Gopinath Munde-Speeches

Shri Nanaji Chudasama, Shri Prakashji Javadekar and Mr. Raj Purohit, Sisters and Brothers, I am delighted to see you here as I prepare myself to be a part of the cyberspace. Most of you are netizens already. You may not perhaps understand why I am so thrilled this evening at this launch. For you, web sites and surfing is only a routine. But please try to realise this: I am basically a simple farmer from a little village, Nathra, in Marathwada's Beed district. Like my visionary leader Atalji, I had not used a computer in my life. Using Internet and setting up my own web site was not part of my dreams until recently. And here I am presenting to you my web site. This sudden and speedy change brings me the happiness and gladdens me to note that you have spared your precious time to share my joy. I need not tell you that we in Bharatiya Janata Party are anxious to learn and practise what is in the interest of the people and the nation. You will remember that the BJP was the first political party in India to set up its web site, much before others imitated us. Not only that, unlike the web sites of other parties, the BJP's site is updated regularly to interact with the people across the globe.

The government under the leadership of Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee was the first to think of Information Technology as a powerful tool for development. Last year, Shri Atalji set up a National Task Force on Information Technology and Software Development. The government did not waste time in initiating measures recommended by the task force to usher in the Internet culture in the country. We in the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra too acted quickly and appointed a Task Force under the able leadership of Shri. Prakash Javadekar. At the IT conference in Bangalore last year, Shri Atalji had said: For us in India, information technology does not have only an economic significance. It is a civilisational necessity for us. This is because it is going to re-establish India as materially prosperous and culturally resurgent nation in the coming centuries.

This vision of Atalji and my interaction with wise people like you have convinced me that Information Technology alone can bring about a transparent government. Mr. Bill Gates tells us in his famous book, Business @ The Speed of Thought, how electronic governance can cut red tape and bring people and government closer for the common good.

I am positive that the e-governance will help us face the challenges of the coming times and resolve the issues that adversely affect the common people.

I therefore decided to adopt the new tools of the Information Technology in our efforts to bring about the desired change in Maharashtra. The web site is the beginning. The interaction with the IT people and particularly with our Web team has made me realise to be more open. I believe in Charity Begins At Home.

Thus, when you access my site, you will notice that I have spoken about my family, my childhood, my likes and dislikes. This I have never done before. I had avoided speaking on these matters in the past. The Internet has transformed me to this extent.

I am confident that this site will give me an opportunity to reach out to the unseen people across the globe. It will serve as a very useful platform to exchange information and ideas, suggestions & complaints and dreams and visions. I invite every one at this site for a dialogue that will lead to a better tomorrow for my state, Maharashtra, and my country, India.

Let me assure you that I will be happy to receive both, bouquets and brickbats from you. I strongly believe that these bouquets and brickbats will help me understand if I am on the right track to fulfil my goal of serving the people.

You may send me an e-mail or join in for a chat from time to time. I believe that that the e-mail can be a modern version of ghanta that used to be hung outside the courtroom of Samrat Akbar. Anybody anywhere can ring this electronic bell to draw the attention of the government or me in person, to an injustice. One can use it to make a constructive suggestion for the industrial development of the state.

I present to the netizens in Maharashtra and outside, my humble attempt to fulfil the vision of the Prime Minister for a better tomorrow. I appeal to everyone on the Information Highway to extend a helping hand through this site to achieve the objective of e-governance in Maharashtra. We would appreciate if you contribute your own way to achieve these objectives. It would not be out of place to make a brief reference to what the BJP-Sena government has resolved to do in the state during the current year, which is being observed as Information Technology year.

We have decided to network networking offices in all the villages in the vicinity to other regions of the State, as in the Warananagar experiment. We have already undertaken the programme to computerise the government departments with very high public contact such as sales tax, revenue, health, education, irrigation, PWD, etc.

We want to use I.T. for better monitoring of government programmes for speedy implementation of projects. We are very keen to make it obligatory to use e-mail between State Headquarters and to taluka offices by 1st January 2000.

I am happy that IT professionals have already come forward to help the government. Only this month, the state government signed a memorandum of association with WorldTel, to develop the concept of Internet Service Provision within Maharashtra and the establishment of Community Internet Centres.

I am sure such measures can eliminate people's needless hassles that consume time. It pains me to see millions of parents and their children spending time only to obtain application forms for admission to schools and colleges. The jobless have to move from pillar to post just to locate information on employment opportunities and to file applications.

Can we not do away with such hassles and use their time for productive purpose? Why should we not create online facilities for government transactions? Can we do something to take quick action in times of disaster and natural calamities? It's time that we adopt the electronic commerce in India to be a part of the global scenario. I am confident that the e-commerce will be a legal reality in the country at the earliest and Maharashtra will be able to benefit from this mode of business.

I understand that e-commerce transactions in India are projected at Rs. 300 crore in 1999-2000 from Rs. 132 crore in 1998-99 and this is expected to grow in leaps and bounds in first few years of 21st century. Let us in Maharashtra try to exploit the new opportunities available through Information Technology.

Let me conclude my speech by asserting that Maharashtra will lead the country in Information Technology in the years to come. Thanks to the dynamic and pragmatic policies of the BJP and Shiv Sena, Maharashtra will be the Silicon Valley of India. There will be no need for our talented boys and girls to look to the West for jobs. They can work in our cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik or Nagpur and try their talents in software and information technology. They can make a meaningful career and contribute to the glory of our beloved Maharashtra.

Before I end, I must thank Shri Nanaji Chudasama, Shri Prakashji Javadekar and Mr. Raj Purohit for sparing their time to be with us here this evening. I am grateful to Mr. Devavrat Bapat of the WaveFront Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Shrimati Poorva Keskar and their team for creating such a useful and beautiful site for me.

And Thank You All. Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra