MeitY launches Digital Government Research Centre in Patna

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched the “Digital Government Research Centre (DGRC)” in Patna. The sate-of-the art R&D centre was inaugurated by the  Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice,  Ravi Shankar Prasad in the presence of Ms. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Neeta Verma, Director General, NIC, Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI, Dr Pushpak Bhattacharya, Director General, IIT-Patna and Manoj Kumar Mishra, MD, NICSI among others.

Speaking on the occasion,  Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “India is going through a Digital revolution. The Digital India campaign undertaken by the Government of India under the leadership of the  Prime Minister  Narendra Modi is bringing about a massive transformation which is certain to make India the number one country in the world in the field of information technology.”

“Digital India is for the masses. India is progressing towards e-Hospitals and e-Mandis. Inclusion being an integral part of Digital India campaign, we aim to connect to villages to this movement. We are already in the process of identifying the Gram Panchayats to take this initiative ahead.” Added Ravi Shankar Prasad

Digital Government Research Centre, Patna is being established at STPI Campus, Rajiv Nagar Road, Patna. It will have focus on developing tools and technology for Digital Government initiatives and help introduce ICT solutions in improving service delivery to the common man across the nation. Conducting research on e-Governance and Knowledge Society’s issues will be the prime objective of DGRC, Patna and it will help develop programmes for cultural and linguistic diversity and education for all in the e-Governance domain.

Digital Government Research Centre is a research centre, established with a focus on the interface between technology, government and institutions. At the centre, the purpose is the utilization of Information Technology and other web-based technologies to improve and/or enhance on the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public sector. The main motive behind the establishment is to involve the use of information technology, specifically the Internet, to facilitate the communication between the government and its citizens.

Behind the development of this research centre in Patna, a system is created that benefits all constituents. This digital step ahead has traditionally and solely, managed by government and will support to generate or attract new customers.

The development of this Digital Research Centre will aim and allow citizens to interact with computers to achieve objectives at any time and any location, and eliminates the necessity for physical travel to government agents sitting behind desks and windows. Many services will be available to citizens with computers and Internet access 24 hours a day and seven days a week, in contrast to government offices, which tend to be only open during business hours. The initiative taken by the government will enable citizens around to access the information on their computers and Internet, which may make quicker processing time for finding information and saves energy.

By this research centre, Government and its agents will also have the opportunity to follow citizens to monitor satisfaction with services they receive. Through feeds, mobile messaging, micro-blogging services and blogs, government and its agencies can share information to citizens who share common interests and concerns. These collaborative technologies and interactive tools can create a platform on which government, citizens, and innovative companies can improve transparency and efficiency which can increase citizen participation and allow development of innovative apps; websites etc and can lead to an innovative platform with speed, efficiency, and convenience