IT Scan

October 31, 2002
President Kalam flags off Bangalore IT.com

BANGALORE -- APJ Abdul Kalam, the Honorable President of India, flagged off the BangaloreIT.Com show -- billed as Asia's largest IT event -- at the picturesque Palace Grounds in Bangalore on October 28.

Over 250 companies from India and abroad exhibited their IT wares at the five-day technology extravaganza, which also attracted trade delegations from 17 countries including the UK, the USA, Hong Kong and Singapore.

During the inaugural ceremony, Abdul Kalam made a passionate appeal to the IT industry to evolve into an overall technology provider instead of heavily relying only on software alone. He said that in addition to software, India should emerge as a world leader in hardware, embedded systems, design and integration, and become an end-to-end solutions provider. "Depending only on software may not be the best strategy for the future," Kalam said on his maiden visit to Bangalore after becoming the President of India.

He also stressed on the need for India to graduate from the maker of IT products to "knowledge products" and adding value to the software and hardware products. "The benefits of technology should reach the remotest corner of the country in form of telemedicine, e-learning
and e-governance," he added.

The President called upon the IT industry to draw up a long-term strategy to expand the domestic IT market, and also stressed that the IT industry should collaborate with institutions and take up the mission to realise national IT prosperity.

He said that only the economic strength of the country could pave the way for a "developed India." "And that economic strength is driven by competitiveness, which in turn is driven by knowledge, which is powered by technology, driven by resources and investment. We have to sweat for economic strength throughout the country," the President said.

Kalam said networking of knowledge, transport and rivers in the country was crucial for the country to emerge as a knowledge society and for integrated development. River networking was the most demanding need in terms of water distribution and solution to the often occurring floods and drought.

Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, who appeared quite relaxed despite the Supreme Court hearing, maintained that the true relevance of science, IT and biotechnology would come through only if the "farmers and the rural poor reaped their benefits." Praising Kalam for his special affection toward children, Krishna noted that the winds of change were not only sweeping across the Rastrapati Bhavan but were felt across the country.

The mega event also witnessed a host of global leaders participating at the inaugural ceremony. They included Karnataka governor TN Chaturvedi, Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Stephen Timms, the UK's e-commerce Minister and Deelchand Jeeha, Mauritius' Minister for IT and Telecommunications.