Govt to complete m-governance application by year-end

Mobile service delivery gateway to be developed by IT companies in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

PTI | July 13, 2011




The Department of Information Technology (DIT) on Tuesday set December as deadline to complete the development of a platform that would enable government-to- citizen services on mobile phones.

"We should have a completely developed mobile service delivery platform by December," Shankar Aggarwal, additional secretary, DIT said during consultations with stakeholders on m-governance.

Aggarwal formed two groups to sort out conflicting issues among stakeholders and to shape the proposal for technology development to be considered by DIT for implementation.

The mobile service delivery gateway will be developed by IT companies in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

There are divergent views in the industry on tariffs that should be charged for delivering m-governance services. Government representatives and some application providers wanted to have minimum fixed tariff for the services, but telecom service providers opposed it.

"DIT should not regulate tariff. It should be left on operator," said an Airtel representative. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said the tariff related issues should be referred to telecom regulator Trai.

Aggarwal agreed to refer the issue to Trai for decision on tariff but asked working group on mobile tariffs to come up with final proposal.

"We cannot allow service providers to exploit government service in any situation. The committee should work on tariff issue first and then we will approach Trai," Aggarwal said.

The Government issued draft framework for m-governance policy earlier this year. DIT department will hold a round-table meeting with mobile application developers next week.

As per the timeline set by government, DIT has to come up with notification on the standards for mobile applications by end of this month.

Comments

 

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.  

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter