The Union Information Ministry is going to set up 484 Community Information Centre (IT kiosk) in all blocks of the North Eastern States including 37 in the Manipur to enable the people of this region to access the Internet free of charge by August 15, 2002. The National Informatics Centre and Department of Science and Technology, Government of Manipur are undertaking the MIT Northeast digital wiring project. Of the 37 CIC in the State, Sawombung and Keirao Bitra Block in Imphal East district are in the operational stage as first phase of the pilot project, sources said. NIC and DST have been waiting a green signal from Pramod Mahajan, the Information Minister to formally dedicate the Centres to the people in the blocks, as he is likely to inaugurate the Centres. The Minister himself inaugurated the first CIC in the North East under the project in Meghalaya recently.

       The Centre will be equipped with VSAT Satellite enabled IT kiosks with six personal computers, one printer and one generator each. Anybody within the block can have Internet access free of charge at the Centre. The Centre will be manned and warded by one Information Officer and an assistant under the supervision of DST. Appointment notices for the two posts each of the said Centres have been served. The MIT will extend the requisite support for running the Centres including the payment of salaries and maintenance for a period of five years.

       After the completion of five years, DST will take over the responsibility of the Centres. Regarding the Government's initiative for the overall development of IT sector in the state, DST which is also an IT nodal department of the State, have been studying ground realities to frame an IT policy, according to a source from the Department. The State has the highest number of IT manpower in the entire northeast next to Assam, the source said adding that there is enough potential for having a Software Park in Manipur which can tie up with that of Assam for software export. The source, however, expressed the utmost necessity to consult with IT bigwigs in the country. To achieve the above purpose, the DST in collaboration with IETE, Imphal sub-Centre, CEDTI, Akampat, NIC and Manipur University are holding an expo for the first time in the State under the banner of Manipur Information Technology Expo, MITEX 2001 during the first week of February this year.