By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 28 May: All the local IT and Social Media Firms have approached the State Government for reconfiguration and reaffirmation of Agencies like BECIL that work on technical and software development works for the Government of India. They have proposed distribution of all social media promotion activities and flagship programmes to local IT and Social Media Marketing Firms as was done before through tenders and advertising.
Firms put forward their issues having confirmed that the Information Sector is directly going to employ BECIL for technical work, which would mean local ventures would be ignored. This posed a huge threat for youth in Uttarakhand. BECIL is a government agency, but it passes down work to private businesses instead of doing it itself.
The IT Firms also revealed that the Coronavirus pandemic had reduced opportunities of employment for the youths of the State. There are a large number of IT employees in Uttarakhand who are setting up companies and becoming self-reliant and self-employed. The Uttarakhand Government has many divisions that time to time hire personnel for social media promotion programmes, technical and software development involving youth participation on a large scale. Even though most of the projects are assigned to Delhi and Mumbai based companies, leaving only some small work for small local companies, this does provide employment.
Tourism and Information sectors are important part of the economy, which promote the State and Government brands as well. These sectors have always been providing projects to social media agencies every year through tenders. The Tourism Department has always selected big Delhi firms for these works, despite local capability to deliver. The Information Department, on the other hand, has given opportunity to local IT companies for social media projects and other works every year.
Despite being small local ventures, they claim never to have compromised on quality of work, while at the same time providing employment to about 250-300 young people in the state. But, over the last year, business is being denied which has jeopardised these small firms.
In response to this representation, representatives of government and officials have promised to raise the matter before the Cabinet so that all these kinds of work would be made available to local vendors only.