Observing that information is not available in the format that is required in present times, Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister, today favoured "digitisation" of information and making it available in real time in keeping with the spirit of RTI.

"Information is not available in the format that we need. We need to digitise information and make it available in real time to meet the needs of the 21st century and in keeping with the mandate of RTI," Pitroda said.

Addressing Parliamentarians at a function here, Pitroda, who is Advisor to the Prime Minister on Infrastructure, Innovation and Information, said innovation is key if information infrastructure is to be geared towards providing better services.

He spoke of some of the innovative steps the government is contemplating like launching an e-office drive where files would go electronic.

Noting that 32 million cases are pending in courts across the country, he said courts would be computerised for faster delivery of justice.

The IT czar also dismissed the contention of some MPs that infrastructure information will not help in solving issues like water scarcity, saying satellite imagery and geohydrological survey are key to finding water.

"In fact today there is technology in everything we do, be it is health, governance," he said.

Stressing on optimum utilisation of the over a million km of fibre optics laid by telecom companies across the length and breath of the country, Pitroda said the aim is to use them for data connection.

He said 250,000 villages are being connected through fibre optics while there are also plans to build a GIS platform to identify every assets available in the country.

"This will be launched on a nation-wide platform at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore," he said.

Pitroda said the national innovation council set up by the Prime Minister has decided to focus on key aspects like making innovation a platform, linking it to inclusive growth, creating right eco-system to encourage innovation and increasing discourses on innovation.

The council, he said has decided to set up innovation council in states and "raising a billion dollar innovation fund through private funding".

"We have also identified 40 innovation clusters like diamond clusters and jute clusters and bring the universities closer to these clusters," he said.