Bihar’s Department of IT aspires to “establish information technology” as a means towards “grand development of the state with inclusive growth.” However, the state has had a hard time in the last 15 years luring major IT and electronics firms with business opportunities. State officials are currently working on an updated “IT Policy” in the hopes of luring major tech and electrical firms to the area. Bihar’s Minister of IT Mohammad Israil Mansuri recently discussed the state’s new IT strategy and other initiatives with CEO Today.
Here are the edited excerpts from our Face-to-Face.
Question: In the last three decades, the IT and electronics industry has emerged as the top employers in the country. The young generation wants to work in this sector. What are you doing to bring the global IT and electronics companies to Bihar so that the state’s youth have access to good job opportunities?
Israil Mansuri: The province of Bihar is a sizable one. We count ourselves very fortunate to have such a sizable population. The state’s public utilities and transportation systems are in good shape. In the past, people used to struggle with both a dearth of access to electricity and poor transportation conditions. However, that is not the situation any longer. At this time, electricity is accessible throughout the entirety of the state, and the majority of the roadways have been brought up to acceptable standards. In addition to this, the law and order situation is positive. The state’s legislative structure is reliable and consistent. If an information technology company invests in the state, they won’t have to worry about encountering any difficulties because the state does not have any significant infrastructure-related or societal issues.
Question: In the last three decades, the IT and electronics industry’ has emerged as the top employers in the country. The young generation wants to work in this sector. What are you doing to bring the global IT and electronics companies to Bihar so that the state’s youth have access to good job opportunities?
Israil Mansuri: Bihar is a very extensive province. We count it as a blessing that we have a sizable population. The state’s infrastructure is in good shape overall. In the past, people used to struggle with both a shortage of electricity and a dearth of well-maintained roadways. On the other hand, this is no longer the situation. Currently, there is access to electricity in every region of the state, and the majority of the roadways have been brought up to acceptable standards. The condition with law and order is also positive. The state’s legislative structure is consistent and reliable. If an information technology company decides to engage in the state, they won’t run into any issues because the state does not have any significant societal or infrastructure-related issues.
Question: Is poverty in the state one of the reasons behind Bihar’s failure to attract investments from IT companies?
Israil Mansuri: The majority of people’s financial situations have significantly improved over the past few years. I went to Seemanchal not too long ago. It is commonly believed that this area suffers from crippling levels of economic deprivation. As a result of holding meetings in a number of the local communities there, I was able to witness firsthand the economic growth that has taken place in this region. The situation in Bihar, both economically and socially, is one that is very amicable, which is the argument I would like to make. Any information technology business decides to invest in any part of Bihar will not encounter any problems connected to the state’s infrastructure or the legal system. We have property set aside for information technology businesses in a number of locations across the state. For example, in Bhita, 25 acres of property has been set aside specifically for information technology businesses. The corporations are at liberty to place an investment in any county or municipality throughout the state.
Question: In other states, we find that lakhs of technology professionals from Bihar are working in the IT sector.
Israil Mansuri: You have a valid point. That is yet another advantage that Bihar possesses. There are thousands of our young men and women currently engaged in the information technology industry. You can find a significant number of techies working in high-ranking positions in the most successful information technology businesses in the southern states who are originally from Bihar. After I was appointed as the Minister of Information Technology in the Indian state of Bihar, I had the opportunity to meet a number of young men who hold executive positions in some of the most prestigious information technology businesses in the world. A good number of these techies are excited at the prospect of working from Bihar. If information technology businesses moved their operations to Bihar, they would not have to deal with any difficulties in finding qualified workers.
Question: The IT Policy of Bihar has been under development for a long time. When will the IT Policy be released?
Israil Mansuri: The Information Technology Policy of the state of Bihar is currently in its concluding phases of development. It won’t be long before it’s available. At this time, I am unable to discuss the specifics of the information technology strategy. We are resolute in our mission to bring Bihar to the forefront of excellence in the delivery of e-governance services. Our goal is to position Bihar as the leading manufacturing centre for information technology and electrical goods.
Question: Do you have plans to develop IT parks in the state?
Israil Mansuri: Land across the state of Bihar has been designated for use in the creation of information technology parks in a number of different locations. As I mentioned previously, there is an information technology park in Bhita that spans 25 acres. After that, we have an information technology metropolis in Rajgir that covers a total area of 112 acres. We are currently constructing an information technology tower in Patna, close to the Dak Bungalow intersection. This information technology tower is being constructed using the PPP model, and once finished, it will be home to more than 4,000 working professionals. We have not been successful as of yet in luring the proper kind of information technology businesses to make significant investments here and establish their manufacturing plants. But we are optimistic that the world’s largest information technology companies will soon begin considering Bihar as a location from which they can manufacture their wares and provide their services for international marketplaces.
Question:You are expecting investments from what kind of IT companies? Are you looking at the top IT giants or the middle order IT companies?
Israil Mansuri: We are seeking investments from high-end worldwide IT titans if they are willing to work with us. Businesses that relocate to Bihar ought to have the ability to establish their very own infrastructure and business ecosystems that are capable of thriving independently. The information technology businesses will not have any difficulty finding property or personnel. They have access to a large quantity of property in Bihar. The state is responsible for the generation of crores of highly qualified and self-driven professionals who are now employed in neighbouring states.
The younger generation in each state has a great deal of hope and anticipation for the state’s IT Minister. This is due to the fact that they want to find work in the information technology (IT) or electronics industries, both of which fall under the jurisdiction of the IT Ministry. You would run into young people who aspire to work in the information technology industry not only in your own constituency but also in other areas of the state.
Question:What is your message to the youth of Bihar?
Israil Mansuri: We want to see an increase in the number of information technology businesses that set up shop in Bihar and invest here. In order to entice the information technology businesses, we are developing an IT strategy. The information technology strategy will be made public very shortly. We will put on events and roadshows to let the world’s largest information technology companies know that it is in their best financial interest to engage in Bihar’s economy. We want to see the young of Bihar find satisfying work in the information technology industry.
Question:There is a sense that the e-governance services in Bihar are not up to the mark. What are you doing to improve the quality of e-governance?
Israil Mansuri: It is not accurate to say that the quality of our electronic government services falls short of expectations. Daily benefits are distributed in the amount of 125,000 to 225,000 crore individuals in the state of Bihar through SendcePlus. ServicePlus in Bihar is managed by the Information Technology Department; approximately 25 recipients of RTPS are included in SendcePlus. ServicePlus is used to issue revenue certificates, tribe certificates, residential certificates, and a number of other certificates, all of which can be done so online.
People from all over the state of Bihar use internet platforms to generate certificates and to file complaints about various issues. The IT Department in Bihar is also responsible for operating the sendees for the Aadhaar identification program, which you can read more about here. For the purposes of Aadhaar identification, we developed a specialised data repository. Bihar is one of the only two governments in India to have developed their very own data repository specifically for the Aadhaar authentication system. On the new e-Procurement platform, which was recently implemented, all of the departments’ bids have been uploaded. (e-Proc2.0). Bihar is not behind the times when it comes to e-governance; in fact, we are sending out a large number of people to learn about e-governance.
