Our aim is to make the digital world omnipresent and omnipotent: Sibal

10 December, 2012

The telecom industry should lobby with central and the state governments and the civil society to convince them about the need of a virtual world for empowering the people of India, Kapil Sibal said.

THE COMMUNICATIONS and the IT minister while inaugurating the 9th National Summit on Digital Society organized by the industry body Assocham said that their (government's) aim is to make the digital world omnipresent and omnipotent.

"For this the government and industry should work together with the civil society, state governments and demonstrate the enormous advantages of the virtual world,” Kapil Sibal said, as per a statement issued by the industry body.

“There is a need for investment in basic infrastructure in the virtual world along with the need for constant research and applications to be developed. The first political task is to gather all the forces together i.e. the central government, state governments, civil society to ensure there is realization that for India virtual world is the future,” added the minister.

Governments should not be looking at filling up their pockets but should be looking at empowering people and fill up their pockets. This has to be the objective and policy of the government, not just in telecom but across the board, said the minister.

Sibal said that there is a need for developing an industry to manufacture the right devices, which is the second imperative as networks are of no use in the absence of devices. “If we are going to import devices at heavy costs then the dream of empowering rural India won’t be realized,” added Sibal.

Sharing his views on the need of a robust content industry in India, the minister further said, “I am making a project for developing content of folktales of India on the Internet for our children so they learn about their roots, traditions and culture and that’s how India has to move forward.”