Kerala is expected to be declared the first digital State in the country shortly, on the strength of its digital infrastructure and e-governance initiatives. Discussions are on to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the declaration, Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said here on Thursday.

Delivering the inaugural address at the Knowledge Sharing Summit organised by the Kerala State IT Mission and Computer Society of India, he said the State had succeeded in leveraging ICT for economic growth and making government services affordable and accessible for the masses. Bridging the digital divide is our priority, he said.

Mr. Thomson highlighted several initiatives under the Digital Kerala programme. “While the action online monitoring system has helped clear roadblocks to project implementation, several e-governance initiatives have ensured better service delivery and transparency. As many as 3,378 government offices including district and block headquarters and taluk offices are networked and more than 40 government departments and PSUs are using the e-procurement system.”