Software giant Microsoft Corporation (India) on Saturday entered into a multi-pronged partnership with the Uttar Pradesh government to promote e-governance and improve IT literacy in the state.
The strategic areas identified include joint efforts to promote e-governance, IT literacy, increased access to technology in rural areas and affordable PC purchase options, Microsoft Corporation Public Sector Country Head Rohit Kumar said at the inauguration of the project in Lucknow on Saturday.
Microsoft would partner with Intel, Sahara and HCL to offer feasible and economic options for PC combinations, he added.
Working in collaboration with the state government, the company would fund and administrate a Centre of Excellence for e-governance applications and would roll out Microsoft's 'Partners-in learning programme' in the state, Kumar said.
Over the three year MoU period, Microsoft aims to reach over 4.5 lakh students and nine thousand teachers in government schools.
Also in the pipeline is a MoU with the state government to introduce 'Saksham', a public-private initiative aimed at creating a self-sustaining kiosk model to take technology to the grass root levels, Kumar added.