The anticipated boom in the Indian Internet user base, thanks to the recently liberalized ISP policy, has spurred a number of state governments to announce local Internet initiatives, ranging from online trade and
investment services to high-tech corridors conducive to foreign investments.
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu–currently the
most Internet-savvy politician in the country–has discussed getting
all the companies in his state on the Internet and creating transparent
government services accessible online.
Information and services to be provided via the Net will include land
records, property taxes, birth and death data, and applications for
certificates.
Naidu has suggested that a new Ministry for Informatics be formed by bringing together the Departments of Information and Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Electronics. He also is calling for the creation of a National Software Development Fund for promoting information technology (IT) in the country.
The Maharashtra state legislature plans to launch its Web site soon;
computerization of the proceedings of the state legislature will be
undertaken at an estimated cost of about a million dollars. The state
government has even announced that it will observe 1999 as the Year of
Information Technology.
Other Indian states with official Web sites promoting activities like
tourism and industry now include Uttar Pradesh,
Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.
Krishnat Deshmukh, district chief of agriculture in Maharashtra, said the
state will launch an online service to offer information on world-wide
produce prices, weather, and crop scenarios. This would enable farmers to
take decisions on exporting their produce.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is working on a plan to connect
villages in the state via a network.
The Chennai traffic police force, also in Tamil Nadu, plans to use its Web site to provide information about the spot fine system and traffic offences.
Karnataka legislative assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar has proposed plans for
online disclosure of the state government’s schemes in various departments,
amounts spent, schemes implemented, personnel in each department and
salaries paid to them, and work done by the respective legislative
representatives.
State governments in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, and Gujarat are
discussing projects for the launch of public access Internet community
centers with World-Tel, which has already tested such
access models in Latin American countries like Peru.
500 Internet community access centers are scheduled to be established in
1999 across Tamil Nadu. Organizations like the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board
(TNEB) will be involved in setting up the backbone for the project.
India’s Commerce Ministry has selected several organizations for
coordinated EDI implementation, such as Customs, Directorate General of
Foreign Trade (DGFT), Reserve Bank of India, and Container Corporation of
India.
DGFT, National Information Center (NIC) and the Commerce Ministry have made
export-import policy documents accessible on the Internet.
The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi was the first Indian mission in the Gulf to launch its Web site. Information provided
covers regulations for obtaining business visas, and templates for sworn
affidavits.
The Ministry of Railways has decided to create a Web site for Indian
Railways. The site will contain information on ticketing and routes as well
as purchase and tenders.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority of India has a Web site listing 5,000 exporters in categories like
fresh produce, cereals, grains, animal products, and alcoholic beverages.
India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) has a site featuring
stock prices, volume traded and information on 1,500-odd stocks traded on
the NSE, press releases, a live ticker, and a portfolio manager.
Public sector units like Indian Railways, the Power Grid Corporation of
India, and the West Bengal State Electricity Board (WSEB) plan to offer
backbone services to ISP’s.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) plans to make phone directories
of the major cities available on the Net.
The Prime Minister’s Task Force on Information Technology and Software
Development plans to leverage IT to create a
million jobs in the next five years and increase the annual software
exports to $50 billion by 2008.
Intel CEO Craig Barrett, on a recent visit to India, proposed to the Task
Force that it should focus on value added software applications with
special relevance to the Internet if it seeks to become a global software
leader.
Challenges still remain in basic Internet infrastructure in the country and
e-commerce laws covering taxation and intellectual property rights.
A working group set up by India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is
studying the issue of taxation of Internet transactions.
The Indian government has formed a Group on Telecommunications (GOT) which is
formulating new telecom policy for convergent technologies; however, it is
divided over the issue of allowing private parties to provide Internet
telephony.
