NIIT bags Rs 35-crore order from Tobacco Board

e-Auction likely to start in November

PTI | August 3, 2012



NIIT Technologies Ltd, an IT solutions provider, has bagged a Rs 35-crore order from the Tobacco Board to implement e-auction of tobacco in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

G Kamala Varhana Rao, Chairman of the Board, said NIIT will implement an IT solution in 100 days that will facilitate e-auction of tobacco and eliminate market intermediaries.

e-Auction is likely to start in November first week in Karnataka. The system will be introduced in 31 auction platforms ? 20 in Andhra Pradesh and 11 in Karnataka, he said.

"We have conducted pilot projects at two places on the e-auctioning system. They proved to be successful. NIIT was shortlisted after a due process. With e-auctioning system in place, no one can influence prices. Everything will be transparent," Rao said at a press conference.

This is one of the key e-governance initiatives in the area of commodity marketing in India. Tea and Spices Boards also have e-auctioning platforms, he added.

Arvind Mehrotra, President, Asia-Pacific, NIIT, said the solution envisages usage of handheld devices. Bidders will use handheld devices for conducting auction on real-time basis. The auction platforms will enable the farmers to sell their tobacco bales to cigarette manufacturing companies.

"The process will ensure inventory reduction and transparency through real-time collaboration between buyers and suppliers. Approximately 1000 bales are expected to be auctioned at each location each day. The platform will ensure fair pricing for the farmers as the market intermediaries will be excluded in the process," Mehrotra said.

Comments

 

Other News

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter