The Ministry of Electronics and IT plans to deploy a Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) across various departments of Government Ministries.
Under the Ministry’s ruling, a CITO will be appointed in 34 departments and Ministries. The officer will be answerable to the IT Secretary, Aruna Sundararajan.
In another step, with an aim to boost the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government’s Digital India programme, the Ministry has proposed to set up a National E-governance Academy. A fund of $74 Mn (INR 500 Cr) will be set aside for the same.
According to its official website, the Digital India programme is a flagship initiative of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge economy.
The proposals were put on the table in a meeting between Ministry officials and Union Minister, Ministry of Information & Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, which took place earlier this month.
To further national e-governance, the Ministry has proposed launching a mobile app catering to the needs of e-governance called UMANG. The app will function as a common platform across India for all Government related services.
Currently, the e-governance initiatives concerning Government services are managed and co-ordinated by the National E-governance division. With an officer in place now, the Ministry aims to put in place a direct line of coordination.
The Digital India programme currently focusses on areas including broadband, universal access to mobile connectivity, public internet access programme, e-governance, electronic delivery of services under the project e-Kranti, and IT jobs for citizens among others. Most of these initiatives are planned to be completed within the next three years.
By Baishakhi Dutta
