GITEX opens in Hyderabad today

Amidst the possibility of mid-term elections looking almost certain, the Bhartiya Janata Party's two day national executive meeting began here today. To add more flavour to the already buzzing activity, the annual three-day IT exhibition "" Gitex, the second Asia IT Ministers' Summit, and Nasscom's two-day IT summit will begin on Monday.

The third edition of Gitex (Global IT exhibition) Hyderabad-2004, which is jointly organised by the Dubai World Trade Center and the state government, will be inaugurated by Arun Shouri, the union minister for information technology and communications.

More than 78 exhibitors have lined up to participate in this year's expo as against 70 last year. IT majors that have signed up to participate in the event include Microsoft, Reliance Infocomm, Satyam, Hindustan Lever, Vanenberg Asia, HSBC, ADP Wilco, Iomega, STPI, HYSEA, L&T Infocity, BSNL, Dubai Internet City, IT&C Department, Andhra Pradesh and Department of Information Technology, Karnataka among others.

The exhibition will showcase an entire range of IT related products and services. While the main exhibition will retain its exhaustive focus on trade professionals, consumers looking to purchase computer equipment and electronic gadgetry can do so at the GITEX Computer Shopper that has been added as a new component to the event this year to target those seeking to purchase equipment for their personal use.

To encourage more regional companies to attend the event, the state government has extended a subsidy of 30 per cent to AP-based exhibitors to participate in the event.

Nasscom is organising iTech 2004, a two-day IT summit that will focus on 'Strategic leadership for sustaining growth'. Key speakers at the sessions include Kiran Karnik, the president of Nasscom, Srini Raju, Ramalinga Raju, BVR Mohan Reddy, J Satyanarayana etc. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will deliver a special address at 1.30 pm.

The second Asia IT ministers' Summit, which will also begin on Monday, will also be inaugurated by Arun Shouri, the union minister for information technology and communications.

Ministers of information technology and delegates from 45 Asian countries are expected to participate in the meet.

The summit would discuss issues like bridging the digital divide, standardisation and IT development in Asia, digitisation of culture, construction of broadband network, Internet affordability, management and security. National Informatics Center will webcast the entire proceedings of the meet.