E governance helped minimise digital divide: TS IT Secretary

Telangana Information Technology Secretary Jayesh Ranjan on Tuesday said that e-governance has helped minimise the digital divide in the State.
“There is so much talk about technology at present. However, there is need to understand whether it is helping the common people or not. The Telangana government built on the good legacy of IT which Hyderabad had. Foreign firms have set up their offices here and the State government’s initiatives have led to the progress of IT in the State. Various steps have been taken to promote innovation and technology through T-Hub , T works etc.
“The Chief Minister constantly asked how technology is benefiting the common people. The IT department then decided to help other departments improve their performance through technology. A few states have also replicated Telangana’s method.  The government has stressed on agriculture, rice, cotton and maize were identified as major crops for which over 80 technologies have been identified and made affordable for the farmers. In all, 16 of the technologies have been implemented and yielded favourable results. There was one incident in Sircilla where an app to alert farmers regarding pest was launched. The organisers faced a technical issue and a farmer from the gathering helped them navigate,” Ranjan said.
Rajendra Nimje, Director General Centre for Good Governance said, “Telangana government’s focus on the startup culture is an essential step. It shows how the State has progressed. At present, there is no difference between governance and Digital Governance because governance is not possible without the digital assistance. It is the only governance which helps provide services to citizens. The Centre for Good Governance is also developing policies allowing startups to join the government initiative and provide services to the citizens and solve their issues efficiently.“
The panel discussion titled ” Digital Governance and Citizen Centricity”  was organised as part of the  Audit week 2023.
Apart from Jayesh Ranjan and Rajendra Nimje , the panel comprised Director General of Income Tax Investigations Sanjay Bahadur and RTI activist Rakesh Dubudu.  The rapidly evolving landscape of digital governance and the challenges and opportunities related to it were highlighted.