Oracle ties up with HP for India's e-governance initiatives

Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Oracle India, the local arm of global technology giant Oracle Corp, Monday said it has tied up with Hewlett-Packard (HP) India to set up a research and development centre for e-governance initiatives. The e-Governance Centre of Excellence, which will be located in Gurgaon in nearby Haryana, will support e-governance initiatives by central, state and local government bodies in the country. The centre will become operational in April. "The centre will provide a platform for the development of model e-governance applications," Oracle India Private Ltd. managing director Shekhar Dasgupta told a press conference here. "It will also showcase e-governance applications that are currently being used by the various government agencies in India as well as e-governance applications by Oracle, Hewlett-Packard and their partners," he added. The centre will offer services such as technical consultation in addition to creating awareness amongst decision makers at the central and state-levels to help them effectively implement their respective e-governance processes. Analysts say e-governance offers multiple opportunities for the Indian government to spur growth of the economy, bridge the developmental divide between its urban and rural citizens and improve the efficiency of its functioning. States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have already launched their systems of e-governance and some of the others including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also moved forward towards implementation of e-governance. "This (centre) will help the interested government agencies with the right frame of reference when opting for e-governance in their respective departments," said Hewlett-Packard India president Balu Doraisamy. "It will also help department heads envisage the benefit that a particular project can bring to the common man who interfaces with their organisation," he added. The officials refused to disclose the investment earmarked for the setting up of the project. "What we are investing in setting up of the centre is intellectual capital and that is beyond any value," said Derek Williams, executive vice president (Asia Pacific Division) of Oracle Corporation. "Oracle has been working with governments in countries across Asia Pacific to implement world-class technology and innovations that improve quality of life. This joint initiative with Hewlett-Packard will strengthen that process in India." Dasgupta said the e-Governance Centre of Excellence will initially focus on developing technologies for streamlining revenue collections, enhancing citizen services delivery mechanism and improving the security of the government network.
Source: IANS
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