0' *

CHIEF MINISTER
Jammu & Kashmir

MESSAGE
Jammu & Kashmir is known as heaven on earth for its pristine landscape. The State Government is committed to making big gains in social development, while ensuring that development and industrialisation happens in harmony with the verdant environment. The focus of all the programmes launched by the State Government is the welfare of the common man, while safeguarding the pristine environment. We are working with the aim of achieving the best possible human development indices, be it employment, literacy rate, life expectancy, public education, infant morality rate and public health. The State Government realises that absorption of technology and seamless connectivity are important factors for ensuring inclusive and environment friendly development. We have now put technology high on our agenda. We are ensuring that in the coming years many more services from the government will be available to the people through e-Governance. We are working to create a transparent, accountable, efficient and an effective IT enabled service delivery system for the citizens. The beneficial effects of ICT can only be harnessed when there is adequate capacity for technology absorption. So we are taking many landmark steps to ensure capacity building of government personnel across the state. As IT can be a big employment generator, the State Government is taking new initiatives to ensure that there is growth in the domestic IT industry. Being an -e-Governance progressive State, it is a matter of great pleasure for us to share that the State of Jammu & Kashmir is the "Host Partner" to the e-Gov Knowledge Exchange- Srinagar. The two day forum is being organized in historic city of Srinagar on 23rd and 24th May 2013. The eGov Knowledge Exchange- Srinagar will bring together key representatives from all areas of governance, ICT industry and civil society. It will definitely lead to sharing of knowledge in various areas of e-Governance. Forums like eGov knowledge Exchange - Srinagar are important as they serve as an opportunity for deliberations that will lead to the evolution of better systems for e-Governance implementations in Jammu & Kashmir. I hereby wish the forum a resounding success and extend my warm welcome to the guests who have gathered here.

(Omar Abdullah)