Gates wants computers in Indian slums
PERCY FERNANDEZ
What do you get when you pack 300 top heads of industry, a huge crowd of the lesser known, television crew and other media into the Kamal Mahal at Mauyra Sheraton? An address by Bill Gates and a 1000 people jostling for space meant for 500.
At 9.34 a.m. on Wednesday, Sam Pitroda, Chairman of India's Knowledge Commission walked on to the stage ushering Bill Gates and followed by Rahul Bajaj to a loud round of applause. Sam took the far right side of the stage waving his hand, Bill in the middle was his quiet self with characteristic smile.
Sam opened the forum, saying one of the key challenges to information and communication technology has been applications. "ICT is about local content and out-of- the-box thinking. ICT in the western world has been used for productivity and in India it has to be used for basic needs."
He added, "The second problem is about execution. We have old processes left by the British Raj and the challenge is to use ICT to transform these old processes. How do we take advantage of new processes. And digital divide is not about the gap that technology leaves in its path, but the disparities in economies and living standards. The third challenge is a change in mindset. Comfort zone in India is status quo, perks, privilege and patronage. This has to change."
Sam sought permission from Bill so he could cut short his long resume and obviously underscored when he paused to remark that Bill is the richest man in the world. "He has a long resume and I would like to take his permission to shorten it."
Then Bill began. "It is a pleasure to be back in India. There is a lot of change. Changes in the economy, IT sector and deregulation. It has been fantastic."
He started off by saying that what Microsoft and he offered was amazing in its potential and how the world would benefit from it.
He said that in order to maximize the benefits everyone from the industry should double their efforts.
"Let me begin with literacy, in its broad sense. It is a necessary element and part of the future work force. The key factor is the investments that should be made in the education system."
He appreciated the efforts of the Indian government's investments in IIT and he remembered the 50 th anniversary of IIT in Silicon Valley and talked about how to drive IT through basic education.
"What kind of learning should people know in this era? They should know how to use the computer, like sharing information, looking at articles on the Internet and really be fully empowered and suggest ways of doing things better. All product designs are done digitally. They talk about innovations in information. People in the rural areas should be connected. Yesterday I spent some time in the slums and I was thinking where are the computers? There was electricity there and hence there should be computers there. Pervasive literacy is not an unachievable goal. One of the dynamics I love about India is the competition that exists among the states."
"The second thing that I want to mention is productivity. The world economy is rapidly growing and productivity is increasing. India is absolutely the leader in the way it is growing. There is no doubt that it will continue to grow and the only challenge is that it the demand might outrun the supply."
"Third is digital inclusion. Thirty years ago, when we started Microsoft it was the belief that we should take a computer to every desk, the pervasive ability, tools that empower. Today the Internet helps to navigate knowledge. Most of the tools earlier were unequal and this tool deserves a special place. The idea of democracy is fundamental for both India and the US and now technology is facilitating democracy and of course of democracy of information."
"India is a place where a number of breakthroughs will take place. Today broadband access is limited to a few people. We need to make largely accessible for everyone. Natural speech will be recognized on the computer not just English but all native languages. Government and the industry have a role to play, making sure they experiment new ways for wireless approaches. To create new research centres. Microsoft already has established such research centres in the US, China and India. The theme will be about low cost computing."
"Fourth is innovation. The last few years have been fantastic. The idea is to take all the skill sets, not just engineering skills. For example, the pharma sector has the potential to be world class companies. If I think about the pharma sector, they have the potential to be world class companies. We can focus on such unique needs. The entrepreneurialism in this country is well-known in India. When I met the Finance Minister this morning he was telling me that how Indians have started companies in China which shows the vigour and energies that are available in the country."
Gates ended his address quoting from C.K. Prahlad on how new ideas can only come about by breaking the old means of thinking.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1321811.cms