Government mulls to set up Cyber City at Waknaghat: CM

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the government was planning to establish a Cyber City over 650 bighas at Waknaghat in Solan district from where data storage, artificial intelligence (AI) and other IT-based enterprises would operate.

Sukhu chaired a high-level meeting of the Digital Technologies and Governance Department here. He directed the department to finalise a detailed blueprint of the project at the earliest. He said that the IT sector was a priority area for his government and concrete measures were being taken to promote technological advancement and attract investment in IT infrastructure in the state.

He reviewed the ongoing construction of the Centre of Excellence at Waknaghat. He said that the work be expedited and an AI lab to be established at the centre. He also instructed the officials concerned to ensure the early completion of IT parks at Chaitaru in Kangra and Mehli in Shimla by December 2025.

The Chief Minister underlined the importance of digital transformation in governance and said that all departments must digitise their operations to ensure efficient and citizen-friendly service delivery. “The state government aims to provide maximum public services on the doorsteps of people through one click,” he added. Every department should fully adopt IT solutions and work through the e-Office system to enhance transparency and efficiency.

Sukhu said that workshops should be organised to familiarise government officials with e-file management and emerging technologies, encouraging their widespread use across the departments. He added that nodal officers be appointed in every department to facilitate the monitoring of online progress of his announcements. He directed all officers of the Secretariat to mandatorily record their attendance.