India's IT revolution

Information and communication technologies act as a tool for releasing the creative potential and knowledge embedded in our people. The Information or Digital revolution currently sweeping across the globe can be called the mother of all revolutions since it has surpassed all other revolutions in its impact upon the social, cultural and political spheres. More importantly, it has ushered in a knowledge economy a thousand times more powerful than the industrial economy brought in by the industrial revolution. This revolution is leading to a power shift creating a new world order wherein knowledge about acknowledge is becoming a source of enormous political power. The communication revolution has a powerful multiplier effect on the overall economy.

Indian Super Computer "Param"

The generation of wealth is closely tied to the capacity to add value using information and communications technology products and services. In the emerging knowledge economy, India has a vital stake. It gave the zero to the world, the basis for the bits and bytes of the digital revolution. India has the world’s largest pool of IT manpower, whose computation skills are outstanding. Its indigenous knowledge is rich, its entertainment industry vibrant. India has a huge reservoir of content creators in the entertainment and information sectors.

Why do almost all international IT companies have software development centres in India? Why do well over half of the Fortune 500 companies develop their software in India? Why are two thirds of the best software companies in the world located in India? The answer is India’s spectacular Information Technology revolution that has taken the world by storm. The industry has grown by more than 50% annually in the last decade. IT revenues are on track to rise to US$ 87 billion by 2008 of which US$ 50 billion would be exports. At present Indian software is exported to more than 150 countries, and accounts for one fifth of global software development. With 100 million Internet connections within a couple of years, India's IT juggernaut rolls on.

Information and communication technologies have also revolutionized sharing of knowledge in various walks of life. Within five years, all Government information in India will be on the Internet. All Government payments will be on the Internet. State Government portals will focus on rural artisans and entrepreneurs.

Information technology has created a massive leap in citizen oriented government services. Keeping in mind Indian conditions and needs, scientists are trying to evolve unique ways in which IT can be used for human development in India. It is finding applications in almost all walks of life - from education to rural development. Recently, Indian scientists have demonstrated that IT can be effectively used for forecasting tropical diseases like malaria and filaria. They have customized a software called Heuristic Engine. This software can predict the period when the mosquito is abundant, the period when these mosquitoes get infected through biting disease carriers such as pigs and donkeys, and the period when these mosquitoes bite human beings. The software that can be integrated with existing software across a wide range of hardware and operating platforms, has the capability to access high volumes of data.

IT Center

Thanks to India’s IT prowess, distance education, continuing education, adult education and other programmes to increase literacy among the common people have now become a reality. Telemedicine allows doctors in remote areas to share data with experts elsewhere in the country, greatly enhancing the level of health care to the rural poor. Farmers in the remote interior parts of India now have access to the latest prices for their produce on the international market. And illiterate villagers are sending video mails through public call centers to their families in other parts of India and the world.

The 21st century has given the Indian IT industry a brand image that has universal value and recognition. This image is based on the ability of Indian IT professionals to provide global solutions, business strategies, investment markets ands cost effective technologies. Within the country, the focus of Indian policy makers has been on world class value added services, product development and connectivity, as India moves into the next orbit of growth where knowledge sharing is inevitable. India views Information Technology as a catalyst for change, a change that encourages people to use IT tools for self-sufficiency and empowerment. India firmly believes that in the new knowledge economy, no country can remain confined to its own resources. The information technology revolution has taught all of us that technology has brought all human beings together on an equal footing. Information technology has made the world more equal than ever before.

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