Bhubaneswar, Feb. 1: Employees in the Orissa secretariat can no longer remain computer-illiterate.
With information technology giant Microsoft joining hands with the state-owned Orissa Computer Application Centre (Ocac) to develop the Oriya version of MS Office, the path is being paved to make state employees learn the basics of computer applications.
?The Oriya version, developed under Project Bhasha, will be out by March. The chief secretary is keen that all employees learn how to use computers for office work,? said Ocac chief executive and director of information technology Vishal Dev.
?Earlier, the employees used to excuse themselves from learning computers. But after the Oriya version is released, everyone has to fall in line,? he added.
Though Ocac signed the agreement with Microsoft in March 2004 to develop the software in Oriya, the actual work started only four months ago, Dev said.
Orissa information technology minister Suryo Patro said the Oriya version of MS Office would help popularise information and communication technology (ICT) in the state.
Orissa is the first state to introduce computerisation with VSAT at the block level under the Gramsat pilot project. Efforts are also on to connect all 6,234 gram panchayats with VSAT and computerise the panchayat level administration, Patro said.
Taking yet another positive step, the government has tied up with National Institute of Smart Government to prepare a roadmap for e-governance in Orissa. A state resource centre will soon be set up in the capital, for which discussions are on with IBM.
A number of popular schemes such as e-seva will be implemented under the e-governance policy, sources said. According to Dev, the eighth national conference on e-governance, to be held in Bhubaneswar from February 3 to 5, will open new vistas for the state.
Organised jointly by the Union ministry of information technology and the department of administrative reforms and public grievance, the theme of the conference would be capacity building for e-governance.
The government also plans to set up 4,000 IT service kiosks in the state in the next four years.
