The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has presented a proposal to provide technical assistance for deploying innovative information and communication technologies (ICT) for supporting the e-governance initiative in Assam.
The technical assistance, worth $ 500,000, would be funded by the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, which has been provided to the ADB.
The technical assistance is scheduled to be implemented within a 10-month period from November to August 2008.
The objective of e-Asia programme is to strengthen the capacity of developing member countries and provide technical assistance for promoting ICT and closing the digital divide, especially through national and regional strategies.
E-governance has been recognised as a powerful tool in the hands of governments for reducing costs, enhancing revenues and improving the delivery of all the public services.
Sources said the bank is taking up the project as it has been found that financial sustainability has been a major challenge in expanding the e-government and e-rural development projects across Assam.
They pointed out that this was particularly true with respect to rural ICT investments as these entail longer payback periods than commercial ones owing to relatively heavier infrastructure costs and lower rates of return.
In this context, cost innovative technologies, such as broadband access network or wireless network, can be considered as appropriate technology solutions.
This will enable and expedite the e-government and e-rural development process in an effective and efficient manner.
The technical assistance will help Dispur reduce the digital divide by expanding the Assam State Wide Area Network for e-governance delivery.
This includes in its ambit rural area initiatives relating to agriculture, land records and registration and improvement of ICT accessibility and development of e-governance applications in accordance with the roadmap to be identified by the e-government masterplan.
Source: The Telegraph
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