The IT industry has to fight vigorously against economic disparities in India, says Pitroda, asserting on reducing disparity of income, galvanizing the younger Indians and creating an overall 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.
The move to disinvest the public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has united all central trade unions once again and they have called an indefinite agitation from April 19 against the move.
After dilly dallying for over 20 months, state-owned telecom firm BSNL on Friday decided to scrap its controversial Rs 35,000-crore (Rs 350 billion) tender to procure equipment for expansion of its mobile services.
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.
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.
The newly constituted National Innovation Council (NIC) headed by Sam Pitroda, aims to have a $1-billion (around Rs 4,600 crore) fund to promote new ideas for inclusive development and innovation in the country.
For the last 15 years, Pitroda and Desai's team is working on the technology to pay through mobile phones. Pitroda already has 11 patents with him and some 20 patents related to this technology are pending for registration.
A slew of real estate companies, like DLF, Omaxe, BPTP and Avnija Properties (Dalmia Cement), and large corporations like telecom bigwig AT&T, Sterlite, Videocon, JSW Power, Hinduja's HTMT, Moser Baer Infrastructure, Ispat Industries Ltd and a Sam Pitroda-owned company are among the 25 companies whose applications will not be immediately processed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for awarding mobile licences.
The Telecom Commission, the policy-making wing of the DoT, will soon take up the issue of divestment in state-run BSNL, Telecom Minister A Raja said on Wednesday.
Within hours of going on indefinite strike, the employee unions of BSNL on Tuesday called off the protest after the government assured that the issue of disinvestment in the telecom PSU will be referred to a Group of Ministers.
Sam Pitroda-backed Vavasi Telegence's request for unused radio frequency to be allotted to launch mobile services across the country is unlikely to be met by the department of telecommunication because it said international technology specifications for this wireless technology do not exist. Instead, DoT is considering the option of allotting the company spectrum in the 400 to 430 MHz band, radio frequencies that are currently not used for mobile services in India.
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.
The fourth day of questioning was deferred from June 17 to this day after Gandhi requested the agency for postponing the session as he wanted to be with his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in hospital, where she is admitted for post-Covid issues.
The rush to enter the world's fastest-growing mobile services market has attracted a wide range of applicants for telecom licences with the Department of Telecommunications.
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.
Bhargava, believed to have differences with Pitroda, said he had to pay for being honest and truthful.
Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen rejected Swamy's application while giving him the last opportunity to submit the list of complainant witnesses in the case in which he has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL owed to the Congress.
Former president Dr Abdul Kalam has accepted an invitation of the Canada-India Foundation (CIF) to be the chief guest at their gala dinner on April 18 at Toronto's 'Liberty Grand' when this newly minted advocacy group will award Sam Pitroda their 'Chanchlani Global Indian Award'. The award will be in the form of a unique trophy accompanied with $50,000 that will go to the charity of the award recipient's choice, said CIF Convener Ajit Someswar.
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.
While agency sources informed that Gandhi recorded his statement and checked its transcript minutely, Congress leaders said the investigators took multiple breaks during his questioning
It is imperative for countries to create an environment conducive to promote technology as it is one of the key areas that will have tremendous impact on the social, cultural and political fabric of communities, telecom expert Sam Pitroda said.
Pitroda is happy, however, with the working of the current UPA-led government.
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.
In New Delhi to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Pitroda wears a disgruntled look whenever you talk about India's growth and the much-discussed 'progress' it has made.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will consider the pleas of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi that their appeals against the Delhi high court verdict, refusing to quash summons issued to them in the National Herald case, be heard on Friday.
Sam Pitroda said that the MTNL-BSNL merger is not the only solution and asked the government to give them more autonomy by lowering its stake to below 51 per cent.
Launching a fresh offensive against the Congress, Shah said the opposition party is known for its "vote bank" and "appeasement" politics during elections, but Gandhi should answer whether it is above national interest and if such politics can be done over the grief of families of soldiers killed.
The UAE exchange will launch an innovative remittance facility called wallet telephone software in Dubai on January 10 and later extend it to other Gulf countries and India.
After winding up all the 19 consultative groups set up for Mid-Term Appraisal of the Tenth Plan, the Planning Commission is carrying out consultations with outside experts as well as chief ministers for their inputs on the issue.
Sam Pitroda, chairman and CEO of the US-based World Tel, and the man behind India's telecom revolution said on Tuesday that information technology.
He said around 500 infiltrators were waiting to infiltrate into the country.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for over eight hours by the Enforcement Directorate for the second consecutive day in the National Herald money-laundering probe and was again summoned on Wednesday, even as the opposition party continued its protests and sparred with the BJP, accusing it of conspiring to defame the Gandhi family through the ''false'' case.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and others were on Tuesday directed to appear in person on December 19 by a Delhi court which allowed their plea seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day in the National Herald case.
The sources said Gandhi wants India to lead in the niche area which comes after software development.
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