Page 2 - 2019 January Newsletter WEBEL

2 Volume: 23
January 2019 Issue

From the Desk of the
Additional Chief Secretary

Department of Information Technology & Electronics
Government of West Bengal

Dear Reader,
Greetings for the New Year

The Department of Information Technology and Electronics, Govt. of West Bengal, has been embarking on numerous initiatives to boost IT
skills and catalyse information technology investment across the state. We remain focused on overcoming the digital divide and spreading the
benefits of the IT revolution via policy initiatives and grassroots intervention.

Work is in progress for the ambitious project of Bengal Silicon Valley. Envisioned on the lines of Silicon Valley in USA, Bengal Silicon Valley
would be a world class state-of-art IT hub spread over 200 acres in Action Area II, Rajarhat, Newtown and home to international MNCs, product
based organizations, R&D centres and entrepreneurs giving a huge boost to the IT ecosystem of the State. In Bengal Silicon Valley, the state is
attracting investment in innovative technology-led business models in the IT Sector, products and services which can grow into large
enterprises with a global footprint. Many companies have already expressed interest in getting land allotments in the Silicon valley Hub.

The Department believes that our state should pioneer the wave of next set of emerging technologies. In this endeavor, we had knowledge
exchange workshops on Quantum Computing and Global Blockchain Congress in the months of October and December 2018 respectively. The
events were conducted in Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and attended by students, professionals, entrepreneurs, academicians and Senior
Government officials.

The Global Blockchain Congress – Consensus 2018 held on 18th and 19th December 2018, saw International and National Blockchain experts
deliberate on a plethora of aspects pertaining to Blockchain, its advantages, current limitations and challenges. The event – a first of its kind
ever to be held in Eastern India, saw a heavy footfall of 3600 delegates.

The knowledge workshop on Quantum Computing marked the first time in India when such a workshop involving so many experts under a
single platform on the subject was organized. There were speakers from as many as eight leading institutions which include IIT Madras, IIT
Kharagpur, Bose Institute, SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences and Calcutta University among others. On the industry side, there were
speakers from PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM.

The Department has recently organised a nation-wide hackathon contest “Bengalathon” which provided a platform to showcase the innovative
skills/ideas of technology enthusiasts at the national and international arena. More than 1500 teams from seven states competed amongst
each other to provide innovative solutions to real life challenges.

Work on establishing West Bengal Centre of Innovation (WBCoI) is in progress with process ongoing for on-boarding advanced technology
training partners.

With these initiatives, the department is consistently striving to engage various stakeholders and create an ecosystem that fosters
collaboration, innovation and business activities in technology sector. We believe our efforts would help our State reach greater heights in its
progressive journey.

With Best Wishes, DEBASHIS SEN, IAS
ADDITIONAL CHIEF SECRETARY
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & ELECTRONICS
GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL

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