To bring more transparency into the administration and improve its functioning, Maharashtra Government has entrusted the task of formulating the e-governance policy to noted computer scientist Dr Vijay Bhatkar.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has asked Bhatkar to prepare the draft policy in two months. Bhatkar will be assisted by an 11-member expert panel drawn from different sectors.

At present, the government has accorded priority to providing services through SETU and Maha-e-seva to citizens.

Setu Society is a Society promotion of Excellence and Transparency in public administration for better Understanding of the requirements of the citizens in their interface with Government.

The government feels the need to bring improve the e-governance set up and hence decided to prepare a new policy.

The committee will discuss with citizens, professionals, educationists before formulating the policy.

The draft policy will include issues like online services, state portal, state service delivery gateway, state data centre, Maharashtra state wide area network, capacity building, audit, budgetary provisions for e-governance.

Besides Bhatkar, the panel comprises IIT Mumbai professors Dr Deepak Phatak, Dr G Shivkumar, IT Principal secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, TCS vice president Suresh Mhatre, Computer society of India president Dr Deepak Shikarpurkar, Dr Anand Deshpande of Persistent System Ltd, Vijay Mukhi, Rajiv Vaishnav of NASSCOM, Principal secretary of General Administration Nandkumar Jantre and Director of IT directorate Vijaylaxmi Bidri-Prassana.