Guntur: Rajendra Pawar, Founder- Chairman of National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) and chairman of NASSCOM, said on Saturday that information technology sector is a vehicle of radical change.
Pawar delivered a lecture on `IT for National Development` after receiving Dr Y Nayudamma Memorial Award in Tenali town of Andhra Pradesh this evening. The IT sector is a vehicle of radical changes, is helping the country regain its economic glory, bridge the gender divide, he said, adding that it also promotes economic equality.
He said that in the eighteenth century, India was at the peak of economic prosperity and accounted for over 22 percent of global income, but colonisation depleted the country`s resources.
But post-liberalisation, IT-BPO sector has put India on the global map once again, he said, adding that IT would play even bigger role in the country`s development in the present century. The technology services sector in the country grew from from USD 1 billion in 1990 to USD 100 billion at 2011-end, he said, adding that it now accounts for 26 per cent of exports.
The IT sector has also helped bridge the gender divide by providing more employment opportunities to women, he said.
"The expectation is that in future, technology will deliver government services to citizens that will transform their lives. "Whether it is healthcare, public distribution system, agriculture or education, IT will be all pervasive."
PTI