President launches Gateway Portal to connect with rural poor

New Delhi, July 4 : President Pratibha Patil launched the Government's multi-lingual portal 'India Development Gateway (InDG)' in New Delhi today to connect with the rural people by providing information on strategic needs of the poor and the marginalized in local languages.

Rural communities can immediately access information in six important sectors namely, Agriculture, Rural Energy, Education, Health and e-Governance in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and English.

President said: "The portal can link panchayats across the country, empower village people and open a window of opportunity to rural development. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) must help bring about a second green revolution in agriculture."

"The Gateway should help achieve universalisation of primary education, energy conservation and energy efficiency and health objectives in the villages. It should be used to inform rural population about benefits from Government Schemes and income generation options," she added.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja said: "The Gateway Portal is part of the national e-Governance vision to make all government services accessible to the common man in his locality."

He hoped the portal would bring about change in villages and promote holistic human development. He described the initiative as another attempt to bring the power of IT to the unreached.

Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Scindia said the portal would bridge the knowledge gap, empower the youth and give full choices to citizens.

The Chairman of the India Development Gateway Initiative and eminent scientist Professor M.S. Swaminathan, said the portal marks a new architecture of growth based on social inclusion, knowledge revolution and national development.

He said, the portal would provide dynamic information in areas like weather and market to support agriculture and other sectors in villages.

The ceremonial launch of the portal was attended by a host of partner organizations and senior officials.

ANI