Mizoram pushes for amended BharatNet Rollout, Microsoft AI courses under CSR

Aizawl, Jun 25: In a step towards digital empowerment, Amit Sharma, Secretary to the Government of Mizoram for Information, Communications & Technology (ICT) and Cooperation Departments, chaired a series of high-level meetings over the past two days focusing on the implementation of Amended BharatNet connectivity and the introduction of Microsoft AI-Certified Courses for government employees and students under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The meetings, held in Aizawl, were attended by key stakeholders including officials from BSNL, Microsoft, the Directorate of ICT, and the Mizoram Secretariat.

“Connectivity is the lifeline to the public all across the nation these days,” Amit Sharma said during the review meeting on Amended BharatNet. “More so in the remote villages here near the Bangladesh and Myanmar international borders, wherein smooth and stable connectivity has to be ensured at the earliest.”

He directed the BSNL team to “ensure provisioning of stable back-up services by vendors wherever VSATs and requisite equipment were installed by them under first and second phases of BharatNet in the past,” before Phase III of the Amended BharatNet project begins to cover the remaining areas of the state.

Under Sharma’s leadership, Mizoram has witnessed a “new era of Digital Transformation” over the past year, with key reforms such as the successful rollout of e-Office, improved telecom infrastructure, signing of the BHASHINI MoU with the Government of India, expansion of Common Services Centres (CSCs) through MPACS, and computerisation of PACS and RCS offices across the state.

In another key development, Sharma held a dedicated meeting with Microsoft representatives to explore opportunities for AI-enablement in Mizoram. “Microsoft has agreed to this novel initiative, led by Secretary ICT Mizoram Amit Sharma, amongst all North Eastern Region (NER) states.” He urged Microsoft to formalise an MoU with the Government of Mizoram to “provision AI-Certification Courses under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) so that a lot can be achieved in Mizoram as a part of ongoing India AI Mission in future.”

Microsoft has agreed to deliver the courses through virtual mode in a first-of-its-kind initiative for the Northeast. The program will help introduce AI tools such as ChatGPT and AI-enabled search engines to the public, potentially making Mizoram a “leading AI-literate state of the nation.”