The state government has approached the education initiative wings of IT majors Wipro and HCL to help Jharkhand set up an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Ranchi.

The initiative is being pursued by the state IT department through Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Company).

Earlier, the state government tried to organise an interactive session with senior representatives of big names in the IT sector like TCS, Wipro and Infosys, among others, in an attempt to find an industry partner for the Ranchi chapter of IIIT.

“We have now sent invitations to Wipro and HCL through Nasscom to help set up an IIIT in Ranchi. We are looking forward to their response,” IT secretary Satendra Singh told The Telegraph.

Though the Centre sanctioned an IIIT for Jharkhand early this year, the state’s search for an industry partner has so far proved futile.

The project is pegged to cost around Rs 128 crore. While the Centre will bear 50 per cent of the total cost, the state’s contribution would be 35 per cent, with the prospective industry partner pitching in with the remaining 15 per cent.

Land would be provided by the state free of cost. In August, the IT department had forwarded a proposal to the revenue department to transfer about 50 acres land at Kanke, near the proposed National University for Study & Research in Law (NUSRL) campus. Special secretary in the state revenue and land reforms department A.K. Rastogi said they have received the proposal and a final go ahead would be given soon.

Ranchi IIIT is part of a central proposal to open 20 such institutes around the country. Jharkhand was sanctioned an IIIT in the 2010-11 budget while the state received a letter from Centre in January this year. The state IT department is acting as a nodal agency to implement the ambitions project for which an industry partner and land are primary requirements.

Meanwhile, the state IT department is also all set to come up with a state service delivery gateway to facilitate online delivery of services as envisaged under the electronic delivery services act recently passed by the state Assembly. The act proposes to make the issuance of important certificates mandatory through online applications.

Recently, the government also invited bids to engage reputed agencies to provide computer training to its workforce for staff who would be primarily responsible for electronic delivery of services at the ground level.