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March 4, 2005
Using ICTs to Reach Human Development Goals
The first full day of the fifth Baramati Conference in Baramati, India opened this morning with a speech delivered by India's ICT minister, Shri Dayanidhi Maran.
"ICT as a catalyst for development is a focus of my ministry," Minister Maran explained. "I firmly believe ICT can deliver on the promise of bringing education to all.... The role of ICT for education and development is now widely accepted worldwide... including as a tool for reaching the Millennium Development Goals.... ICT is expected to play an important role in achieving these targets."
"Technologies such as ICT can help people reach their full potential," he continued. "There are hundreds of millions of people not in a position to benefit from these tools... How can we use ICT to help the poor? It is my very earnest desire that the benefits of ICT percolate down to the poor... using ICT to reach human development goals."
"Nations are placing great emphasis on developing their human capital," he continued. So the question, he said, is how can ICTs be used to raise the opportunities available to the underprivileged.
"The use of ICT to help people gain access to the information they require to improve their lives.... It is our way of escaping from our closed society. Female education is recognized as one of the key factors for promoting social development. It is often said that when you educate a woman, you educate a whole family." He went on to describe the success of the Grameen Phone program for giving new economic opportunities to illiterate women.
"We should prepare our children for an increasingly digital world" by providing universal access to ICTs, he explained. ICTs will help children gain new skills and build confidence.
"It is our vision to make India a major player in the ICT arena," Minister Maran concluded.
Posted by acarvin at March 4, 2005 12:43 AM
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