If Shah Jahan had the icon of Taj Mahal, and the Hyderabad of old the Charminar, Chandrabu Naidu build his icon of beauty, and utility, to proclaim his IT Manifesto to the world. The Hi-tech City was that grand plan, as part of his grandiose vision, of harnessing the omnipotent potential of IT, and the Cybar Towers at Madhapur has become a global architectural marvel, besides being his own rightful symbol.
The optimum use of Information Technology can alone compensate for all the revolutions we as a nation missed in the past, including the Industrial Revolution, is Naidu’s oft repeated panacea.
And he has demonstrated it with amazing results in the last five years. The use of IT cuts processes, delays and reduces, and subsequently eliminates, corruption. Services reach the common man faster, and come cheaper to the government to provide.
Whether in education and spread of illiteracy, taking health-care to every nook and corner, providing public and specific information, and overall administrative and government-based documentation, IT can transform the way people are served by the State.
Today, Andhra Pradesh is a modern State in that sense. Land documents registered in hours in what previously would take ages. Licenses, passports, payment of bills, registration of birth and deaths and other documents are given within a much shorter span and plans to provide Central Office giving all government departments’ information and services under one roof are afoot.
Soon, the State under him will ensure a one-stop, nonstop information to all citizens. The State government is moving towards paperless offices, using workflow concepts and enterprise wide computing. Surely 21st century stuff. The State is in process of setting-up value added network services and has recently launched a pilot project, Twin cities Integrated Network Services (TWINS).
Andhra Pradesh is already the proven IT destination for skilled manpower across the globe, and the United States alone has over 30 per cent of its skilled IT labour imported from the State.
Abundant success stories of IT entrepreneurs from the State are just another indication, and vindication, of the belief of Naidu that if there is a panacea, it is Information Technology.
Throughout history, for a great war has to be won, a motivated army, a great general and perfect weapons were needed. When Andhra Pradesh triumphs in its war against poverty, the General would have undoubtedly Naidu, and the weapon Information Technology.