Post News Network
New Delhi, April 10: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre for approval for the setting up of an IT Investment Region at Bhubaneswar with an investment of Rs 3,700 crore.
The Chief Minister also touched upon the need to finish projects to ensure Internet connectivity to all gram panchayats by 2016, during a meeting with Union communication and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
“The Union IT minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and I had a discussion on various important subjects of the state. The minister said that he and his ministry would help in every way they can,” said the Chief Minister after the meeting.
Patnaik has sought a direction to Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) to ensure full connectivity of 16 districts comprising 3,298 gram panchayats by December 2015 under the National Optical Fiber Network Project and the remaining gram panchayats in 14 districts by December 2016.
The Chief Minister also demanded improvement of a greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster at Info-Valley , Bhubaneswar, and setting up of three new software technology parks at Jajpur, Angul and Sambalpur.
He also enquired about the funding patterns necessary to actualise Digital India programmes of the government.
Patnaik also demanded an exclusive portal for Nabakalebar 2015 and sought the support of NIC in this regard. He also asked for a commemorative stamp to be issued for Nabakalebar 2015.
The Union Minister, however, said, “As far as IT Investment Region is concerned, the cabinet has asked to revisit the entire policy in consultation with the state governments. We are doing that. On the electronics cluster, we have already given in principle approval. I would be happy to render all cooperation to the state government of Orissa.”
