PATNA, INDIA: Impressed by e-governance in Bihar, the Rajasthan government has sought help from the state to launch an SMS-based monitoring system. Now a team of officials in Bihar will teach Rajasthan officials about this method.

"A three-member official team of Bihar will visit Rajasthan in the third week of February for a power point presentation of an SMS-based monitoring system," an official said.

Last year, the Bihar government was the first to launch an SMS-based monitoring system.

"An SMS-based monitoring system helps the state government keep a tab on every progress related to development schemes," Dipak Kumar, principal secretary of the personal and administrative reforms department, said.

Under the system, officials in the fields responsible for implementing development schemes like NREGS would have to send an SMS every day about the day's progress of the work.

Bihar had formally adopted e-governance as a state policy in 2006 on the advice of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The state has constituted a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with the objective of bringing about an Information Technology (IT) transformation in the state.

The SPV is preparing a comprehensive special package for e-governance.

The state government has already equipped legislators with sophisticated laptop computers under the national e-governance plan of the central government.

©IANS