The construction of a "Digital Zhejiang" is going smoothly, a top information industry official in East China's Zhejianig Province said Saturday.

Chen Daxin, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of the Information Industry, who is also the director of the Zhejiang Provincial Office for IT Applications, told reporters that "Digital Zhejiang" aims to promote Information Technology (IT) in the economy and social development.

By 2007, a main framework for IT applications will be established in Zhejiang, Chen said, adding that the province's overall informationization level will be up to national standards and its software industry will be among the best.

Zhejiang has earmarked 3.5 billion yuan to speed up the emergence of an e-government, according to Chen. Urban and rural development has also been incorporated in the blueprint for the province's informationization initiative.

Chen noted that during the last few years, Zhejiang's information industry has witnessed a major boom, becoming one of the province's pillar industries -- a traditional powerhouse in silk and textiles.

A series of favorable policies have lured a number of multinationals to invest in Zhejiang, including Nokia and Toshiba, Chen said.

Furthermore, governments at all levels in the province will take more measures in realizing a leap forward in the development of the information industry.