By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Friday asserted that high cost was the main constraint in the adoption of new technologies.
The statement came from the Chief Minister while he was addressing the Meghabytes NICT 2012 conference at Yojana Bhawa on Friday.
“There have been instances where new technology is being developed and used outside the country and when they are brought into the country, the cost goes up at times by as much as 100 to 200 %. This is something that we need to address,” Dr. Sangma said.
The one day conference held in the city aims at empowering Meghalaya with technology.
According to Sangma, another bottleneck the state faces in terms of Information Technology is frequent failure of connectivity and he called upon partners to address the issue.
“We should be receptive to new ideas,” Sangma said while adding that all departments should start looking for adopting new technology.
He also said that the State is doing good progress in the field of Information Technology as the State has the entire infrastructure required for e – governance.
He also called upon the business houses and service providers to enter into a partnership with the State as Meghalaya is highly conducive for investment.
He added that Expression of Interest has already been floated for the IT park in New Shillong Township and eighty acres of land has been allotted to the IT department for the IT Park.
Earlier, IT minister AL Hek also informed the gathering about the various steps taken by the State Government for expanding the activities of IT in the state.
The Chief Secretary WMS pariat who was also present on the occasion asserted that there are some shortcomings in the IT sector and accessibility in rural areas is an issue that needs to be addressed.