Milestones to becoming knowledge superpower identified

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 3. Societal transformation, wealth generation and knowledge protection have been identified as the key milestones on the road to India becoming a knowledge superpower by the Task Force on Knowledge Society. The group has advocated the setting up of a Cabinet Committee for Knowledge Society (CCKS) to navigate the progress.

Releasing the report of the Task Force here today, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr. K. C. Pant, said a CCKS had been recommended to establish a proper mechanism for monitoring the task of implementing a transformation of the community into a knowledge society and thereafter into a superpower in about a decade.

The Task Force envisages a greater role for the private sector in India's march to becoming a knowledge superpower and has suggested the setting up of an Education Development Finance Corporation through private sector initiative. Non-resident Indians and People of Indian Origin should also be encouraged to help in the effort to increase access and availability of education.

It has also recommended a slackening of the Government hold over universities, including those supported by the University Grants Commission, in decisions regarding the fee structure. ``They should be permitted to set their own fees keeping in view the quality of education imparted.''

While stressing on quality universal elementary education by 2010, more Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management, free women's education up to college level, and upgrading of Regional Engineering Colleges to bring them on par with the IITs, the Task Force has said emphasis in a knowledge society should be more on knowledge than formal education.

On quality education, the Task Force has suggested that teaching be made more attractive to lure some of the best minds to the profession. And to broadbase Internet and bridge the digital divide, it has advocated Net access through cable TV. In view of the urban-rural divide, the Task Force has mooted the `rurbanisation' model for attracting investment in rural areas to attain rapid economic growth and facilitate employment generation in non-urban centres.

The group has suggested a four-tier approach to increase employment potential in the knowledge economy. The first pertains to creating structures for biotechnology promotion and application; the second, to promotion of knowledge-based service industries in which India has competitive strengths; the third to the packaging and marketing of ancient scriptures and traditional knowledge, especially in medicine; and last, to the improvement of capacity-building in the three mutually supportive areas of human resource development, R&D capabilities and application of technologies flowing from innovations.

On knowledge protection, the Task Force has called for strengthening Intellectual Property Rights; protection of biological and microbial resources, and native knowledge and culture; and safeguarding network and information generators from all kinds of electronic attacks.

Asked how the Task Force would ensure that its proposals were implemented, Mr. Pant said efforts would be made to incorporate them into the 10th Plan. ``Since representatives of the departments, that have a role to play, were involved in the process of drawing up this document, the issue is not alien to them and they - in turn - will try and incorporate it into their policies for the next five years.''

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