Govt may dump Media Lab contract

Sudarshana Banerjee

NEW DELHI: It had started with a huge bang and Rs 65 crore seed money in 2001. Two years later, the Media Lab Asia project, baby of the Ministry of Information Technology, government of India, has all but shut shop. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) headed by the new minister Arun Shourie is looking at a complete revamp of the project.

When contacted by CNS, the Media Lab CEO and spokesperson Bimal Sareen refused to comment. MIT Media Lab press liaison Alexandra Kahn also could not be contacted for comments. The DIT joint secretary Yaswant S Bhave, however, informed CNS that Shourie had requested a review of the project, and future decisions would be based on it.

Bhave however refused to divulge specifics as to what the outcome of the review would be or the time that such a process might take.

According to the sources in DIT, bogged down by the corporate-style expenditure of the Media Lab, the ministry is actively considering the option of converting it into a more government-like structure. This also means uncertainty about the continuity of services of the present CEO and spokesperson Bimal Sareen. The fate of the employees, sources suggest, also looks uncertain.

DIT’s contract with the Media Lab Asia, which expired on December 02, was extended for a further 3 months till March 03. A fresh contract is yet to be negotiated. What remains to be seen now is whether Media Lab US would renew the contract after a month’s lapse, and in case that happens what would be the nature of the agreement.

According to sources, the ministry is also considering the option of a non-exclusive deal with Media Lab US and opting for a plurality of tie-ups with outfits like the Carnegie Mellon. It may also consider a partnership model with the industry for a technology research and innovation routine–a C-DOT for the IT sector–bypassing the Media Lab US altogether.

Funds, or the paucity of it, have also been a key cause for concern. While the initial funding for the project over a ten-year period was pegged at Rs 5127.50 crore, the DIT has reduced its share from Rs 2390 crore to Rs 900 crore.

The revised finance plan, however, has been opposed by the Planning Commission and the ministry of finance in an expenditure finance committee–a group of government officials representing DIT, Planning Commission and finance ministry–meeting. The Cabinet is expected to look into the matter by the end of this month.

Cyber News Service