Proper design of broadband can add 2 per cent to GDP

Problem of poor can be only addressed if the countries growth is in double digit: Pitroda

PTI | July 21, 2011



Properly designed broadband can add 1-2 two per cent to gross domestic product of India, adviser to Prime Minister Sam Pitroda said on Wednesday.

"If we properly design broadband...I can assure you that we can add one to two per cent to our GDP," Sam Pitroda, adviser to the PM on public information, infrastructure and innovation, said at an IETE event organised to grant him Honorary Fellowship of the Institution here.

Pitroda added that fixing infrastructure issues namely transport, power and broadband can lead to up to 14 per cent GDP growth. "The problem of poor can be only addressed if the countries growth is in double digit," he said.

Pitroda said in second era of telecom revolution around broadband, people need to change their mindset in using and adopt changes of new generation. "Broadband is not only about connectivity bandwidth of application, it is about change in mindset, creating new paradigm, new busines model, products, services and delivery system," he said.

He mentioned that everything done today is being done in obsolete manner as it be done in better, faster and cheaper manner. Citing example of change, Pitroda said that in education things have changed from the way it happened 60 years ago.

"I was told to focus but children today do not focus, they multitask. I have seen kids watching TV, listening to radio, sending sms, on laptop still do their homework," Pitroda said.  He added that university of 2050 is going to be different from univesity of today.

"You dont need teacher to create and deliver content, college to go to classroom... ask a young kid , there world is different. They are on net learnming, they could be in a cafeteria learning," he added.

However, Pitroda said he thinks the government is not ready to respond to lot of changes in the country.

"The other day I was talking to Department of IT (DIT), I said how could you still have 'nada vali’ (string) files. At least DIT should say no more paperwork everything should be done on internet," he said.

Pitroda expressed hope to celebrate death of nada files in India with use of broadband.  Headquarted in the capital, the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers (IETE) is a professional body working for the advancement in the fields of electronics, telecom and IT.

The body has given honorary fellowships to eminent personalities like APJ Abdul Akalam, Sunil Mittal, Ratan Tata, NR Narayana Murthy, E Sreedharan, among others. At present, IETE has 70,000 members, including student members.

Comments

 

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.  

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter