Maran lists several thrust areas for IT, telecom

New Delhi, May 24: Minister for communications and information technology Dayanidhi Maran today outlined the priority areas in the third year of the present UPA government.

The minister has listed out rural telephony, telecom and IT manufacturing, e-governance, postal sector reforms as prime areas.

Mr Maran said 250 million connections will be provided by 2007 and further 500 million connections by 2010. About 85 per cent of the country's geographical area will be covered by mobile telephone by next year.

Under rural telephony, all 41,000 uncovered eligible villages as on today will get a village public telephone by March 2007.

The country will be made a hub for IT and telecom manufacturing.

Mr Maran said the Department of Information Technology (DIT) will provide full support to other central ministries and state governments to facilitate time-bound and systematic adoption of e-governance.

DIT will create a ubiquitous platform for such integrated delivery of e-government services consisting of state wide area network, community services centre, state data centres and call centres.

The minister said an amendment to the Indian Post Office Act will be made in such a way so as to address the needs of competition, convergence and other new developments through various postal reforms.

He further said that anywhere and anytime banking services will be done through post office savings banks once they are computerised. Post banks will be created to facilitate customers.

UNI