Commonwealth Express to reach capital on Wednesday

Exhibition on wheels showcases Commonwealth Games memorabilia
Exhibition open for public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 25 and 26

The Commonwealth Express, a special exhibition train designed to promote the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, will reach here on August 25 on the Kerala leg of its nation-wide journey.

The train that was flagged off from Delhi on June 24 has 11 coaches – five of which feature rare Commonwealth Games memorabilia, and six of which are devoted to showcasing Information Technology.

VS to open show

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan is scheduled to inaugurate the travelling exhibition in Kerala at the Central Railway Station.

The train, which is coming from Madurai in Tamil Nadu, will halt here for two days before proceeding to Kollam on August 27 and to Ernakulam on August 28. The exhibition will be open for public on these dates from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. After August 28, the train will return to Delhi via Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The exhibition has been organised by the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of India, in association with its various arms and prominent IT/ITES companies to showcase the IT success story of the country. It will demonstrate the capability and the work done in the area of ICT (Information and Communications Technology), e-governance, infrastructure, and technology initiatives relevant to rural India and language interfacing technology. Kerala IT has stalls showcasing the ICT initiatives in the State. The exhibition features counters for Akshaya e-Pay to demonstrate the software used by FRIENDS citizen-service centres.

“By endorsing ICT through Commonwealth Express, Indian Railways has taken the initiative of spreading the essence of IT to the citizens who are not yet exposed to the opportunities generated by the sector. We are also leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Kerala's IT journey is highlighted through this exhibition,” Rathan Kelkar, Director, Kerala State Information Technology Mission (KSITM) told a press conference.

“Indian Railways' e-governance initiatives are commendable, like e-ticketing and Corporate Wide Information System (CWIS). It is a role model for other organisations in implementing e-governance successfully,” said Mervin Alexander, CEO, Technopark.

Joint effort

The Commonwealth Express programme in Kerala is being jointly coordinated by the Kerala State IT Mission, Technopark, Infopark, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala, National Informatics Centre, Trivandrum; Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Keltron, Public Relations Department, Akshaya, District Collectorate, Kollam; Centre for Development of Imaging Technology and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs.

The team together will coordinate the action plan comprising the inauguration, visits by schools to the exhibition, setting up of stalls to showcase IT initiatives of Kerala, counters for Akshaya e-Pay to demonstrate FRIENDS software and inviting sports celebrities to visit the train.

The Commonwealth Express is being run jointly by the Ministry of Railways through its Railway Sports Promotion Board and the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology.

M. Nanda Kumar, Director, Department of Information and Public Relations; Korath V. Mathew, Director, Akshaya; and Elizabeth Sherly, Director, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala, were present at the press conference.