NEW DELHI, 15 November 2006 — Professor Samir Qasim Fakhro, Bahrain-based adviser to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (SUNESCO), has said that the common man, especially in rural India, should be more involved in small and medium enterprises in information technology (IT).
This would help rural people make decent livings without having to migrate to large Indian cities or work as cheap labor for multi-national or large Indian corporations.
“India is a real model for the Arab world,” said Fakhro while chairing the third technical session, “Information & Technology & Telecom” on the second day of the two-day conference on “Indo-Arab Relations: Partnership in Development” at the India Islamic Culture Center yesterday. The conference was jointly organized by Indo-Arab Economic Cooperation Forum (IAECF), and the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS).
Three prominent individuals in information & technology & telecom industry gave presentations at the conference. The speakers were Dr. Rao P. Rajmohan, chairman, United Telecom Ltd.; Navaid Khan of Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Gul Iqbal, who has been associated with IBM for three decades.
Dr. Rao said the IT revolution had actually followed the telecom boom and that IT was an integral part of Telecom operation and manufacturing.
Navaid Khan said that India had the lowest mobile penetration in the world but the fastest growing market in the world. “We have covered India well but whoever covers Bharat well will be the winner,” he remarked to stress the point that the rural population has to be served.
Navaid said that Saudi Arabia had decided to add two more telecom providers and that Bharti Airtel would definitely look to make a bid there as well.
Gul Iqbal said India could work together with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He said that there were many opportunities for GCC countries which look to India for IT.