`50-crore NIEIT centre in Srikakulam soon

A centre of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology(NIEIT) is being set up at a cost of Rs.50 crore in Srikakulam district. It will provide free computer raining to 3,000 to 4,000 youths. Fifteen acres has been identified for the purpose, said Union minister of state for communications Dr. Killi Kruparani here on Monday. Inaugurating a national seminar on 'e-governance' at Hotel Grand, she said efforts were on to offer quality education by inter-linking the educational institutions through IT in the district. Such linking would enable a well trained teacher to take his lessons to schools in interior areas. Plans were being prepared to provide quality computer education to at least one person in a family. She stated that the cell phone coverage in the district would be spread to interior areas with the installation of ten cell towers. A postage stamp depicting the historic importance of the district would be released by Ugadi this year. Another stamp on eminent poet Gurzada Appa Rao would also be brought out. Dr Kruparani said the Government was thinking of extending the Aadhaar-based cash transfer scheme to Srikakulam as part of the scheme being implemented in districts with over 75 per cent Aadhaar card cover. She announced that the UPA Government aimed to create 1.75 crore jobs for youth by 2020. It was thinking of launching ten more software technology parks, in addition to the existing 50 in the country. If the parks could generate a production of Rs.1 lakh crore as many as three crore persons could be provided jobs. The ministry has plans to inter-link gram panchayats with IT at a cost of Rs.20,000 crore. It planned to modernize all post offices in the country at a cost of Rs.4,500 crore. According to the Union minister, there were one lakh community service centres in the country. The State had 6,000 centres. Joint secretary in the Department of Electronics and IT Kantha Rao said the Government would introduce a Bill on the compulsory delivery of electronic services by the various departments. Such services would be extended to all departments in the country within five years. State e Seva director Dr Gopinath disclosed that 101 services of 13 departments would be offered to the people by the month-end. Efforts were on to increase the services to 331 by 28 departments.A Collector Sourabh Gour said 44 services were being offered at 235 e Seva centres in the district. The Aadhaar card coverage in the district was 99.60 per cent.