PATNA, INDIA: Inaugurated by Dr Anil Kumar, IT Minister, Bihar, IT Panchayat in Patna kicked off paving the way for the channel community to bring up issues and key problems related to the channel. The event was organized in association with The DQ Week and DQ Channels.

The panel comprised Anil Gupta, Head—National Sales, MicroWorld; Indrajit Mukhopadhyay of Sify; Sanjay Patel, Branch Manager, Ingram Micro and Anjani Kumar, Branch Manager, Redington.

In his inaugural speech, Kumar elaborated, "I am pleased to witness the coming together of the IT channel community. With the progress of IT in the state, the channel community also needs a morale booster and a platform where key problems can be discussed."

Attended by over 65 channel players across Bihar, the event concentrated on the role that logistical support plays in the growth of IT retail. Also, payment defaults and mode of payment issues came up giving the channel players an opportunity to clarify business issues from the distributors directly.

Pointing out the scope IT dealers and vendors can explore in Bihar, Kumar stated, "Already we have implemented e-governance projects in 34 districts in the state and aim to cover the whole state by December. New projects in the field of telemedicine and video conferencing are coming up with successful model implementations in many blocks. Also, the government is keen on attracting investments in the field of education, and is on its way to equip computer facilities in every primary school."

Clearly underlining the new capabilities Bihar has, the channel players are keen on maximising their reach across the state.

Providing an immense scope to increase sales and the status of IT, players from the upcountry region are also looking forward to benefit from the government projects.

"Major upcountry levels were not benefited in terms of IT retail or wholesale, as the demand for IT products is concentrated around Patna. Now, government initiatives are looking for local supply of the materials and in this process, districts like Muzzafarpur, Gaya and north Bihar will also reap the benefits," commented PK Sinha of BITA.

Representatives of Redington and Ingram Micro came up with solutions to the dealer's problems and are looking for a way to sort out any miscommunication that has resulted. "As dealers, it has been a great opportunity to seek an answer from the national distributors on the problems we are facing. This helps in eliminating any misunderstanding that may come up in the business cycle," commented Mukesh Kumar, Director, RG Software and Systems.

Redington is on its way to revitalise its logistical and support systems in a short span of time with Ingram looking forward to increase their stock capabilities in the state. After the devastating floods in Bihar, logisitics and supply was put on hold for quite sometime in the districts. Now, the national distributors and the dealers have together begun to look for a proactive approach finding a solution to quickly respond to natural calamities keeping their business on the go.

The discussion was moderated by Ibrahim Ahmad, Group Editor, Channel Publications. Sify and Microworld partnered for the event, which was attended by 65 partners.