New Delhi, May 2016: Department of Information Technology & e-Governance, Government of Jharkhand, under the aegis of Secretary (IT) Mr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, has appointed Ernst & Young (EY) as the advisor for assisting the department in IT/ITeS/ESDM sector policy formulation, developing guidelines for setting up of IT Parks, investment promotion in the IT sector in the state, feasibility assessment and bid process management for development of IT Parks in the state.
Jharkhand has been continuously growing since it was carved out as an independent state.The state is highly rich in minerals, and mining and manufacturing are the main economic activities. However, the new government is trying to explore avenues for diversifying the development of the state and has identified information technology sector as one of the focus areas.
Information Technology and Electronics has been identified as one of the focus areas for development. Jharkhand recognizes the strategic importance of Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) as key components of its agenda for development. Shri Barnwal quoted that the vision of the State Government for the IT sector is “To ensure large scale socio–economic development, sustained growth, transparency in Government policies and decisions and enhanced service delivery by effective use of Information Technology”.
The state is proposing to develop an IT policy and implementation guidelines keeping in mind the enhanced opportunities that IT will unleash over the next decade; these opportunities will allow companies to create value, provide significant opportunities in providing employment and enhance efficiencies in governance.
The agreement was signed by Shri Sarvesh Singhal, Special Secretary (IT) in presence of Shri Umesh Sah, Director(IT) on behalf of DoIT, Govt of Jharkhand and Shri Adil Zaidi, Partner(EY) in the presence of Shri Satish Kaushal, Executive Director(EY). Under the agreement EY will undertake investment promotion activities in IT/ITeS and ESDM sector and provide implementation support for the same in the state. The project comprises of two phases i.e. 1) Investment Promotion2) Implementation support. Under phase 1, EY will draft the IT policy, ESDM policy and DTP guidelines for the state and assist the state in roll out of the policies and promote start-ups. Under phase 2, EY will organize Roadshows, IT summits and global IT summits to promote IT investments in the state from entrepreneurs and established IT firms.
Efforts are also being made by Department of IT & e-Gov., Jharkhand to accelerate IT growth in state. Envisioning the potential of IT on lives of citizens, the state believes that IT & ICT development can be leveraged to deliver variety of services to citizens of Jharkhand in effective and efficient manner.