Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 28 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy may not have a laptop or even a mobile but says his "backwardness in IT" will not be a hindrance to the state's plans to go digital.

"I do not have a mobile or a laptop and am comfortable with files and papers, but all my staff are fully e-literate. My backwardness in IT will never be a stumbling block to the state's efforts in going digital," Chandy said after a high level meeting on e-governance initiatives here Wednesday night.

Chandy had first introduced computerisation as finance minister in K. Karunakaran's government (1992-94) but it was stymied the Left opposition, which stated that the move would take away jobs.

"At present, five of the 14 districts are linked to the e-district initiative and by the end of this fiscal, the remaining nine districts would also be turned into one. All revenue certificates would be available at the click of a mouse," said Chandy.

"The latest statistics show that the number of mobile connections in the state has crossed 3.5 crore, while our population is 3.3 crore," said Chandy.

Of the total population, 2.9 crore had been given the Aadhaar card or the Unique Identity card.