By Mayank Chhaya
Chicago: (IANS) A network of all
knowledge institutions in India will be one of the most consequential
outcomes of the National Knowledge Commission, its chairman Sam Pitroda
says.
Five months after presenting the commission's first report in January,
Pitroda said the government had begun to coordinate the creation of the
National Knowledge Network with gigabit capabilities.
"The idea is to interconnect all universities, libraries, laboratories,
hospitals and agricultural institutions in order to share data and
resources across the country," Pitroda told IANS in an interview.
Pitroda said the knowledge network ties into the global trend where
research and development activities and innovations are becoming
"multi-disciplinary and collaborative".
"In order to work across institutional and even country boundaries, it
is important to create significant computational power. It is in this
context that the knowledge network will have a far reaching impact," he
said.
"Modern research demands live consultations as well as data and resource
sharing. To be able to achieve that objective we have to provide
broadband connectivity nationwide in a single seamless way," he said.
Pitroda said the knowledge network is just one visible example of the
kind of work the commission has been involved in.
"More often than not people do not quite understand what it is that the
commission actually does and how what it recommends can eventually
impact people in their daily life. The knowledge network is a great
tangible example of how our recommendations will eventually impact
people in rural and urban areas," he said.
The network will connect some 5,000 nodes covering all major
institutions but the commission proposes a phased approach where 500 to
1,000 nodes could be set up in the first phase.
The commission is considering four networking options. The first is
hiring and lighting dark fibers that have been laid extensively across
the country by telecom service providers.
The second could be for lit fibers in order to avoid requisition of
transmission equipment and its maintenance. A third option could be to
use the existing commercial networks and save on investing on equipment.
The fourth approach is hybrid in nature where there are two layers - the
higher speed layer is wholly owned by the stakeholders while commercial
service providers provide the lower layer.
The commission's report to the nation appears to prefer the option that
calls for the use of the existing commercial networks.
"In the last 10 years the entire nature of research and development,
education to some extent and innovation has changed fundamentally. In
order for India to not just compete globally but even acquire primacy as
a knowledge society it is crucial that we provide our institutions
world-class broadband network and in return expect them to do
world-class work," Pitroda said.
Among the many things that the network seeks to achieve is to provide
institutions with access speeds of 100 mbps and higher to enhance
collaborations both within and outside the country.
Pitroda said India has a "unique window of opportunity" to transform
itself by using a combination of technology and knowledge.
"Our knowledge base currently is quite diffused and scattered. The
knowledge network can consolidate that base and create an enormous
intellectual asset," he said.
Before the Knowledge Commission took up the issue of nationwide network,
there were up to 10 separate attempts being made simultaneously to
create networks. The commission recognized that these different efforts
would prove costly and even non-starter. Even if some of them did come
up, they would not be able to form one integrated network that was cost
effective.
The commission enlisted the services of a former chairman of the Videsh
Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) who was also a former member of the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for an interface with some 40 other
experts for six months.
A white paper was submitted to the commission on the basis of these
discussions, leading to 10 specific recommendations.
Asked to answer the criticism that the commission was engaged in an
elitist and armchair exercise, Pitroda said: "It is anything but that.
The result of the commission's work will be visible in areas such as
improved rural schools and libraries, better agricultural and medical
research as well as improved access for small and medium scale
industries. Each of these areas has direct bearing on ordinary people's
everyday life. Of course, this is a long-term process."
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