IT vendors are now looking at the next growth engine which is appearing in the form of domestic power sector. The government has budgeted INR 50,000 crore for the modernisation of the power sector of which INR 10,000 crore will be spent on IT.
A pilot project, Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax (ACES) has been launched in Bhubaneswar, bringing in more convenience to taxpayers. ACES is one of the mission mode projects identified under the national e-Governance plan and aims to automate all core processes of excise and service tax.
The pleasant surprise may turn into reality if and when the Gujarat government is planning to introduce its ambitious ‘Faceless 24×7 Governance’ scheme. The state government is aiming towards completing the programme of providing hassle-free services to the people by May 1, 2010.
In comparison to a 20% growth in calendar year (CY) 2007 the Indian hardware PC industry degrew by nearly 1% in the last CY 2008. The industry is expected to bounce back only by the third quarter of this year, driven by various government initiatives, besides the Rs 44,000 crore national e-governance projects and opening up of certain frozen corporate accounts, said IDC a research firm.
Four new products have been launched by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) which are, Saarathy (mobile navigation solutions); MI SDK – medical informatics SDK suite with SDK for DICOM and SDK for HL7; EQ-Check (software for computer aided seismic checking and design of concrete structures) and GO-Write (GIST online writer independent text entry).
VeriSign, Inc., a provider of Internet infrastructure for the networked world, announced a new platform specifically designed to meet the needs of governments looking to implement and manage their own Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
Microsoft Corporation released a new version of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8), adding features meant to speed up common Web surfing tasks and bringing the browser’s security measures in line with those of major competitors.
In order to provide eServices to the public through self-service eKiosks about 35 eKiosks will be set up in different parts of Bahrain, under an agreement signed by the eGovernment Authority (eGA) with CrediMax.
China occupying the 46th position is aheadd od India which stands at 54th position in the Network Readiness Index (NRI). So China has overtaken India on the global IT (information technology) radar, according to the Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is set to start the pilot launch of for the Passport Seva Project in June this year. This INR 1,000-crore ministry of external affairs project was awarded to TCS last year and the company will set up 79 passport seva kendras (PSK) as part of the project.
