Shri M. N. Vidyashankar,
IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of IT, BT and S&T, DPAR (E-Governance),
Government of Karnataka

India is getting smarter with rapid digitization and the Government's efforts to take the country to a higher pedestal are under way with the implementation of e-governance. This is enabling better delivery of Education, Healthcare and Public Services. A significant ICT initiative of the Karnataka Government is the Bangalore IT.biz which is yet another milestone achievement. Bangalore IT.biz is India's flagship event organized by the Government of Karnataka and STPI, Bangalore. It has been internationally acclaimed as India's premier ICT event and has maintained its focus as an important B2B platform to stimulate an exchange of business across stakeholders and successfully identified emerging opportunities in the ICT sphere. The big brains of the ICT industry, SMEs, start-ups, governments, financial institutions and IT user groups participate in this event. 

All the 13 previous editions were well attended and actively participated by industry, regulatory authorities, research establishments, academia, venture capitalists, students, media and visitors. The event provides an ideal platform for budding entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, innovators, etc. to exchange their knowledge, ideas, products and processes. It cuts across physical barriers of national and international boundaries and looks for betterment of human life.  

This year, the theme of the forum is: “India innovates”. “India Innovation Forum has ingredients of powerful ideas, fearless mindset, ability to think maximum and firm commitment. The forum will bring together thought leaders, successful innovators, lateral thinkers on one platform and give everyone an opportunity to harness thinking beyond ordinary and help us shape the future for us,” says Shri M. N. Vidyashankar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of IT, BT and S&T, DPAR (E-Governance), Government of Karnataka. 

An exciting e-Governance scheme is AADHAR which is being implemented by the State Governments. In Karnataka, the implementation is being handled by the Department of e-Governance. It is a very comprehensive programme and has far-reaching implications. As it is being implemented, its usefulness to everyone is getting unfolded in a multifold manner. 

“Accessibility, reliability, speed, multimodel transportation, transparency and reach are many facets of IT which are effectively being utilized in good governance. Developments in information and communication technology and networked computing have given rise to the notion of electronic government, most commonly used to refer to the delivery of public services over the Internet. This volume argues for a shift from the narrow focus of 'electronic government' on technology and transactions to the broader perspective of information government - the information flows within the public sector, between the public sector and citizens, and among citizens - as a way to understand the changing nature of governing and governance in an information society,” empahises Shri M. N. Vidyashankar.  

“India is leader in the software sector and continues to do so. However, the progress and development in the hardware sector is not comparable. India is still dependent on external market. Global electronic hardware manufacturing is estimated to be US$1,500 billion, of which 45% is in the Asia-Pacific region. Out of this, India's share is just 1.5%. Further, India's electronic equipment consumption is expected to reach US$365 billion by 2015 against estimated production of US$155 billion. Looking at these figures, there is a vast scope for electronic hardware manufacturing in India. Hence, efforts are needed to give boost to the hardware sector,” adds Shri M. N. Vidyashankar. 

On Karnataka Government's success on the ICT grounds, Shri M.N. Vidyashankar asserted, “Karnataka has been undisputed leader in ICT sector. Many states have followed example of Karnataka by connecting with it through Bangalore IT.biz. Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Gujarat are among many states which derive immense benefits by participating in Bangalore IT.biz. It is prudent to note that IT.biz touches heart of every Indian. Apart from that most of the states participated during previous events and have been immensely benefited. The rural IT quiz is conducted at National level and millions of students participated. It has already created a record during previous edition. It is worth mentioning that special prizes have been given to students from North east States and state of Jammu & Kashmir.” 

Bangalore IT.biz 2011 scheduled between 18th - 20th Oct   will capture major ICT developments. This will further unfurl the advantages of ICT in every field. The conference will draw attention towards the Frontier Technologies, High Tech Manufacturing, Chip Design etc. 

For More Contact:
Moumita  D Choudhury
moumita@varindia.com