The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Thailand, Nepal invite Indian entrepreneurs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Thailand, Nepal invite Indian entrepreneurs

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 22. Senior representatives of the governments of Thailand and Nepal today sought the cooperation of Indian entrepreneurs in developing the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in their respective countries.

Addressing the inaugural session of the four-day Connect 2004 international exhibition and conference, organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Kraisorn Pornsutee, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand, said the Thai Government aimed at making the country the "new ICT hub of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)" by 2008.

Thailand constituted a National Telecommunications Commission last month, which was now drafting new rules and regulations. In about a year, the country would witness competition in the telecom sector, which at present was controlled by four companies in the landline segment and five in the mobile segment.

Thai Government plan

Mr. Pornsutee said the Thai Government's plan to issue smart cards to its 64 million citizens and to promote e-commerce were the other major initiatives. Internet penetration in Thailand was very low, at less than one per cent, as a result of high tariffs. The Government was targeting a cut in tariff to one-third.

The Bangkok International ICT Expo 2004 held last month was a success, he said, and urged the Tamil Nadu Government to participate in the Indian pavilion in the August 3-7, 2005 fair. "Thailand is keenly interested in the Indian BPO (business process outsourcing) market," he said.

Nepal's Minister of State for Science and Technology, Pratibha Rana, said a high-level commission for information technology, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Nepal, was finalising revisions to the first IT policy (of 2000) and an action plan for 2004. An Electronics Transactions Act had been promulgated, which would facilitate ICT development in the public and private sectors.

Alternative destination

"Nepal is located between the stalwarts of hardware and software," Ms. Rana said, in an apparent allusion, respectively, to China and India. Suggesting a "brain alliance" in the context of the `global village,' she invited Indian entrepreneurs to visit Nepal and offer inputs for revision of its IT policy. "We have adequate young and talented graduates. You can use Nepal as an alternative destination for BPO and other outsourcing," Ms. Rana said.

She also suggested to entrepreneurs to visit CAN Infotech, to be organised by the Computer Association of Nepal in January in Kathmandu.

D. Jayakumar, Tamil Nadu Minister for Law and IT, said the State was given the highest rank of "leader in e-readiness" by the Union Government and the World Bank. The e-governance projects of Tamil Nadu, like STAR, Tamilnalam and REGINET, and its drug distribution management system, DDMS, had become "approved national models."

Vivek Harinarain, Secretary (IT), Government of Tamil Nadu, said given factors related to "location and logistics," besides the State's well-known strengths including rich human resources and the presence of national and global leaders in the IT sector, the State would emerge as the first destination for IT businesses in five years.

Shobana Kamineni, Chairperson, CII-Southern Region, highlighted the contribution of the IT sector to the development of other sectors, including housing, hospitality and entertainment. S. Mahalingam, Chairman, Connect 2004, called for further improvements to infrastructure in the State.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu