L K Advani, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's principal opposition party, today released a blueprint for the total transformation of the country using the power of information technology (IT).
The document, titled BJP's IT Vision: Transforming Bharat, makes the following promises:
• 1.2 crore (12 million) new IT-enabled jobs in rural areas.
• Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) with unique Citizen Identification Number (CIN) in 3 years; to replace all other identification systems.
• Bank accounts, with eBanking facilities, for all Indian citizens. Direct transfer of welfare funds.
• India to equal China in every IT parameter in five years.
• National Digital Highway Development Project to create India's internet backbone
• Broadband Internet (2 Mbps with 1:1 contentio ratio) in every town and village, at cable TV prices (less than $4 per month).
• All schools and colleges to have internet-enabled education.
• 1 crore (10 million) students to get laptop computers at Rs 10,000. Interest-free loan for anyone unable to afford it.
• Computing in local languages. National Mission for Promotion of IT in Indian Languages.
• Unrestricted VoIP would be implemented immediately.
• Government of India to standardise on ‘open standard’ and ‘open source’ software.
• Domestic IT hardware industry to be promoted to minimise dependence on imports.
• Domestic hosting industry to be promoted to minimise international bandwith charges.
• An independent body, Digital Security Agency (DSA), to be set up for cyber warfare, cyber counter-terrorism, and cyber security of national digital assets.