To enable the students get a first hand approach, selected engineering colleges across the country are been declared as eGov campuses which would undertake various research and extension projects in the domain of eGovernance.
The programme was inaugurated in presence of Oscar Fernandes, Minister for Road transport and Highway, along with Shankar Aggarwal, additional secretary, Ministry of Defence and head the National eGovernance Plan.
India produces lakhs of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) graduates every year but not more than 25 per cent are employable. Experts says that the fall in the employment ratio can be attributed to lack of technical knowledge and communication skills in students.
Speaking on the occasion Aggarwal said: “India is a vast country and even after 66 years of independence, we haven’t been able connect cities to all villages of our country. Reaching out to every citizen of country is now the top priority.”
He added: “Our students go to other countries and do wonders. We need to give them a platform and create a superior technology to them in India. Over hundred colleges have been identified under this collaborative programme. This programme would enable students from these colleges to gain practical knowledge by working on projects undertaken by the local authorities given by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in areas of eGovernance.”
Dr M Moni, former director general, NIC addressed the issue of making students employable rather than just imparting degrees. This programme would help students to get a first hand experience of eCommerce projects and initiatives taken by the Government.