Calcutta, April, 6 :    Calcutta, April, 6:  Microsoft is coming to Calcutta. The West Bengal government and the Seattle-based software giant will sign a memorandum of understanding on three or four projects by the end of April. State chief secretary Manish Gupta, who met Bill Gates, Microsoft's chief software architect, in Seattle last month, underlined the projects the software developers are set to take up: E-governance, using the XML platform and systems Setting up a training facility for IT faculty A centre for excellence to develop higher level IT skills A computer peripherals development unit in the city Both sides agreed to increase cooperation to attain excellence in the field of IT, at the end-March meet between senior Microsoft officials, Gupta and West Bengal Electronics Development Corporation managing director S.K. Mitra. Microsoft was eager to sign the MoU as early as possible. 'We will get necessary clearance from the Election Commission, as polls are due in May,' a confident chief secretary said on Friday. Microsoft India chief Rajiv Kaul is expected in the city next week to finalise the MoU, though the exact structure of the projects is yet to be worked out. 'The training facility is of utmost importance, with a growing number of IT institutes, in addition to computerisation of almost every stream of education,' Gupta stressed. The training facility will be launched in Calcutta, but the chief secretary said there were long-term plans to set up various regional centres. 'Trainers from Microsoft will be here for this purpose, and we expect to attract brains from all over the country too,' Gupta said. Microsoft wants to introduce its XML systems to facilitate e-governance. Extended Markup Language (XML) is a tool to create documents such as clearance certificates and applications, needed in day-to-day governmental functioning, which are easy to transmit across the Web. The centre for excellence, as per Microsoft's plans, will provide solution for other institutes and IT professionals as well, catering to the entire eastern region. There is also a strong possibility of a Microsoft peripherals development unit in the city. 'They were keen on a hardware development centre here,' said Gupta, who visited a similar unit in Seattle. Microsoft develops CD changers, keyboards, mouse and wireless receivers, among other things. 'Bill Gates is not unaware of the pace of IT development in West Bengal, and Microsoft will play a big role by coming here. It will be the ultimate boost for Bengal,' Gupta said. Finally, Gate's advice to the West Bengal IT chiefs: Goals and plans are not enough. The clincher is to achieve targets in the shortest possible time, to reach the benefits of e-governance to the people.