Una, October 1 - Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said on Tuesday that the extensive use of digital technology in the state will make government services more accessible and effective. He directed to prepare a statewide policy to strengthen the system of darshan, donations and other services in temples through digital technology.
The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking while inaugurating the conference of the Department of Digital Technology and Governance in the auditorium of the Skill Development Center at Palakwah in Una on Tuesday. This one-day conference focused on generating employment through digital technology and bringing technology closer to the people and improving and increasing the reach of public services in the state. In this, there was an elaborate discussion on understanding citizen-centric digital applications and emerging technologies and their use in overall development.
In the inaugural session, Secretary of Digital Technology and Governance Department Dr. Abhishek Jain, Director of III Una Prof. Manish Gaur, Chief Information and Technology Officer of Bajaj Finance Anurag Jain, Director of Digital Technology and Governance Department Dr. Nipun Jindal, Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal, Additional Director of Digital Technology and Governance Department Rajiv Kumar, Joint Director Anil Semwal and other officers of the department, experts of information technology sector, President of Haroli Industrial Association Rajesh Kaushal, representatives of various panchayats, officers of various departments, entrepreneurs, children of educational institutions, operators of Lok Mitra Kendras and others participated.

Emphasis on the use of digital technology

In his address, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the department to prepare a statewide policy on the use of digital technology to strengthen the system of darshan, donation and other services in the temples of the state. He said that Himachal has world famous Shaktipeeth and historical temples. Work towards creating a uniform digital system for the state, including making arrangements for temple darshan and donation through digital medium. He stressed on the good use of digital technology to further improve the governance system. He also asked to focus on increasing the reach of public services and better use of technology in employment generation.

*Make coordinated efforts to revolutionize drone technology*

*Work will have to be done to become self-reliant in drone manufacturing*
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed the need for coordinated efforts to bring innovation in the field of drone technology and make it reach rural areas. He said that providing essential services like supply of medicines to people in remote and rural areas through drones should be our priority, but more work is still needed in this direction.
The Deputy Chief Minister expressed concern that drones are not being manufactured in India at present and most of the drones are imported from China. He said that we should work fast towards drone manufacturing so that we can become self-reliant. At the same time, attention will have to be paid to training drone pilots for children. He suggested Triple IT Una to run a short course of 3 or 6 months to provide drone pilot training to children there.

*Benefits of technology reach common people*

Mukesh Agnihotri has urged digital technology experts to ensure that the benefits of technology reach the common people and contribute to simplifying their lives. He said that the digital revolution is meaningful only when it brings ease in the lives of people by making public services accessible.
The Deputy Chief Minister underlined the role of Lokmitra Kendras in expanding digital services in rural areas. He said that in areas where Lokmitra Kendras have not been established yet, attention should be paid to establishing them so that people of rural areas can also avail the benefits of these services.
He informed that cashless travel service has been started in HRTC to promote the use of digital technology. Through this, passengers can now pay the fare using online application.

*There should be more and more innovative programs for the youth in Una*

Mr Agnihotri asked the district administration to organize more and more innovative programs in Una so that children and youth can benefit through technical education. He said that such programs will not only provide modern technical knowledge to children but will also prepare them for future employment opportunities.
Along with this, the Deputy Chief Minister stressed on the need to increase technical awareness at the Panchayat level. He said that Panchayat representatives should be made aware of the use of IT technology so that they can get online information about the schemes and programs implemented by the state government. So that they can provide the benefits of government schemes to more and more eligible people.

*Congress deserves credit for bringing information technology to India*
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, while giving credit to the Congress party for India's progress in the field of information technology, said that late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had started the computer era in the country. At that time, the opposition had strongly opposed it and came to Parliament on bullock carts and claimed that computers would harm the country and jobs would be lost. But time has shown that information technology has brought revolutionary changes in India and has taken the country forward on a new path of progress.
Shri Agnihotri said that at present the working system of government offices is being linked to digital platforms, due to which people are getting more facilities online. He said that earlier people used to get information about jobs through Rojgar Samachar, but now in the IT era, information about jobs is immediately available online through computers, tablets and mobile phones.

*Haroli will become the first 'smart assembly' of the state*

*Will be fully equipped with CCTV cameras*

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that Haroli Vidhan Sabha is going to be the first Vidhan Sabha in the state which will be fully equipped with CCTV cameras. This security system will be implemented in the next 15-20 days, under which all the entry gates, main roads, important places, intersections, markets, and educational institutions of the Vidhan Sabha constituency will be equipped with CCTV. This initiative is an important step from the point of view of ensuring the security of the area and effective control over crimes.
Mr Agnihotri said that now no criminal will be able to escape after committing a crime in Haroli assembly constituency, because the entire area will be under CCTV surveillance. Apart from this, work is also being done to connect Haroli with full internet facility, so that every information and service will be available online. He said that Haroli assembly constituency will completely come on the internet. Every information, every service here will be connected to the internet. Apart from this, four digital radars are also being installed to curb accidents caused by high speed.

