The Delhi Government is all set to empower computer illiterates by setting up a web portal for information dissemination and online interaction coupled with a call centre to take care of the digital divide.
The Government has already delegated the responsibility to a Gurgaon-based company to set up a call centre by April 2006 for providing government-related information on services and procedures.
Recently at a World Summit on Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society in Bilbao, Spain, Delhi Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit stressed the importance of e-Administration and e-Democracy for Good Governance and also the initiatives being taken by her government to make Delhi an e-City by bridging the digital divide.
As the only Chief Minister to participate in the summit from India, Ms Dikshit told the special gathering that Information Technology is being harnessed in a big way and our aim to make Delhi, a truly e-City where people can transact with the government electronically, most of the public services are available online and also there is no digital divide.
But Ms Dikshit also underlined the difficulties faced by her government towards building an Information Society. Low computer literacy and internet penetration, mindset of employees and lack of Information and Communication and Technology (ICT) manpower in the government acts as a major stumbling block, Ms Dikshit said.
She said adoption of public-private partnership for running of citizen service centre and State Wide Area Network (SWAN), to run and operate such centres, have been utilized to overcome these difficulties.
Information technology plays an important role in todays world. The growth is very fast and those not having access to this technology are being left behind. Thus, the technology has brought in a new divide, called Digital Divide, which needs to be bridged so that the deprived lot can become a part of Information Society, she told the summit.
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