T'gana, Illinois State ink pact for sharing of expertise

Telangana and Illinois State (US) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which paves way for collaboration and interaction between the two states in various fields through sharing of expertise. Telangana Industries, Commerce and IT Minister KT Rama Rao, who is on the second leg of his business visit to the US to promote the state and attract investments and Ausaf Sayeed, Consulate General of India, Chicago were present during signing of the pact yesterday, an official release said here. The agreement facilitates the two states to extend cooperation in the areas - Smart State Solutions, e-governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, business incubators, job creation and best practices, it said today. "Under the Smart State solutions, Illinois State will introduce 'array of things' sensors for air pollution monitoring in Telangana. The two states will share best practices, tools and processes for disaster and emergency management, data management, data analytics, open data and Intelligent Transportation Systems," it said. Under the e-Governance, the two states will strive to transform state agencies by incorporating communications and information technologies into their operations. The two governments will share information and insights on the e-services implemented in Illinois and Telangana, evaluate them for their effectiveness and impact on citizens. The agreement aims to promote entrepreneurship in both the states by facilitating interaction between entrepreneurs and holding 'hackathons' for high citizen impact applications. The MoU also details on establishment of joint business incubators to support development of high technology solutions and foster start-up culture. The two states will also work for identifying job creation initiatives and share best practises and lessons learned related to policies and regulations, financial models and standards, the statement said.