The Hindu Business Line : Panel wants more funds for informatics centre

A PARLIAMENTARY Standing Committee on Information Technology has recommended that more funds be allocated to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) as the organisation, set up to computerise Central and State Governments, is constrained for money to execute its programmes.

NIC had proposed a total outlay of Rs 3,179.80 crore in the Tenth Plan, but the Planning Commission approved only Rs 975 crore. For sustaining ongoing activities of NIC, the proposed allocation of Rs 705 crore has been "drastically reduced to Rs 573 crore."

Upgradation/expansion schemes have been allocated only Rs 172 crore against the proposed outlay of Rs 745 crore, the committee, chaired by Mr Somnath Chatterjee, has stated in its report.

"The committee strongly recommends that the Ministry should take up the matter with the Planning Commission at the highest level to get the funds released as proposed by the NIC for execution of its ongoing and proposed schemes," the report says.

The committee also found that the proposed scheme of e-infrastructure for e-governance at block level, which was to cost Rs 1,500 crore, has been completely abandoned.

On e-governance, the committee said it was constrained to find that many States were still lacking in the application of hardware and there was an urgent need to create e-governance infrastructure by the respective governments.

It said States should earmark 3 per cent of their budget for IT-related applications on the lines of Union Government for strengthening e-governance.