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.