MIT hosts ESCAP conference

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information Technology in collaboration with Assocham and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific (ESCAP) held a two-day (June 21-22) conference to deliberate on the social issues related to the progress of IT. ESCAP is a regional commission of the United Nations established in Shanghai in 1947 to reflect the economic and social aspects of development in the region. ESCAP’s mandate is to spread the momentum of growth from the more dynamic member countries to the rest of the region.

The welcome address was delivered by MIT secretary PV Jayakrishnan and the conference was formally inaugurated by IT Minister Pramod Mahajan. Addressing the gathering, the Minister urged the creative use of technology to battle some of the toughest social issues. "While the Information Technology revolution symbolizes the creation of new generation of entrepreneurs, the diffusion and innovation process has to be such that the masses are benefited at large," he said. The government always remains a catalyst in not only facilitating the growth but also in the creation of an institutional framework that would take IT to the masses, the Minister added.

Mahajan said that the role of the government was to bridge the phenomenon known as the digital divide in IT. Strategies had to be evolved to bridge this digital divide brought about by IT and the Regional Round Table has provided a forum for countries to share their experiences in terms of policy initiatives, initiatives from the community in IT and the deliverables achieved in capacity building. Speaking about knowledge-based economies, Mahajan said that there was a need to maintain the balance and harmonious blend between the brick and click economy.

Jayakrishnan said that the vision of the government was to be a global IT power by 2008. The government’s role here should be that of a proactive facilitator, motivator and promoter, ensuring that the benefits of IT reach the masses.

Assocham president Shekhar Bajaj said that Asia-Pacific countries should share a similar framework to collaborate in building a knowledge-driven society. In his opening remarks, Professor Emeritus Ryokichi Hirono of Seike University appreciated India’s progress in IT. He added that the policy prescriptions had to be fine-tuned to suit social needs, as the impact of IT on different sectors was tremendous.

Other speakers on the forum included Aptech president and CEO Ganesh Natarajan, MIT director Devendra Choudhry and KPMG chief knowledge officer Hemant Manohar.