By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 27, 2016 : Information Technology [IT] will be leveraged for improving education, agriculture, health, poverty alleviation and other sectors by digitally connecting those sectors, the state government’s technology adviser Sam Pitroda said here on Wednesday.

Pitroda was here to attend a meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who stressed on improving the state’s public service delivery mechanism.

Fibre optic connectivity to the panchayats is key to improving the service delivery mechanism and bring efficiency to poverty alleviation programmes, both Patnaik and Pitroda agreed.

The fibre optic network will serve as an information super highway connecting to various sectors such as education, agriculture, health and others, it was observed at the meeting.

Welcoming Pitroda for accepting to work as technology adviser in the state, the chief minister said all the departments have been asked to spend at least two percent of their plan budget for electronic enabled service delivery to the citizens as enacted under Right to Public Service Delivery Act.

Patnaik also sought the cooperation of Pitroda in skill development sector for making the youth industry ready.

Pitroda said the state government will first assess the present status of the state connectivity and then will make plans for the future and exuded confidence that there will be a significant change in the technology front of the state.

“I have clarity in my mind. But there should evolve consensus. It cannot be my plan. It has to be plan of people of Odisha,” said Pitroda.

Earlier in the day, Pitroda held discussion with seven departments and their ministers to chalk out plans for facilitating various services through IT.