Lauding the role of infotech professionals in changing the world's perception about India, IT and Communications Minister Arun Shourie on Friday said the software exports were expected to touch $11 billion this year.

"IT is one of the greatest achievements of India. Ten years ago it was not a household word," Shourie said, flagging off NIIT's computer literacy initiative in New Delhi.

"Today the developed countries are setting up protectionist walls against the Indian IT industry. Today one-fifth of our exports are accounted for by IT. This year, the exports are set to touch $11 billion," Shourie said.

During 2002-03, the software exports stood at $9.5 billion.

He said that the achievements in the field of IT had changed the world's perception about India.

"Wealth is coming to India through 500,000 professionals who are about 26 years old. This is the achievement of the youth of India," Shourie said.

"We need doctors and scientists, and at the middle level we need IT professionals but most of all we need a great base of literate populace," he said.

NIIT's latest drive is aimed at providing free computer literacy to upto 100,000 underprivileged school children in the country. It today started with a small group of students at the Vidya Bhawan Mahavidyalaya Senior Secondary School having their first brush with computers.