The Union Cabinet's Committee on Infrastructure on Wednesday approved the rollout of the e-district mission mode project in all the 640 districts of the country, including the 41 districts where pilot projects of the scheme have already been initiated.
The e-district project is part of the national e-governance plan approved by the Centre in 2006 to make all government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets at affordable costs and in the most efficient, transparent and reliable manner.
The project is estimated to cost Rs. 1,663 crore, out of which government's share is estimated at Rs. 1,233 crore. The States will bear the balance estimated cost of Rs. 430 crore.
The project envisages modernisation of offices and sub-offices of district administration and automation of various government processes. Citizens would be able to track their applications and requests for various government services online.
The Cabinet also met on Wednesday and decided to set up an empowered committee to identify the technology and investors for establishing two semi-conductor wafer fabrication facilities in the country.
The panel would include of Adviser to Prime Minister on Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation; Chairman, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC); Secretary, Department of Expenditure; and Member (Industry), Planning Commission.
Former Chairman and Managing Director of Semiconductor Complex Ltd., M. J. Zarabi would also be a member as a technical expert. Secretary, Department of Information Technology, would be its Member Convenor. The panel may co-opt any other experts if needed. It would be required to submit its recommendation to the Government by July 31.
The Cabinet also approved the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Protocol is open for signature upto February 1 next year. So far, six countries have signed it, including Brazil, Mexico and Columbia.
Aim
Its objective is to provide for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to the genetic resources and appropriate transfer of relevant technologies and thus address the issue of misappropriation or bio-piracy of its genetic resources.
