Nasscom to help in incorporating rupee symbol in OS

The government today said apex body of software industry, Nasscom, will approach software firms to incorporate the newly adopted rupee symbol in their operating systems.

Nasscom will approach software development companies for incorporating the rupee symbol in their operative software, as a new programme or as an update, to enable the computer users worldwide to use the symbol even if it is not embedded on the keyboards, an official statement said.

"Its a great thing that the Indian rupee now has a symbol and we would like to see it in use as soon as possible," Nasscom Chairman Som Mittal said.

HCL Infosystems Chairman and CEO Ajai Chowdhry said: "We would like to put it (rupee symbol) in use as soon as possible both for hardware and software."

The rupee symbol could be used in a similar manner as, the Euro symbol, which is not embedded in the keyboards in used in India.

For the symbol in Indian keyboards, the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) will enjoin its membership to make requisite changes in the production processes once the symbol is notified as a keyboard standard by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The Indian rupee will have its own symbol, a mix of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R', to become the fifth currency in the world to have a distinct identity.

The new symbol, designed by IIT post-graduate D Uday Kumar was approved by the Union Cabinet today.