KOHIMA, Nov 25 (NEPS) ? Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio expressed his happiness on bringing people closer and having interaction with them on the latest developments happening anywhere in the country through the advancement of technology.
Inaugurating state-wide video-conferencing network here at his official residence on November 24, the Chief Minister described such technological achievement linking the length and breath of the State as well as nation?s capital as a ?great leap forward? for the State of Nagaland. It had placed their ?remote isolated State? in the company of the ?larger developed States? that had already achieved significant progress in the field of information and communication technology, he stated.
Stating that the ?video-conferencing project? was one such dream of his government that had been fulfilled, Rio asserted the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Government had always accorded ?prime importance? to the field of information and communication technology.
He further stated that in keeping with the commitments to the people made in their Common Minimum Programme (CMP), they have set up a separate department of information technology. ?Our vision has indeed started bearing fruit, and this video-conferencing facility is one of the significant steps towards an IT-savvy Nagaland state,? the Chief Minister observed.
Rio, however, explained the technological development itself was not adequate to ensure progress and development. The success of any system depended to a large measure on the ?human elements?, he pointed out. Several state-level workshops such as mass skill upgradation programmes, computer training programmes and e-governance had already been conducted, he said and further asserted that initiative was now required from officials at all levels to gear up to meet this challenge and make Nagaland an e-friendly state. ?E-governance is one such idea whose time has come, and anyone of us who does not keep abreast with the fast changing developments in this sector will simply be swept away and forgotten,? he stated.
Rio also highlighted his government?s constitution of the Information Technology Council under his chairmanship to formulate a course of action to be followed by the state in the information and communication sector. This council had accordingly framed an IT Policy and an E-Governance for the State that would serve as the framework for steering IT initiatives in the government as well as the private sector, the Chief Minister added.
Appealing to the private and public sectors to make the fullest use of these technological advancements having potential to ?transform? the way they worked, think and live, the Chief Minister termed IT as a powerful tool of social and economic change and progress.
Expressing hope that the new technology of video conferencing would surely bridge the communication gap between the State capital and the districts, the Chief Minister believed that regular and frequent use of the facilities by the development departments would lead to improved monitoring of various programmes and projects.