Since a while now, Bihar IT Association (BITA) has been demanding for a
separate IT Minister for the state. Though Nitish Kumar, CM, Bihar, was the IT
minister of the state, the association claimed that due to his busy schedule it
was difficult to meet him. According to PK Sinha, Treasurer, BITA, this was
creating a lot of problems for them. “It was difficult for us to get an
appointment with the CM as he was very busy with other work. We had to wait
endlessly for our turn. We had put forward this demand for a separate IT
Minister to the government and finally they have agreed to it,” he said. The
government has appointed Anil Kumar as the new IT Minister of the state. Kumar
was earlier the Science and Technology Minister of Bihar.
Showing his pleasure, Sinha said, “We are very happy with the decision, and
will have the whole new set-up for the IT department. We can have one-to-one
discussions with the Minister. Now the state will be able to play an active role
in India's economic development.”
The association has also announced the dates of its first IT expo in Bihar,
which will be held from May 30 to June 2 at Gandhi Maidan, Patna. The IT fair
will be fully air-conditioned and will be managed by Center for Carrier
Information and Counseling. It will be open to visitors from 12pm to 8pm. With a
view to make Bihar a preferred destinaÂtion for IT business and industry, the
state government has decided to offer special incentives to attract vendors to
the state.
“Events like this will provide a platform to IT industry professionals for
business transactions, product launches and marketing. This will also create an
awareness about the government IT policies to IT industry and general public,”
informed Sinha.
Products that will be profiled are hardware, computer systems, peripherals,
storage devices, input devices, power supply devices, networking products,
remote access servers (RAS), system software, database management, SAP and ERP
solutions, networking technoÂlogies and telecom equipment.
Taking about the event, Sinha said that apart from partners, the event is
targeted at engineering and medical colleges, paraÂmedical institutions,
business schools, job-oriented courses. Around 2,00,000 visitors are expected at
the expo.