Asia's largest IT show opens amidst fanfare

Monday, 28 October 2002, 20:30 IST
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Asia's largest IT show, BangaloreIT.com2002, opened amidst much fanfare Monday. With 17 countries in attendance, this years edition is being seen as a clear indication of India's IT clout despite the global downturn.

BANGALORE: President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated the five-day fifth edition of the IT exhibition and trade show, which has attracted over 250 participants from across the globe, at the picturesque Bangalore Palace grounds. "Economic strength driven by competency, which is driven by knowledge power, which is driven by technology and research, can alone empower the people," Kalam said at the inaguration. Narrating his interaction with a high school student in Nagaland Sunday, Kalam emphasized that a blueprint was required for India to link technology and development. "Indian IT industry should make thoughtful investment with social benefit and still make economic sense. If IT touches one billion Indians, you also have a growing domestic market." "Relying only on software and acquiring leadership position is not adequate. We need to become ICT leaders with equal strength in hardware, software, embedded systems and end-to-end solutions," Kalam added. Kalam also interacted with about 1200 children at a show where they were exposed to the wonders of the Internet. Among the leading foreign participants is Britain, which has maintained its large presence at the show, and for the third consecutive year has sent its minister for e-commerce, Stephen Tims, to lead a large delegation. "This show has grown consistently over five years in spite of the global dynamics," B.V. Naidu, director of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) -- co-sponsor with the Karnataka government -- told reporters. "The show offers participants, focused conferences to provide technical and managerial insights that are necessary for informed business and technical decisions," Naidu said. "Our estimates show that last year's IT.com show generated business of $250 million. We expect the same kind of outcome this year as well," added Vivek Kulkarni, the IT secretary of Karnataka.
Source: IANS