Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to focus on expanding internet network and providing internet access to every village, setting up internet library in villages and improving skills in IT and other technological aspects.

During a review meeting on Information Technology and Electronic Policy held at camp office here on Friday, the Chief Minister said it's important to provide internet facility in all villages within three years to develop IT industry, and network should be strong failing which the targeted goals will not be achieved. He said Internet facility should be provided and internet library should be setup in every village and the facility should be useful to one and all. A building should be constructed for internet library and all facilities required from 'work from home' should be available in it. He said Secretariats and RBKs in a village should be connected with Internet and extended for domestic purpose as well.

The Chief Minister has approved to setup Integrated Technology Park in Vishakhapatnam and said high end skill university, incubation center, labs, COES, IT, EC department office, state data center, and IT towers should be present in the Park. Emerging Technologies University will be set up in Visakhapatnam with aim to teach and research on IT applications in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, block-chain technologies, data analytics sciences, advanced electronics, education, health, agriculture, water resources, etc. The officials said experts from various technological institutions including IITs would submit a report on this university soon. The university should help the students of engineering and other technical studies to improve their skills and added that all the IT related departments including the university should be in one place.
The Chief Minister instructed the officials to setup IT Concept cities in at least two thousand acres in three places near Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Bangalore (in AP limits). He said the infrastructure in these concept cities should be of high standards and the architecture in construction should be unique and added that each concept city should have a special master plan. He said every aspect in the policy should be transparent and contribute to IT progress and help for development of the state. He said 'work from home' has been increased in the wake of COVID pandemic and it should be promoted. He directed the officials to prepare the policy including government support to IT sector considering work from home in the wake of pandemic. He said to focus on bringing as many as industries and create employment in Kopparthi electronic park.

Information Technology Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Higher Education Special Chief Secretary Satish Chandra, Chief Minister's Chief Advisor Nilam Sawhney, Finance Principal Secretary SS Rawat, IT Principal Secretary G Jayalakshmi, IT Special Secretary B Sundar, Energy Principal Secretary Nagulapalli Srikanth, Technical Education Commissioner MM Nayak, APFSL MD M Madhusudan Reddy and other senior officials were present