Infosys bags deal to simplify business-govt interface

Infosys Technologies, the country's second-largest software exporter, has been given a 10-year e-governance contract by the ministry of commerce to develop a business portal that will give entrepreneurs easy access to government information.

Infosys topped a pack of five bidders for the prestigious assignment under the ministry's department of industrial policy and promotion, the nodal central agency responsible for industry-related issues.

The project is among the 27 central, state and integrated mission mode projects under the national e-governance plan. Its ultimate aim is to enable budding entrepreneurs to obtain central, state and even municipal clearances, licences and permits online.

The agreement envisages designing and development of the eBiz platform. It also includes building the support IT infrastructure and implementing, maintaining and expanding the eBiz solution and services for the next ten years. Infosys is also to undertake training, workshops, promotion and awareness campaigns.

In the first three years, the government would spend Rs15 crore on the project. However, the total value of the contract was not disclosed.

"(At the end of 10th year) we expect this project to be expanded to cover the whole country and provide over 200 government-to-business services as well as other value added services by suitable private vendors," commerce minister Anand Sharma told reporters after launching the portal in New Delhi.