Nasscom's 10-point action plan to propel e-com

BANGALORE, AUG. 4. The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) has presented a ten-point call for action for the Government to propel e-commerce in India.

At the `E-Biz 2001', Nasscom's third annual conference on e- business, which concluded here on Friday, Nasscom's chairman, Mr. Phiroz Vandrewala, said the action plan has been drafted based on the Nasscom-BCG study on ``Imperatives for IT to harness the e- commerce opportunity". Nasscom will present the action plan to the Ministry of Information Technology next week in New Delhi, he said.

According to the action plan, there is a need to evolve a common e-governance architecture for the government at all levels to ensure that all governments and departments are on the same platform and are able to offer seamless services to citizens.

The plan said private sector participation should be explored in e-development initiatives to ensure their sustainability over the long run. ``The Government needs to progressively move from basic information publishing services on the web to more sophisticated citizen services that involve two-way information sharing and payment", it said.

It was noted that the Indian Contract Act was not covered under the IT Act, which made legal enforceability of electronic contracts open to challenge, and therefore clearing loopholes associated with electronic contracts and taxation needed to be addressed.

Nasscom said protection of intellectual properties regime in Internet space and issues of cyber crime are not completely addressed by the IT Act and, therefore, issues such as security and trust associated with e-commerce need to be addressed.

The plan called for evolving a regulatory framework for payment gateways, and urged the government to become a facilitator in determining e-commerce related technology standards. ``These standards can relate to communication protocols, payments, security and documentation, among others", it said.

There is a need to promote computer and Internet education in order to ensure long-term availability of skilled workforce, Nasscom said. It also urged the government to develop communication infrastructure by encouraging more players to establish communication infrastructure, and also provide incentives to improve the economics of the ISP business and promote the access of the Internet over cable television.

Industry associations should be encouraged to undertake benchmarking of e-commerce adoption across industries, the action plan suggested.

- PTI

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Section  : Business
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