SHILLONG, June 29 – The average level of using information technology (IT) tools in Meghalaya government’s various departments was ‘quite low’, a senior official said. Although some of the departments were doing a ‘better job’ in using IT, the ‘average level’ was still ‘quite low’, principal secretary of IT Department WMS Pariot said here while inaugurating a training programme for senior officers.
Urging the participants to use IT tools in their work in their respective offices, Pariot said this would not only help a department to speed up its routine activities on a day-to-day basis but also establish a fruitful interface between the public and the government. The government would in the near future announce an IT policy and formalise setting up a Software Technology Park Of India (STPI) for IT professionals.
The five-day programme on ‘utilisation of IT tool in government’, sponsored by the department of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), was being conducted by the NIC. Twenty-three senior level officials from the State Government were taking part in it. NIC’s state informatics officer T Dkhar said the present course was the second one for the state officials. Although it penetration in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra was ‘fast’, it was only at the ‘initial stage’ in Meghalaya.
India is presently holding 48th or 50th position in the world in terms of using IT in government offices although the country is a leader in the field, he said.