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Torn by terror, J-K craves for IT power

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CIOL Bureau
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NEW DELHI, INDIA: Reeling under terror and public unrest, Jammu and Kashmir wants to be noticed by the ICT industry. The state government believes that it's safer now and hence wants industry to treat it as any other state. The J-K government is working on IT policy framework and implementing the Prime Ministers’ scheme for development of IT at block level.

Speaking on the sidelines of a recent industry summit in New Delhi, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Minister for IT, Government of J-K, said that ICT is an enabler for empowerment in the country while availability of data and connectivity are some of the challenges.

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There is a constant need to evolve services and technologies, he said. Citing the example of Kerala, Mehdi said that the state has jumped onto the mobile bandwagon and started public-centric services through SMSes. Citizens can apply for services via SMS in Kerala, he added.

He said the J-K government is working on the IT policy framework to attract investors in the state. The expected policy may look at incentives and subsidies to the companies willing to set up operations in the state. “Going forward, J-K wants to compete with the states of Gujarat and Karnataka and it’s as safer as any other state in the country,” Mehdi said.

Challenge is always there and technology is advancing each passing day, he believes. “There is immense opportunity in the state of J-K,” Mehdi said. “We are trying to connect every administrative level with state-wide area network (SWAN). “ He also said that there is a need to develop database and bring it to every citizen’s doorstep.





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