'India need not copy US development model'

Telecom guru Sam Pitroda today said India should develop an indigenous model for development that focusses on low-cost solutions, instead of copying the consumption-based American economic model which is unsuitable for this country.

“I personally believe the US model of consumption-based economy is not scaleable, sustainable for a country like ours,” Pitroda, who headed the National Knowledge Commission, said. Addressing participants of Micro-soft-organised TechED 2010, a technology conclave here, via videoconferencing from Chicago, the technocrat said India has its own challenges and requires Indian model focused on low-cost solutions.

“We need to learn to innovate on our own,” he said, adding, India needs to look at new development models in areas such as education and health. Advisor to Prime Minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, Pitroda said India’s rural areas could become outsourcing hubs for urban centres.

“If Bangalore can become back-office of America, why can’t our rural areas become back-office of urban areas,” he asked.

In the era of computerisation, e-files and broadband penetration, Pitroda said there was no need to have government offices in busy and expensive city centres; instead infrastructure built in rural areas could support such government services. He said the first phase of ICT (information and communication technologies) revolution in India is beginning to end, and the second phase is about to begin which would have far-reaching implications for the society.

He foresaw a future when all the content would be available on the Internet and teachers would have to discharge their role as mentors. Pitroda said all the money spent by different states on e-governance projects is “waste” as these are not scalable, adding, there should be standards at the central level for them to follow which would also eliminate duplication.