The Cabinet has recently approved
the National Policy on Information Technology 2012. The Policy aims to leverage
Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to address the ountry’s
economic and developmental challenges. The policy is rooted in the conviction
that ICT has the power to transform the lives of people.
ICT and Electronics are contributing
significantly to the Indian economy, society and governance. IT is a key driver
of the knowledge based global economy. The right policies and investment in infrastructure
can strengthen and enhance India’s position as a global IT power-house. Use of
IT can transform our economy, enhance equity and lead to improvement in
development indices. The Policy envisages the growth of the IT market to USD
300 Billion and creation of additional 10 million employments by 2020.
1. To increase revenues of IT and
ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) Industry from 100 Billion USD
currently to 300 Billion USD by 2020 and expand exports from 69 Billion USD
currently to 200 Billion USD by 2020.
2. To gain significant global
market-share in emerging technologies and Services.
3. To promote innovation and R&D
in cutting edge technologies and development of applications and solutions in
areas like localization, location based services, mobile value added services,
Cloud Computing, Social Media and Utility models.
4. To encourage adoption of ICTs in
key economic and strategic sectors to improve their competitiveness and productivity.
5. To provide fiscal benefits to
SMEs and Startups for adoption of IT in value creation
6. To create a pool of 10 million
additional skilled manpower in ICT.
7. To make at least one individual
in every household e-literate.
8. To provide for mandatory delivery
of and affordable access to all public services in electronic mode.
9. To enhance transparency,
accountability, efficiency, reliability and decentralization in Government and
in particular, in delivery of public services.
10. To leverage ICT for key Social
Sector initiatives like Education, Health, Rural Development and Financial
Services to promote equity and quality.
11. To make India the global hub for
development of language technologies, to encourage and facilitate development
of content accessible in all Indian languages and thereby help bridge the
digital divide.
12. To enable access of content and
ICT applications by differently-abled people to foster inclusive
development.
13. To leverage ICT for expanding the
workforce and enabling life-long learning.
14. To strengthen the Regulatory and
Security Framework for ensuring a Secure and legally compliant Cyberspace
ecosystem.
15. To adopt Open standards and
promote open source and open technologies
The policy attempts to optimally
leverage India’s global edge in ICT to advance national competitiveness in
other sectors, particularly those of strategic and economic importance. The
Policy will promote an inclusive and equitable society. The Policy is oriented towards
use of ICT to consciously promote decentralization and empowerment of
citizens.
The Policy will be notified in the
Gazette shortly. Detailed proposals for individual initiatives will be
formulated in consultation with the concerned Ministries.
(PIB Release ID :87875)
