Outlining the roadmap for developing Information Technology infrastructure in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Wednesday that the government would be setting up an “IT city” near the upcoming Nalanda University.
“The IT city will come up on 200 acres of land adjoining the varsity in Nalanda district,” Mr. Kumar said in his address at the E-Bihar summit 2014.
As part of its IT policy, the state government has decided to create free Wi-Fi zone in Patna along a stretch of 20 kilometres.
“Bihar will be the first State to provide free Wi-Fi service on either sides of a road measuring 20 kilometres in length and 300 metres in breadth,” Mr. Kumar said.
The free Wi-Fi zone, covering the area from Saguna More to Patna Science College, is part of the first phase of IT infrastructure programme and is expected to be operational in one month.
“We have identified the location for our IT set up, but we still have to decide on the procedure for accessing the password by providing an identity proof. Free Wi-Fi can be used as well as misused,” Bihar IT minister Shahid Ali Khan told The Hindu .
Work is also underway on an IT Park over one lakh square feet area in Patna, covering the city’s key locations and business districts. The projected, aimed at developing an IT cluster in Patna, is expected to be completed in two years.
In the second phase, the government would be extending the Wi-Fi facility to tourist spots, namely Rajgir, Bodh Gaya and Sitamarhi and building another IT park in Bihta, Patna district.
Underscoring Bihar’s IT potential, Mr. Kumar said the State would emerge as an attractive destination for IT investment. He appealed to IT investors and developers at the summit to invest in Bihar instead of Vietnam and the Philippines.
At the event, he inaugurated projects such as the state data centre, service delivery gateway, city surveillance and dial 100.
“The conditions are good for IT investment in Bihar. To encourage the IT industry, our government has decided to provide workspace in Patna and its adjoining areas. None of our IT projects or any related pilot project so far has met with failure,” he said.
Bihar has begun implementation of the National Food Security Act from this month. Mr. Kumar said the government is using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to monitor the food grain delivery system. Women associated with Bihar government’s ‘Jeevika - Bihar Rural livelihoods Promotion Society’ project have been using the Aakash tablet despite being uneducated, he said.
