A university level workshop on National e-Governance Plan was held on 29th September 2012 at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. The workshop was jointly organised by the computer centre of BHU and Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY), Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. The purpose of the workshop was to create awareness about e-Governance and National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) to the students of the University and make them aware of the various opportunities being created in this domain career-wise as well as about the proposed electronic delivery of various services. It also encouraged academicians to carry out more research work in the area of e-Governance and service delivery relevant to Indian context and provide valuable inputs into improving the ongoing eGovernance projects in the state.

Vice Chancellor of BHU, Shri Lalji Singh inaugurated the day long workshop. Shri S.B. Singh Deputy Director General, National Informatics Centre, U.P. State Unit, Lucknow was the chief guest. Prof S.K. Kak, Vice Chancellor of Mahamaya Technical University Noida, Shri Praveen Chandekar, Additional Director of eGovernance, DeitY, and other eminent academicians & senior functionaries of the government also graced the occasion. Prof. Kak in his address exhorted the students to adopt innovative ways to promote eGovernance and find new ways it make it more user friendly. Shri  S.B Singh apprised the students and participants about eGovernance and its use for masses. He detailed the various initiatives undertaken by NIC & state government to improve service delivery and reach the remote and far flung areas of the state using Information Technology. He emphasized on role of digitisation and gave examples of Land Records computerisation, Scholarship, eDistrict & social welfare projects that have changed the government citizen interaction and brought about a paradigm shift in the service delivery mechanism. He too asked the participants to join the eGovernance revolution and contribute towards the growth of the state and the country.

Two sessions of panel discussion were held during the workshop on ‘Rights Based Approach to Governance’ and ‘Role of Academia in e-Governance’. The dignitaries from Education and IT departments deliberated on role of eGovernance in the progress of the country and various issues related to eGovernance and how students can participate and contribute towards its spread. Shri Prasanna Pandey, Principal System Analyst, NIC, Varanasi, was one of the panel members who shared his experience in implementing eGovernance at the grass-root level. Shri Satyabrata Jit coordinator of the computer centre, BHU welcomed the guests and Shri P K Chakravarty proposed the vote-of-thanks.