Kapil Sibal for one govt website for all public service

New Delhi: Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday asked his ministry officials to lay a road map by 2014 for creation of a "Google" type of comprehensive website that will enable citizens to access service of all government departments with a click of a mouse.

"My dream will only come true when we will provide people of India with that (Google) kind of platform and I hope before 2014 a blueprint of that kind of platform is laid on the table for me to sign on so that future is cast in stone. This is my dream and vision," Sibal said while inaugurating National Data Centre (NDC) spread over 60,000 square feet area here.

He said he always has a question in his mind that why is India not having a Google-like platform instead of the existing system where people have to access the website of each ministry for information. The Minister said there should be one common platform for providing all kind of services that can be provided through Internet.

Meanwhile, officials from Department of Electronics and Information Technology said they are working on another project to create a new data centre spread over 2 lakh square feet to address future requirement after space in the NDC, launched on Monday, is exhausted.

The Minister on the occasion launched Dial.Gov web portal which citizens can use to access information regarding his/her eligibility for benefits from various government-run schemes. At present, the Dial.Gov can provide information on scholarship schemes of Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Social Justice and Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs, Science and Technology and some schemes from state governments.

Sibal also asked various departments under his ministry to collaborate and set up a common facility. "Why should be there so many data centres. There is no need to set up separate data centre when you have only one purpose," Sibal said.

The Minister said that departments should create campaign to make people aware of the kind of information and data government is hosting on its data centres. He said National Informatics Centre which has worked to create NDC should have a new unit that should collaborate with private sector, specially small and medium scale businesses, to create software.