"After we (government) complete the initiative to distribute fonts in Indian languages, we will make it mandatory for OEMs (IBM, HCL etc.) to load these fonts," Communication and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran said on the sidelines of 'Elitex 2005'.

He said as less than five per cent of the country's population spoke English it was necessary to have fonts of major Indian languages freely available in computers. "The ministry has taken upon itself to distribute the fonts freely".

The Minister said the government would complete the exercise of providing fonts in all the 22 major Indian languages in the next six months and preparations were on to launch Hindi fonts next month.

Tamil fonts were launched last month. Asked if the industry would oppose the decision, Maran said "I think there should be no reservations from the industry. It makes good business sense to do business in India in Indian languages and it is free. The basic idea is to ensure compatibility".