This was put out on Irfan Khan's s-asia-it@apnic.net mailing list. FN

---------- Forwarded message ----------

[with thanks to DigitalOpportunity.org for the lead]

UNDP Consultation on ICT4D and Media Partnerships

ICT Working Group Calls for Promotion of Free and Open Source Software

New Delhi, 31 May [2003]:

Free and Open Source Software should be promoted as the new mantra in the area of using Information and Communication technology (ICT) for Human Development. This was the key message of the discussions during the second day of the Consultation on ICTs for Development and Cross- Media Partnerships, organised jointly by the United Nations Development Programme, the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.

Describing Open Source Software as an area of far-reaching relevance for rural development and community-based initiatives, Mr. R. Chandrashekhar, the Joint Secretary for E-Governance, Ministry of Information Technology, said that a number of fora within the Government were actively promoting and advocating for non-proprietary software. “We have to keep in mind a discerning consumer who wants quality and value delivered at an affordable price, and Open Source Software meets this requirement well”, he said.

Speaking at the Consultation, Dr. S Ramakrishnan, the head of Software Development in the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, made a strong case for the promotion of Free and Open Source Software. He called for greater localisation of Open Source Software and vendor support for user groups. Dr. Ramakrishnan also said that in the last few months there has been increasing debate and discussion within the Government about promoting Open Source Software. He said that the Government recognises a tremendous scope for public-private partnerships and is considering pilot initiatives and supporting the NGOs working the field. He said the need of the hour is to ‘spread the word’ and encourage people to look at Open Source Software as an efficient alternative. He said workshops like these helped demystify Open Source Software and break the prevailing myths.

The Consultation highlighted successful case studies in the use of Open Source Software in various areas. Mr. Sanjay Jaju, District Collector of the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh and pioneer of the much-acclaimed e-governance initiative Saukaryam, discussed how the use of Open Source Software has enhanced the administration work in his district. Mr. Kishore Bhargava of Link Axis Technologies talked about the potential of Open Source Software in the field of education and explained how its low cost, flexibility and easy adaptability could prove to be the key to expanding education opportunities in the country.

Mr. Venkatesh Hariharan of IndLinux made a compelling case for promoting Open Source Software in the area of Indian language computing. He said that India was in a condition of ‘Digital Brahminism’ where the English-educated and computer literate minority enjoyed a position of privilege. He called for the development of localised software for the 900 million-strong non-English speaking population of the country. He quoted the example of China where the law mandates every computer in the country to be equipped with a Chinese language interface, and said it was disappointing that we do not have an interface for Hindi, which is the fourth largest spoken language in the world.

The recommendations of the Consultation emphasized that Open Source Software has implications for human development, and thus the issue of technology should be considered not in isolation but in the context of development. Discussions during the Consultation yielded a consensus about Open Source Software being the way forward, and the need for developing support mechanisms for bringing about an open source software revolution.

source: http://www.undp.org.in/NEWS/PRESS/press262.htm

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