Microsoft Corporation India would be working to further expand the reach of its e-governance initiative in states in alliance with local partners.
The states of east and north-east would for example be approached by Microsoft in alliance with the West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation, Microsoft managing director Rajiv Kaul said.
As a company, Microsoft was well on target to grow at more than twice the industry rate. The company has added on around 30 per cent more people in the last two years and would recruit 30-40 more people within its financial year ending in June.
Kaul said the alliance between Microsoft and regional entities like Webel was working well. In this case, Microsoft and Webel felt that the combined credibility and resources of the alliance would be able to meet the needs and requirements of states like Jharkhand in the east and Assam in the north-east.
"Webel as a think tank has enormous resources as well as the experience and credibility to work with states of the region," said Kaul.
Webel has been attempting to evolve into a financially viable new economy entity from a mere a state-owned industrial development agency dishing out incentives and packages.
The Microsoft alliance would give it an opportunity to become member of a regional alliance for e-governance projects against fees.
The larger alliance between Microsoft and the West Bengal government, which was being chaperoned by Webel, was also progressing along set milestones.
Kaul said the relationship was strong because it worked on "realistic deadlines" set by Rajiv Nair, president of Microsoft who stepped down recently.
Nair was spearheading the company's e-governance initiative which included success stories like Karnataka's low-cost land records system called 'Bhoomi'.
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