*Haroli became an example of unprecedented development*

Mukesh Agnihotri, while highlighting the unprecedented development work done in Haroli assembly constituency, said that since he was elected MLA for the first time, many significant changes have taken place in Haroli. He said that achievements like the establishment of Center School, Triple IT, ITI, and three degree colleges in the area are the main examples of development. The aim of all these institutions is to equip children and youth with quality education and technical skills, so that they can face the challenges of the future.

*Efforts to extend the benefits of digital technology to common citizens - Dr. Abhishek Jain*

On this occasion, Secretary, Department of Digital Technology and Governance, Dr. Abhishek Jain said that the department is ensuring that the benefits of technology are not limited to a specific class but also reach the villages and common citizens working in Hindi. This conference has been organized with the idea that people should be aware about the use of digital technology. They can get the benefit of government services sitting at home and technical literacy should expand in rural areas.
He assured every possible help, including adequate financial support from the department, for setting up digital literacy camps in villages.
Dr. Jain informed that under the guidelines of the Himachal Pradesh government, the construction work of IT parks in the state is being carried forward at a fast pace. The IT park in Chautaru, Dharamshala has been completed, and the work of i-park in Mehli, Shimla is also going on at a fast pace. Apart from this, the construction work of the Center of Excellence for IT in Waknaghat is progressing rapidly. A target has been set to complete all these projects in the next three months.
He said that work is being done on priority to provide employment opportunities to the children of Himachal in the IT sector within the state itself, so that they do not have to go out and the talents of the state get a chance to make their mark in technology at the local level. He said that through digital technology, not only will government services become easier, but the lives of common people will also improve.

*Dr. Nipun Jindal gave information about the new initiatives of the department*

Director of Digital Technology and Governance Department, Dr. Nipun Jindal gave information about the innovations and various new initiatives undertaken by the department. He also said that under the e-district project, the general public can now avail 251 government services from home, which has brought a big change in their daily routine. These services are being made available to the citizens online without going to any government office, which is saving people's time and resources. Soon 40 more services will be added to it.

*Enlightening discussions on the possibilities of digital technology in dialogue sessions*

During the conference on Information Technology and Good Governance, experts held in-depth discussions and shared their views on the challenges and opportunities related to digital technology in various interactive sessions. In these sessions, the participants got their queries resolved and gained insights on the latest technological advancements.
In the first session, while discussing citizen-centric applications of the Department of Digital Technology and Governance, Dr. Manish Gaur, Director, Triple IT Una and Dr. Nipun Jindal, Director, Department of Digital Technology and Governance highlighted the challenges of net connectivity in rural areas and people's reluctance to use technology. They elaborated on the efforts being made to address these barriers.
In the session organized on the topic of promoting income generation and self-employment through digital technologies, Anurag Jain, Chief Information and Technology Officer of Bajaj Finance, Joint Director Industries Anshul Dhiman, President of Block Industries Association Haroli Rakesh Kaushal, Managing Director of Himpa Food Rohit Sharma, and Managing Director of Biogenta Pharma Deep Kumar shared their views. In this session, there was an in-depth discussion on the importance of digital platforms for entrepreneurship and self-employment.
In the third session, digital literacy was discussed. In this, Associate Professor of NIT Hamirpur Dr. Naveen Chauhan, Assistant Professor of IIT Ropar Dr. Shashi Shekhar Jha, Assistant Professor of Triple IT Una Dr. Vikram Kumar, and PhD scholars Kumari Mehak and Kumari Shweta Verma shared their views. The main objective of this session was to explain the importance of digital literacy and discuss how common citizens can benefit from it.
In the fourth and final session on Artificial Intelligence and its Applications in Governance, Dr Jaspal Kaur, Assistant Professor, NIT Jalandhar, Sunil Dahiya, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Foundation, Dr Prince Sharma, Assistant Professor, Triple IT Una, and Dr Mohit Kumar, Assistant Professor, NIT Hamirpur shared their experiences and insights on how Artificial Intelligence can make administrative processes simpler and more effective.
In this conference, there was a wide-ranging discussion on the developments, challenges and future prospects in the field of digital technology through various interactive sessions, thereby providing valuable information and guidance to all the participants.