The 8th National Conference on e-Governance was convened at Bhubaneswar at Hotel Swosti Plaza from 3rd to 5th February 2005 under the joint auspices of the Department of Information Technology, Govt. of India, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievance, Govt. of India, and the Department of Information Technology, Government of Odisha.  The objective of the Conference was to develop regional and national e-Governance strategies by providing a forum for discussion among all stakeholders in the e-Governance domain. The theme for this year's conference was " Capacity Building for e-Governance."

In the recent past, seven such conferences have been organized by the Govt. of India in association with different States. As a result of the deliberations and recommendations of such conferences, a number of e-Governance initiatives have taken off in various states as well as at the centre.

This conference has gained prominence over the years and has already acquired the status of the flagship National event for e-Governance. Odisha was privileged to host this prestigious event this year. The conference, this year, was inaugurated on 3rd February by the Hon'ble Union Communications & Information Technology Minister, Shri Dayanidhi Maran and was graced by the Hon'ble CM of Odisha Shri Naveen Pattnaik and Hon'ble Minister for IT, Energy & Tourism, Odisha, Sri Surjya Narayan Patro.

The valedictory function on 5th Feb, 2005 was graced by Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Personnel, Shri Suresh Pachauri and the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Many eminent personalities from Government, Industry & Academia attended the conference. Some of these were Shri Brijesh Kumar, Secretary , Deptt of IT, Govt. of India, Shri A.N Tiwari, Secretary Personnel, Govt of India, Mr. S. Ramadorai, MD & CEO, Tata Consultancy Services Mr. Shekhar Dasgupta, MD, Oracle India, Mr R S Pawar, Chairman, NIIT Ltd. IT & e-Governance Secretaries and other senior officers of all State Govts., senior officers from the Ministries & Departments of Govt. of India and also from Central & State PSUs, officers from banks, academicians from renowned institutes like IIMs, IITs, IIPA and and reputed universities and officials from IT companies involved in e-Governance also participated in the conference.

The citizen's "Right to Know" has been recognized today as a fundamental right. Transparency in government is the need of the hour. The growth of information technology, in which India is a leading player, has provided the infrastructure whereby information on the government's policies and practices can readily be disseminated down to the grassroots level. Various state governments have created their own portals which enable the common man to access information on different services and schemes and to avail such services through payment gate-ways. Citizen centric services are available today in the areas of land records, registration, issuance and renewal of driving licenses etc. The commercial tax departments have also successfully streamlined their operations of entry tax collection at check gates. The Information Technology Department, Government of Odisha aims to bring information to the doorstep of the common man and gradually bridge the digital divide that exists in Society. Creation of employment opportunities amongst the educated unemployed is another mandate of the government today.

What has been achieved so far is only a beginning. In the years ahead, there will be a need for re-engineering of government processes and capacity building for planning and implementing e-governance projects. The national convention enabled delegates to share the success stories emanating from states and organizations which have already taken a lead in e-governance, learn from their experience and formulate an implementation plan for their own states and organizations. The deliberations during the conference would thus pave way for establishment of a citizen centric system of Governance.

For Odisha, this Conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the advances made in this front over the last few years. Odisha has taken steps several new initiatives in ICT and e-Governance sector and the State is making sincere efforts to expand e-governance programs for the benefit of the common man. Of this, the GRAMSAT project implemented under the aegis of the Department of Space, Govt of India is a unique Project in the country connecting all 314 blocks of the State with a dedicated VSAT network.

This conference provided an opportunity to highlight the strengths of the State in the IT sector to prospective investors. For Government officers in charge of administration at the district, panchayats and block levels, this event fulfilled the long standing need for acquiring first hand knowledge on popular and successful e-governance projects in the country.