Petrol pumps to install information kiosks

After kisan soochana kendras, it is now the turn of retail petrol pumps to install information kiosks in Uttaranchal.

For this purpose, the IT Development Agency (ITDA), a state government undertaking, last night organised a meeting to facilitate the opening of kiosks at various petrol outlets, run by both private and government companies.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has agreed to set up a pilot kiosk in Dehra Dun. "We are facilitating the setting up information kiosks in different petrol pumps," said an ITDA official. Most of the petrol pump owners evinced lot of interest in installing these kiosks, which the officials claimed, would bring additional income and create employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, for the convenience of farmers, agri-portals or Kisan Soochna Kedras are also being installed across the state in a phased manner. IFFCO in association with the Uttaranchal State Cooperative Marketing Federation would set up nearly 100 to 150 portals in the state.

It was reported in August last year, the government had entered into an agreement with Jaikisan.org, a fully owned subsidiary of Soft Core Tech of Canada, to install nearly 3000 soochana kendras across the hill state in order to provide various IT-enabled services to the people from single kiosk.

Each portal costs Rs 1.30 lakh, the expenditure for which would mostly be borne by IFFCO itself. These portals would be set up in the districts of Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehra Dun initially.

Through these agri portals, farmers would be able to get latest information regarding weather, crops, manure, commodities prices at al. These portals would also comprise display boards of the National Commodity Directive Exchange (NCDEX) and provide facility for future trading for various commodities. Apart from providing detailed information regarding various aspects of crops, pesticides, fertilisers, these kiosks would also give information on rates of commodities in various mandis, future commodity rates on NCDEX platform. Through this process, the Coopeative Marketing Societies would also be equipped with the latest technology to face the challenges of the upcoming business scenario.

A Memorandum of Understanding in this regard has already been inked between IFFCO and the Uttaranchal government. The Pantnagar Agriculture University would prepare the local linkages providing latest information regarding crop suitability conditions through these portals to farmers.