Red Hat Signs MOU with Government of Kerala
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 05 June 2007, 19:30 IST
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Bangalore: Red Hat,(NYSE: RHT), a provider of open source solutions, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Government of Kerala. Red Hat will support Kerala's deployment of open source software that will accelerate e-governance and e-literacy efforts in the State of Kerala. The Kerala Government's IT Policy draft has identified Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) as a major strategic component in its efforts to build an inclusive information society. Under the MOU, Red Hat will work with the Government of Kerala to conduct capacity-building programs around open source software. Red Hat will train the technical staff of various government organizations to help them develop and maintain open source applications. Red Hat will also train school teachers in Kerala on Linux desktop skills under a "Train-the-Trainer" program. "Kerala has always been a leader in literacy and now we want to make Kerala a leader in e-literacy," said V. S. Achutanandan, The Honorable Chief Minister, Government of Kerala. "We believe that Free and Open Source Software is an essential component in our drive to democratize information technology and bring its benefits to all sections of society. We are pleased to partner with Red Hat, an open source leader, in bringing e-literacy and e-governance to the people of Kerala." "The Kerala Government has taken a very progressive step in choosing open source software. The freedom, flexibility and cost-effectiveness of open source helps governments maximize their IT budgets," said Nandkumar Pradhan, President and Managing Director, Red Hat India. "Governments across the world are therefore embracing open source software. This move is a clear recognition that open source has matured to a point where it can span the entire IT ecosystem from servers to desktops to software development platforms. It is also recognition of Red Hat's leadership position in the world of open source." "The Government of Kerala believes that FOSS leads to greater and more equitable socio-economic development," said Shri K R Jyothi Lal, Special Secretary (IT), Government of Kerala and Director of KSITM. "Kerala has always been the leader in human development, literacy and education. The recent policy initiatives are aimed at making Kerala a leader in the global information society and we see FOSS as a key aspect in this regard. Red Hat is the global leader in open source software and we are therefore happy to enter into a partnership with Red Hat to make Kerala's FOSS initiatives a success." Red Hat and the Government of Kerala will also work together to promote Kerala as a global destination for developing open source software.

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