GULBARGA: The major challenge facing software experts involved in information and communication technologies (ICT) is the designing and building of technologies and networks that are best suited to the needs of the people, according to Rahul De, Chairman of the Hewlett-Packard Chair at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Delivering a lecture at the three-day 4th international convention, CALIBER-2006, on the theme "Dynamic inter-operable Web-based information systems" at the Mahatma Gandhi Auditorium on the main campus of Gulbarga University here, Dr. De pointed out that the ICT developed in the West is meant to meet Defence and industrial requirements. Similarly, computing and network technologies have been designed and developed for the U.S. Department of Defence.

These technologies are not designed to serve educational and developmental needs, Dr. De said. Information and communication technologies are highly flexible and can be moulded to meet the needs of a nation like India.

The foremost problem in applying these technologies for development is language, he said. At present it is difficult to search the Internet in Hindi or Kannada and this leaves out a large number of young citizens who are literate in their own languages and who could have benefited from the power of the Internet.

Although the technology for performing such a search in Indian languages does exist in the form of text-based parsers, XML content markers and rudimentary translators, a lot needs to be done to enable the younger generation, particularly students, to get information in their own language, he said.

Although governments have invested crores of rupees on e-governance and other ICT projects, most of this money has gone down the drain. A recent study on e-governance projects in developing countries showed that 85 per cent of them are a failure, he said.

However, some ICT projects, such as "Bhoomi," a kiosk-based project launched by the Karnataka Government, have been successful, he said. According to an estimate, more than eight lakh people use the system every month.

More than 500 delegates are participating in the international convention.

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