The Chhattisgarh Government is in the process of implementing a ‘Wi-Fi City’ project across key sectors in the public, educational and Government domain in Raipur. The Government has launched the project with the objective of enabling Wi-Fi infrastructure in educational institutions, gardens and business centres having a high public foot print, officials stated.
The project includes setting up of Wi-Fi infrastructure in Vidhan Sabha Campus, Raipur, Thakur Pyarelal Institute of Panchayat & Rural Development (TPIPRD) Campus, Nimora, Raipur , Raipur Municipal Corporation Campus, Raipur , Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital Campus, Raipur.
This is apart from providing Wi-Fi infrastructure to be established in 20 locations including areas such as educational, business, garden etc. having high public footprint across the Greater Raipur Region. Notably, in the education sector, Higher Education Minister Prem Prakash Pandey in January this year had stated that ‘Smart Classrooms’ will be built in all Government colleges of the State.
Pandey said the college authorities should ensure that their institution premises have wi-fi facility. Notably, more than 3,000 offices of the Chhattisgarh Government are now connected to the digital highway under the State Government’s State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project launched to bring the benefits of e-connectivity to the general public.
As a result, video conferencing is now possible from 27 district collectorates including the Mantralaya in the State. The Government had already developed the video conferencing system between many district collectorates and janpad panchayat offices.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Raman Singh had inaugurated the e-governance project made operational through ‘Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society (CHIPS) on April 6, 2010. Moreover, Chhattisgarh is the first State in the country to have connected its offices through a digital highway.
The Central Government had selected CHiPS as the nodel agency to implement the e-Governance projects. The digital highway developed under the SWAN project has connected all the 18 old district headquarters with the State Data Centre managed by CHIPS at R.D.A building in Raipur.
The SWAN project provides both ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ connectivity. All the State’s offices are being connected through ‘horizontal connectivity’ under which all three technologies—WiMAX, VSAT and leased lines are being utilised. Under ‘vertical connectivity’, 133 of the 146 development blocks have been connected through WiMAX and 15 have been connected through VSAT. The e-connectivity system had helped connect the remotest region of the State.
In the villages where it was not possible to provide connectivity by the telecom operators, the Government had facilitated connectivity through SWAN project. This has helped easier conduct of administrative work and also provision of various services to general public.
The e-connectivity system has helped safer exchange of information between various government offices resulting in lesser travel by officials on Government work. The system has also brought down costs incurred on correspondence, courier and postal services and telephonic conversation.
The State Government had been managing its various e-governance projects through e-connectivity including its web portal. The State’s universities, medical colleges and Government engineering colleges had also been connected through the ‘National Knowledge Network’ which has helped students speedily download information at the global level.
Work is already underway to secure and document all government data at the State Data Centre in Raipur. It may be recalled that the Chhattisgarh Government has now included Electronics Manufacturing also under its IT/ITeS Policy. This has been done as per the vision of the Prime Minister on ‘Make in India’ initiative for which the State Government has envisioned ‘Make in Chhattisgarh’ campaign. Currently, the State has a suitable eco system for Electronics/IT/ITeS Industry with key parameters of Physical and Social infrastructure, Air and Telecom Connectivity, Responsive Electronic,IT/ITeS Policy and CHiPS as single point of contact ( Ease of doing business), they stated.
The revised industrial policy has already been approved in the last Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet decision to approve the new Electronics, IT/ITeS Policy would keep the focus on Electronics, IT/ITeS as income and employment generator. The policy focus is on IT Developers, IT Development units, Electronic Manufacturing Unit, Data Centre, etc. Moreover, host of incentives like Interest Subsidy, Capital Subsidy, Subsidy on land Premium, etc will be provided to new units coming up in the State.
Interest subsidy which was 75 per cent of the interest paid, maximum upto 60 lakh per year for 7 years, has been upgraded to 75 per cent of the interest paid , maximum upto rs1.1 crore per year for 8 years. Capital Investment Subsidy which was 45 per cent, maximum rs1.4 crore has been revised to 50 per cent, maximum upto rs1.5 crore.
Subsidy on land premium uptill 80 per cent will be provided. Further incentives of 5 per cent on Capital Subsidy. Interest Subsidy and on land premium would be provided to units employing more than 50 per cent workforce of Chhattisgarh domicile, or starting production within year 2015-16.
Keeping the requirements of small and medium enterprise in mind, the policy provides incentives such as 50 per cent subsidy on lease rent, reimbursement of training cost of IT Professionals upto rs20,000 per employee and subsidy upto 30 per cent on Bandwidth charges among others. The policy has been framed keeping the requirements of Electronics,IT/ITeS Industry, and is the most competitive policy amongst States of India.