Himachal CM launches e-district portal to mark Digital India Week

Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday said the Digital India programme envisages bringing all basic services directly to the public through the use of Information Technology in this fast changing world.After launching the e-district portal, Aadhar Permanent enrolment centre and Digital lockers to members of Vidhan Sabha under the Digital India Programme here on Thursday, Singh said that launching of Digital India Programme was a part of Digital India week launched by Prime Minister of India on Wednesday and it was launched in the State as a part of larger initiative to empower the people to have access to Information Technology (IT) for better and speedy delivery of services to the people of the State.

The Chief Minister said that today we would not have celebrated this week, if the last UPA Government had not come up with an ambitious National Fibre Optical Network (NOFN) project that provided high speed internet connectivity upto the gram panchayat level. He said that Himachal Pradesh was one of the leading States in implementing Information Technology in Government sector. “The State Government has been endeavouring to bring transparency and accountability through e-Governance in the delivery of services to the people. There has been a constant and sincere effort to introduce same in the entire State since long. As technology keeps changing rapidly with every passing day, I believe that one has to keep pace with it to keep oneself well informed,” said the Chief Minister.

He claimed that all major development works in the State were witnessed during successive Congress Governments.  “The internet has become somewhat like household commodity used by every family and I would like to see the day, when it will be  used by everyone, even in 

the remote corners of the State”, Singh said.

The Chief Minister said around 1,800 offices were connected through HIMSWAN Network. About 2,000 Common Service Centres were providing Government services to the citizens in almost every corner of the State. “It gives me great pleasure to inform that citizens above 18 years of age in the State were having ‘Aadhaar’ Number”, which counts to 96 per cent as of now,”  he added.