In a bid to support the country in its Digital India vision, Microsoft India hosted the Cloud for Digital Governance Tour in Bhubaneshwar. The one-day conference is part of the Cloud for Digital Governance national program, launched by Microsoft in August this year to equip government officials in charge of IT across the country with critical Artificial Intelligence (AI) and intelligent cloud computing skills. The initiative comprises a series of physical and virtual workshops and aims to train 5,000 personnel over a period of 12 months to help them leverage AI and secure cloud technology for efficient, transparent and productive governance.

AI and intelligent technologies are becoming all-pervasive today, driving change across businesses, communities, and governments. Improving skill sets in AI and the cloud can enable path-breaking innovation and drive the next phase of India’s growth. Microsoft’s first-of-its-kind Cloud for Digital Governance Tour for government officials reiterates our commitment to being a trusted partner to the government by empowering officials to leverage AI and secure cloud technology for efficient, transparent and productive governance.

The tour was inaugurated by Shri AC Panda, Hon’ble Minister of State, Science & Technology, Public Enterprise and Empowerment, Government of Odisha and saw participation of representatives from the government, IT & electronics sector and the start-up ecosystem; including Shri Manoj Kumar Misra, Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of Odisha; Dr Nitin B Jawale, MD, IPICOL, Government of Odisha; Smt Pratibha Singh, Deputy Director General & SIO -NIC, Odisha, Government of India; Shri Manoj Kumar Pattnaik, Additional Secretary and CEO, OCAC, Department of E&IT, Government of Odisha; Shri Gopal Nayak, Director- IIIT- Bhubaneshwar; Shri Sohan Nautiyal Minister, Head SeMT Odisha, E & IT Government of India; and Manish Prakash, Country General Manager-Public Sector, Health and Education, Microsoft India. The event opened up a conversation around the need to deploy responsible and faster AI solutions for government services, the need for cybersecurity to collaborate effectively and the need for taking an inclusive approach towards AI, that caters to various segments-urban, rural and people with disabilities. The forum also showcased how various Microsoft tools such as Teams and Azure can be leveraged effectively for e-governance.

Speaking at the event, Manish Prakash, Country General Manager-Public Sector, Health and Education, Microsoft India, said, “Microsoft is deeply invested in the digital transformation of the government eco-system in India. As we work with both the central and state governments across the country to scale AI implementation and cloud adoption, it is vital to equip the ecosystem with the right skills. Today, we are delighted to partner with the government of Odisha to bring digital skills/technology to empower the government to accelerate their digital journey.”

The Odisha edition of the program will help align the state to the country’s Digital India vision. In addition, the tour also focused on enhancing entrepreneurial culture in the state and promoting start-ups through the integration of next-generation technological solutions.

The Cloud for Digital Governance Tour

The Cloud for Digital Governance Tour is open to technocrats and IT professionals across the entire government ecosystem, including employees of Public Sector undertakings; government partners as well as solutions/systems integrators. It is designed keeping in mind all skill levels required at every stage of the government’s cloud adoption journey – from integrating on-premise core infrastructure with cloud platforms to operationalizing cloud analytics solutions. Through this program, Microsoft will help upskill government officials, equipping them with the digital skills and experience needed today and, in the future, to successfully deploy cloud-based solutions.

Microsoft has been a longstanding partner in India’s digital transformation journey, enabling technology-led transformation in government and across various key sectors including education, agriculture and healthcare. Microsoft is the first global public cloud service provider to be accredited by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). Its hyper-scale, flexible and secure local cloud services from three India datacentres in Pune, Mumbai and Chennai – Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft365 – are already accelerating cloud innovation and opening new possibilities in e-governance and inclusive digital growth. These data-centres are geographically situated at strategic locations to aid disaster recovery scenarios within India, for e.g. natural calamities like city flooding, cyclones etc.