Elets National Rural eGovernance summit, held on March 15, 2023, at the hotel Lalit Ashok in Bengaluru, Karnataka, concluded successfully. The summit was organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd in association with the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department, Government of Karnataka as host partner and Israel as a country partner.
The summit focused on the use of technology to empower rural communities and improve their access to government services. The event brought together government officials, technology experts, and representatives from the private sector to share their knowledge and experiences in the field of rural e-governance.
The summit began with the lamp lighting ceremony and the launch of the Elets eGov special magazine on ‘ National Rural eGovernance’. The summit featured inaugural addresses by Shilpa Nag, Commissioner, Rural Development, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Deptt, Government of Karnataka and Dr Ravi Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of Elets eGov magazine. The inaugural session also featured addresses by Subha Kalyan, Director, eGovernance, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Deptt, Government of Karnataka, Dr. Shakil P. Ahammed, Principal Secretary, Water Resources & Home (Police), Government of Meghalaya, L. K. Atheeq, Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Deptt, Government of Karnataka, Uma Mahadevan, Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Deptt, Government of Karnataka, V. Ponnuraj, Secretary, Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (DPAR) eGovernance, Government of Karnataka. Tammy Ben-Haim, Consul General of Israel to South India joined the event to share light on India-Israel Partnership on eGovernance.
“Karnataka is a prominent player in the field of GIS technologies and is currently implementing GIS technology for the first time for planning purposes. The state is one of the primary implementers of NREGA and has successfully created natural resource management assets, as well as non-NRM assets such as school and road infrastructure, generating revenue ranging from 13 crores to 16 crores. To fully comprehend the potential of NREGA, it is important to examine the natural resource management assets that are being created. Unfortunately, the impact and contribution of NREGA towards our ecology and environment, specifically in the context of mitigating climate change, is not being given enough attention.” said Shilpa Nag, Commissioner, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Deptt, Government of Karnataka while giving her special presentation on Jal Sanjeevani.
Tammy Ben-Haim, Consul General of Israel to South India speaking at the event said, “Israel and India have been working in close cooperation for the past 20 years to transform rural governance. We have strategic partnership on this issue at the government-to-government level. What was started off as cooperation in the field of agriculture, has over the years evolved into a partnership called India-Israel Agriculture Partnership.”
Over the course of the one-day summit, various sessions were held to discuss the challenges and opportunities in rural e-governance, including topics such as digital literacy, citizen engagement, and cybersecurity. Speakers included government officials from various states, technology experts, and representatives from the private sector.
The summit also provided a platform for technology companies to showcase their solutions for rural e-governance. SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, NABARD, ICT Infracon joined the event as sponsors partners. Exhibitors included companies working in the fields of e-governance and financial inclusion.
Speaking at the end of the summit, Dr. Ravi Gupta, CEO of Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, said, “The Elets National Rural eGovernance summit has been a great success. We are pleased to have brought together such a diverse group of experts to share their knowledge and experiences. We hope that the ideas and solutions discussed here will help to improve the lives of people living in rural areas.”
The summit was attended by over 500 delegates from across India, including government officials, technology experts, and representatives from the private sector. It provided a valuable opportunity for networking and learning, and helped to promote the use of technology to improve governance in rural areas.