To augment quality of citizen services in Punjab, the State Government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India to use cloud computing infrastructure for better facilities in education, agriculture and healthcare for citizens.
The MoU was signed by Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal on behalf of Punjab Government and Microsoft India (R&D) Private limited’s managing director Anil Bhansali in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.
Sukhbir, speaking on the occasion, said that the State Government has been using an advanced IT infrastructure to provide citizen services since 2013. “The Government now plans to extend the network across the State using cloud computing infrastructure. Today’s MoU with Microsoft will help us to access the best of Microsoft’s technology and expertise for improvement of digital services to citizens and drive digital inclusion in the state,” he said.
Sukhbir also informed Anil Bhansali that Punjab has established 2,174 well-equipped Sewa Kendras in the state to provide the entire citizen centric services at the doorstep. He asked Bansali to use this platform for making better reach to the farmers of the State.
He also invited Microsoft India to set up its office at IT city SAS Nagar as state has abundant human resource for IT sector.
Interacting with Sukhbir after signing the MoU, Bhansali said: “We are happy to bring the power of Microsoft cloud technologies, machine learning and data analytics to the State of Punjab. We are happy to support the Government of Punjab in its effort to enhance citizen services and drive digital inclusion.”
He said that Microsoft India would work with Punjab to support the development of mobile-based solutions and also support the use of machine learning and advanced visualization to help solve challenges in the fields of education, agriculture and healthcare.
Microsoft will also train manpower in advanced IT technology in the State, he added.
Bhansali said that Microsoft has been partnering with Punjab since 2010 and several State Government departments use Microsoft technologies to run their operations and connect better with citizens.