West Bengal, Microsoft tie-up on e-governance project

CALCUTTA: West Bengal plans to tie up with Microsoft Corp in an electronic

governance project, an official said on Saturday. The government plans to

establish a statewide computer network connecting the government secretariat and

district headquarters to facilitate more transparent and effective governance

with the US software giant's help.

"We will sign a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft for our

e-governance plans on August 16," Manab Mukherjee, West Bengal's

Information Technology minister, told Reuters. However, he failed to provide

details of the deal.

A senior official at the West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corp

(Webel) said the deal with Microsoft would help the state woo investments in the

information technology sector.

"Big guns like International Business Machines (IBM) and

PricewaterhouseCoopers are already here and, with Microsoft's planned entry, the

state's image as a potential hotspot for IT will get a boost," the Webel

official, who did not wish to be named, said.

The communist-ruled state is trying to attract IT investments, saying it

offers lower rental rates and better quality power supply than neighboring

provinces. But West Bengal lags behind Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which is

headed by India's most technology-savvy Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu.

One hundred and sixty IT firms, employing over 11,000 people, currently

operate in the electronics complex in Calcutta. These include Computer

Associates and free Internet service provider Caltiger.com. IBM tied up with

West Bengal for an information technology education project in February and last

year Indian software giant Wipro was allotted land to set up a development

centre in Calcutta.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.