for the differently abled to Bihar with his sons' help.

Manufacturing the sophisticated aids for the differently abled in Bihar would help people buy them at lower prices in comparison to the ones currently imported from other countries, Bhanti said. When Nitish asked him whether the aids would include the Jaipur foot, Bhanti said he wanted to make better and higher-end prosthetic limbs.

Nitish assured Bhanti that senior government officials would call him to discuss his idea in detail.

Dharmendra Kumar, a software developer from Rohtas, pitched for a sensor-based mobile application for cattle that he said would be useful for dairy farmers.

"The sensors are places around the neck of cattle and could help in detection of disease, heat condition to help artificial insemination, milk production and other things," Dharmendra said. "They can also help control epidemics. Such sensors are used in the US, Ireland and Bangalore."

When Nitish found out that the app costs $500 (around Rs 33,000), he said it was impractical for a poor state like Bihar. "Develop the app further so that it can be used on a mass scale," Nitish said. "Work on its practicality in view of its price."

Chandan Kumar of Begusarai wanted trained tourist guides to guide students who take part in government-run educational tours.

Ashok Bharti of Muzaffarpur said the government should acquire part of the bungalow of Gaya Singh where Gandhi stayed in 1917.

Nitish said there was no consensus on which part of the bungalow the Mahatma stayed, and asked urban development and housing department principal secretary Chaitanya Prasad and other officials to verify the facts.