The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Foundation laid for C-DAC innovation centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Foundation laid for C-DAC innovation centre

Special Correspondent

It will offer solutions customised to real-life contexts

— Photo: R.Shivaji Rao

UPGRADING RESEARCH: A. Raja, Union Minister of Communications and IT, with D.Viswanathan, Vice–Chancellor, Anna University (centre), and S. Ramakrishnan, Director- General, C-DAC, at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of a C-DAC innovation centre in Chennai on Monday.

CHENNAI: The foundation stone for the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Innovation Centre at Anna University was laid on Monday. It aims at becoming a landmark institution in research and development.

Speaking at the function, Union Communications and IT Minister A. Raja stressed the importance of reaching the benefits of technology. Though the IT sector had grown exponentially, the outcome had to be measured on the basis of its influence on the lives of the common man. The very concept of ubiquitous computing was all about access to anything, anywhere and at any time.

Mr. Raja said a major initiative of the Centre in spreading the benefits of IT and other technologies to the rural population was the establishment of one lakh Internet-enabled Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the country.

Bridging the divide

The CSCs will bridge the digital divide by providing villagers access to Web portals that facilitate online transactions for public utilities, he said. The Tamil Nadu government, which pioneered computer education in schools in 1996 during the previous government led by the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, is committed to facilitating the evolvement of the C-DAC innovation centre into a global trailblazer, he said. He assured officials of C-DAC and Anna University that hurdles would be removed.

M. Madhavan Nambiar, Special Secretary, Department of Information Technology, said the innovation centre would facilitate an environment for harvesting ideas and solutions customised to real-life contexts.

The focus

The 20-year-old C-DAC, with a network of 10 laboratories and 2,500 members, is focussing on ubiquitous computing, grid computing and propagation of free and open source software. Another initiative is the development of Bharat Operating Systems and Solutions, a GNU/Linux distribution developed by C-DAC for enhancing the use of free/open source software throughout the country, he said. In his presidential address, Anna University Vice-Chancellor D. Viswanathan said the innovation centre would serve as technology incubator and a platform for customised solutions. A. Ramakrishnan, director general, C-DAC, and C. Chandramouli, IT Secretary, were present.

Mr. Raja later told newsmen that the BlackBerry imbroglio over data security would be resolved soon. Research in Motion, manufacturer of the product, had been asked to make out his case in two months. Mr. Raja said more telecom players would be entering the market. The first batch of operators with new licences was in Tamil Nadu. When more players entered telecom circles across the country, tariffs would fall to 25 paise intra-circle.

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