MUMBAI, INDIA:  Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan thanked the IT industry body NASSCOM for making Mumbai as the permanent venue for its annual summit – NASSCOM India Leadership Forum.

“I thank  NASSCOM for making Mumbai as permanent venue for the NASSCOM event as Mumbai is for all and I welcome you all in the city of happenings and opportunities,” Chavan said while inaugurating the summit.

“As a state’s CEO I look forward to innovation that help business grow and help people,”  Maharashtra has always attracted IT business and investments  and still continues to do so, particularly cites of Mumbai and Pune has top numbers of IT business and companies here,”he said about the IT industry in the state.

“According to central government’s survey we are the first state to have our own IT policy to boost and benefit the IT industry here. And we welcome suggestions from NASSCOM and business leaders to bring in any changes needed to help the sector,” Chavan stressed.

“We provide IT infrastructure and various other facilities to support the business in partnership. Maharashtra has been number one state in IT implementation and e-Governance,” he added.

However he called for more support from NASSCOM and the IT industry in the areas of infrastructure, education, healthcare, governance and generating employments.

In terms of various e-Governance plans in the state he informed that the state plans to connect all the talukas and districts by implementing the state wide network and to serve the people under the Maha e-Seva scheme.

Further he concluded that the state has deployed biometric systems at the Secretariat for attendance of staff and also has deployed video conferencing facilities at the Collectorate for governance purposes.

Ashok Chavan handed over NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours 2010 for innovations in making a social change using technology.These awards are given by the NASSCOM Foundationthe social arm of NASSCOM .