<p>Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar disclosed at a function here Friday evening that Nilekani will visit Patna Nov 17 and hold talks with senior government officials to strengthen e-governance in the state. <br /><br />All 37 district headquarters and 470 block headquarters in Bihar can be accessed online through the Bihar State Wide Area Network. "We have made progress in e-governance in the last few years - from Remington typewriters to online access," the chief minister said.<br /><br />Bihar had formally adopted e-governance as a state policy in 2006 on the advice of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. <br />The state has constituted a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with the objective of bringing about an Information Technology (IT) transformation in the state. The SPV was constituted as a tripartite joint venture of state-owned Beltron, Tata Consultancy Services and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (ILFS) at an estimated cost of Rs.380 million.<br /><br />The SPV is preparing a comprehensive special package for e-governance. Besides, separate e-governance packages have been created for different departments by the joint venture partners, based on specific requirements.<br />The state government has already equipped legislators with sophisticated laptop computers under the national e-governance plan of the central government.<br /><br />The previous state government, headed by Rabri Devi had brought several departments online and launched an official web site of the state. <br />Her husband, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, also a former chief minister, has often rubbished IT as a "tool of the elite".</p>
<p>Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar disclosed at a function here Friday evening that Nilekani will visit Patna Nov 17 and hold talks with senior government officials to strengthen e-governance in the state. <br /><br />All 37 district headquarters and 470 block headquarters in Bihar can be accessed online through the Bihar State Wide Area Network. "We have made progress in e-governance in the last few years - from Remington typewriters to online access," the chief minister said.<br /><br />Bihar had formally adopted e-governance as a state policy in 2006 on the advice of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. <br />The state has constituted a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with the objective of bringing about an Information Technology (IT) transformation in the state. The SPV was constituted as a tripartite joint venture of state-owned Beltron, Tata Consultancy Services and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (ILFS) at an estimated cost of Rs.380 million.<br /><br />The SPV is preparing a comprehensive special package for e-governance. Besides, separate e-governance packages have been created for different departments by the joint venture partners, based on specific requirements.<br />The state government has already equipped legislators with sophisticated laptop computers under the national e-governance plan of the central government.<br /><br />The previous state government, headed by Rabri Devi had brought several departments online and launched an official web site of the state. <br />Her husband, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, also a former chief minister, has often rubbished IT as a "tool of the elite".</p>