Gandhinagar : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today called for the use of e-Energy projects for qualitative improvement in power generation, transmission and distribution with the application of Information-Communication Technology (ICT).
Inaugurating the 8th international conference on e-Governance jointly organized by Communication Society of India (CSI) and Gujarat Government at Nirma University, he defined e-governance as easy-effective-economic governance with a view to applying the technology in everyday life for the welfare of the common man. Gujarat has laid an ICT network to redress people’s grievances down to the village level.
The Chief Minister was presented with the e-Ratna Award of CSI at the function.
Explaining the details of e-Energy projects in Gujarat, he said that all the 18,000-odd villages in the state is connected with three-phase electricity supply for 24-hour under Jyotigram Yojna, with separate lines for agricultural and domestic consumption.
The Chief Minister said that pilot projects have already been started in developing 19 different technical modules for improving all round efficiency in the cost of producing and revenue, checking theft in different sources of energy, with the synergy between research and technology. The results would be announced in the coming months as and when each becomes a success.
As to how Gujarat remains untouched by severe coal shortage stalking the country, he said, it is because the plant load factor in coal-fired thermal plants has been increased from 60-65 to 85, with the application of technology, stringent monitoring of the inventory and each process of production. Computers are not just like flower vases on desktops at government offices but are there to help the people.
He said the need is to create computer literacy as a powerful tool. It has been deployed in computerization of RTO, check posts in remote areas, increasing the state’s revenue by Rs.400-crore. The success of 108-Emergency Service, faster than that in America or Europe, is because of its link with communication technology. He listed GSWAN solving 1.85-lakh problems out of 2-lakh raised by the public, forensic science, crime detection, investigation and punishment, wildlife protection, BRTS in Ahmedabad as some of the other applications.
Prominent speakers included Central Government IT and Telecom Secretary Mr. Chandrashekhar, Gujarat’s Chief Secretary Mr. A.K. Joti, CSI chief Mr. M.D. Agrawal, GTU V-C Prof. Akshay Agrawal and Additional Chief Secretary (S&T) Mr. Ravi Saxena.