The Hindu : Kerala News : E-governance: IT firms' role to be studied

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Friday, Jul 23, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

E-governance: IT firms' role to be studied

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 22. The Information Technology and Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, today assured the State Assembly that the Government would examine the issue of ensuring a level-playing field for Kerala Information Technology (IT) companies in its e-governance programmes on the lines of similar programmes being implemented by Andhra Pradesh.

Replying to a calling-attention motion of the Congress MLA, Adoor Prakash, on the need to simplify norms to facilitate the participation of IT companies ine-governance programmes, Mr. Kunhalikutty said the Government would study the programmes implemented in States such as Andhra Pradesh and take suitable measures.

In his calling-attention motion, Mr. Prakash pointed out that the Government was implementing e-governance programmes to the tune of Rs. 500 crores spread over various departments, including Motor Vehicles, Civil Supplies, Registration and Power. However, the higher qualifying norms stipulated in the tender were working against the interests of the Kerala-based IT companies, he said.

Referring to the Secretariat e-governance programme, he said the tender stipulations asking for Rs. 20-crore annual turnover for the last three years was detrimental to the interests of the local IT industry.

He was of the opinion that only large companies, with hardly any presence in the State, would be able to qualify for participating in the tender process.

Turnover stipulations

Andhra Pradesh, which has set the IT revolution, had stipulations to ensure participation of the local IT industry in its e-governance programme. The tender documents stipulated that the participating companies should have a registered office in the State, with the prescribed years of presence and record of having implemented such projects. The stipulations regarding annual turnover was also considerably less at Rs. 4 crores.

The Minister said that the Government was of the view that the Kerala IT industry should also be given a role in e-governance, but there were practical difficulties in implementation. The programme was complicated and only companies that had required expertise and financial clout could implement it.

This issue has to be given considerable thought in order to prevent future problems, he said. The Minister said the qualifying norms for participation in e-governance programmes had been prepared after studying the experiences of States like Andhra Pradesh.

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