Addressing the 'Infovision 2006 Knowledge Summit' through videoconferencing from Chicago, Pitroda said the public portal is being developed by NKC member and Infosys CEO Nandan M Nilekani and his family through their foundation.
Bhargava, believed to have differences with Pitroda, said he had to pay for being honest and truthful.
Telecommunications icon and entrepreneur Sam Pitroda, who is the chairman of National Knowledge Commission, tasked with building excellence in India's education system to meet the challenges of the 21st century, has said India faces serious problems in its higher education system and that unless it is alleviated expeditiously, the Indian march to become a major global player could be adversely impacted.
Sam Pitroda, chairman of India's Knowledge Commission, has predicted that the "digital silk road of the 21st century is definitely going to be all about information highways of tomorrow."
The commission also suggested that financiers need to be more proactive in assessing the business opportunities generated by entrepreneurs in the country. According to the study, there is a strong perception among entrepreneurs that start-up funding is very difficult in the country. Along with the problem of getting funds, the entrepreneurs also face skill-shortages and find it difficult to get the right candidate for the jobs, the commission found.
Sam Pitroda, chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission, believes the United States' model of a liberal arts education is applicable in the revamping of higher education in India and that such a model is very much in the works.He noted during a conference on Higher Education Policies in India, China and the United States, "Too much focus on engineering and medical education has created a situation where liberal arts really did not get due recognition," he said.
Speaking on the report of the Knowledge Commission of which Pitroda was the chairman, he highlighted five aspects of knowledge: access, knowldege concepts (vocational, primary, second, training, etc), knowledge creation (innovation, research, etc) application of knowledge and use of knowledge in (e-) governance.
The proposed Vedanta University is likely to get chairman of National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda as its first Chancellor, Orissa's higher education minister Debi Prasad Mishra said on Thursday.
Knowledge Commission Chairman Sam Pitroda felt the political sting of some commission members opposing reservation when he arrived to lecture a group of Parliamentarians today.
Sixty-year-old Pitroda, who was appointed to the new post on Tuesday, will have the rank of a Cabinet minister.
Given the spectrum crunch, it is not clear when the company will get a licence. India is the world's second-fastest growing telecom market and several companies, including Himachal Futuristic, have applied for mobile licences.
National Knowledge Commission has recommended enactment of a legislation that would give universities and research institutions ownership and patent rights over inventions from government-funded research.
Telecom guru Sam Pitroda on Wednesday said India should not try to copy the consumption-based economic model of the United States, saying it won't work for this country.
The country needed to focus on applications for education, e-governance, health, food and developing local applications in future, he said in his keynote address through tele-conferencing at the CII organised `Comtel 2008' on the theme `Breaking Barriers, Bridging the Divide' in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Former president A P J Abdul Kalam, who will be from April 17 to 19, will confer the award that carries $50,000 in cash and a trophy on April 18, Canada-India Foundation Convener Ajit Someshwar told reporters on Wednesday. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier David McGuinty were likely to be present on the occasion, he said.
National Knowledge Commission Chairman Sam Pitroda made a strong pitch on Thursday for India getting into telecom manufacturing in a big way to address the demand.
Telecom industry in India is the fastest growing in the world
There were opportunities in having these people to open bank accounts and use phone banking, said Pitroda.
US President Barack Obama on Sunday got first hand account of how IT has revolutionised life in rural India, when villagers of Kanpura near Ajmer interacted with him in Mumbai through video conference.
Sam Pitroda, chairman of India's knowledge commission and advisor to the Indian prime minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, is designing a program to democratise information in governance. The open government initiative between India and United States aims to help poor people access information for their better and faster development.
The move was initiated by National Knowledge Commission Chairman Sam Pitroda as an incentive to encourage innovation, collaboration, licensing and commercialisation in Indian institutes. The matter is before the Cabinet and will shortly be moved to Parliament for approval, according to a source close to the development. The law will be on the lines of the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act of America.
Centre could experiment in setting up education parks in the country like in IT sector and workout to provide special incentives to those setting up the parks, National Knowledge Commission chairman Sam G Pitroda said. He said government could experiment in establishing education parks so that it can work out strategies to enhance quality of education.
'The mood in the country is the challenge. Everything is going well, but nobody is feeling good. Why? I don't know. Maybe aspirations are too high... The most important thing in life is to be a good person. Rahul is a wonderful person. He is a thinking man. He has convictions and is passionate about his work.' Sam Pitroda discusses the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi in an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
