Personal computer software piracy in India cost the software industry Rs 2,547 crores in 2005. Dr Shakeel Ahmed, minister of state for communications and information technology had informed the Parliament that if the assembly of computers takes place in the unorganised sector, it is likely to cause revenue loss to the Centre."
According to Business Software Alliance, the level of personal computer software piracy in India in 2005 was 72 per cent resulting in estimated loss of $ 566 million," said Dr Shakeel. He said that instructions have been issued to various government departments to only use legal copies of the software.
The government is also setting up a National Resource Centre for free or open source software. It will explore the effectiveness of such software to bring down piracy in the country. It will identify, evaluate and popularise a set of proven F/OSS packages in the education and SMEs sector as an alternative to counterpart proprietary ones.
He said the government proposes to bring a comprehensive central legislation to regulate the operations of calls centres (BPOs).
"Data and information security is an international issue and is not unique to any one country," said Dr Shakeel.
However, he said that the government has initiated some steps like to amend the Information Technology Act, 2000 to strengthen the regulatory framework pertaining to date protection and privacy of information.
Software piracy costs IT industry Rs 2,547cr
December 4, 2006, 11:13 amDisability still a handicap in State
December 4, 2006, 11:10 am
The news that Sunita Williams, a Gujarati NRI, will soon stepping into space makes the State proud, but in rural Mehsana, little Sarla’s father pours acid on her hands just because she cannot serve drinks to his friends fast enough, rendering her physically challenged. Incidents like these can put any Gujarati to shame. Such incidents also bring to light the treatment meted out to physically challenged persons.
Another World Disability Day, but the fates of physically and mentally challenged people across the rural Gujarat remain unchanged — they are fighting abuse, social apathy and stigma. A recent research study carried out by the National Institute of Design (NID) under Handicap International (HI) and State Department of Health and Family Welfare, has thrown up a startling revelations about inhuman treatment meted out to physically challenged people, especially in rural Gujarat.
NID’s report submitted to HI states: ‘‘While practices like pouring an egg into the ear of a mentally challenged person — on belief that their heads are empty — are rampant in Mehsana and adjoining districts. In Mithibore (Chhotaudepur), lepers and children born with deformities are either buried alive or drowned.’’
While talking to Newsline, project head Tarun Deep Girdher says the study reveals that there exists significant gender disparity among the disabled population in rural areas. “We surveyed nine districts so far. The programme which is targeted at strategic behavioural change to prevent and minimise the impact of disability is likely to be extended to 16 more districts by next year.” Girdher says, cases of physical abuse of the disabled are rampant in rural area citing cases where a visually challenged girl was raped in Dahod and another woman with visual impairment in the same district was rejected by her physically challenged fiance.
Also, chaining physically challenged people is common in Unjha and Makhtupur, says Girdher adding that in some other areas like Chandroda, polio patients are called “mastans” and revered by family with the belief that the person has absorbed all the ill fate of the family through his disability. “During our study, we have also come across a number of mentally challenged people who have been abandoned by families near Piradata Mazar in Mehsana district.” These are made to take mud baths by the people of the mazaar, he says. “After a thorough situation assessment in districts of Gandhinagar, Anand, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Anand, Baroda, Katch and Surendranagar, we realised that while on one hand there is very low level of awareness regarding issues pertaining to disability among both the civil society and the health workers, on the other hand, stigma attached to disability is proving a great hindrance in their rehabilitation. For many, disability is only orthopaedic. They are not aware of other forms,” he says.
Girdher says his team has developed campaign material to raise awareness on disability among people and health workers. “Disability, in most cases, is preventable. Timely intervention can go a long way in minimising the impact of certain forms of disability,” he says. “Health workers at village level don’t know that proper natal care and adequate physiotherapy tends to reduce the risk of congenital disability,” says Girdher. “We have come up with number of radio and television programmes, and print material in Gujarati,” says Girdher. “AIR and Doordarshan are already broadcasting our programmes.
Since August, posters, stickers and calendars with messages and tit-bits on medical information are being distributed in these districts. We would also like to survey the campaign’s impact by the middle of next year,” says Girdhar, adding, “We hope to bring some positive change in the lives of the physically challenged.”
Source: Expressindia.com
Another World Disability Day, but the fates of physically and mentally challenged people across the rural Gujarat remain unchanged — they are fighting abuse, social apathy and stigma. A recent research study carried out by the National Institute of Design (NID) under Handicap International (HI) and State Department of Health and Family Welfare, has thrown up a startling revelations about inhuman treatment meted out to physically challenged people, especially in rural Gujarat.
NID’s report submitted to HI states: ‘‘While practices like pouring an egg into the ear of a mentally challenged person — on belief that their heads are empty — are rampant in Mehsana and adjoining districts. In Mithibore (Chhotaudepur), lepers and children born with deformities are either buried alive or drowned.’’
While talking to Newsline, project head Tarun Deep Girdher says the study reveals that there exists significant gender disparity among the disabled population in rural areas. “We surveyed nine districts so far. The programme which is targeted at strategic behavioural change to prevent and minimise the impact of disability is likely to be extended to 16 more districts by next year.” Girdher says, cases of physical abuse of the disabled are rampant in rural area citing cases where a visually challenged girl was raped in Dahod and another woman with visual impairment in the same district was rejected by her physically challenged fiance.
Also, chaining physically challenged people is common in Unjha and Makhtupur, says Girdher adding that in some other areas like Chandroda, polio patients are called “mastans” and revered by family with the belief that the person has absorbed all the ill fate of the family through his disability. “During our study, we have also come across a number of mentally challenged people who have been abandoned by families near Piradata Mazar in Mehsana district.” These are made to take mud baths by the people of the mazaar, he says. “After a thorough situation assessment in districts of Gandhinagar, Anand, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Anand, Baroda, Katch and Surendranagar, we realised that while on one hand there is very low level of awareness regarding issues pertaining to disability among both the civil society and the health workers, on the other hand, stigma attached to disability is proving a great hindrance in their rehabilitation. For many, disability is only orthopaedic. They are not aware of other forms,” he says.
Girdher says his team has developed campaign material to raise awareness on disability among people and health workers. “Disability, in most cases, is preventable. Timely intervention can go a long way in minimising the impact of certain forms of disability,” he says. “Health workers at village level don’t know that proper natal care and adequate physiotherapy tends to reduce the risk of congenital disability,” says Girdher. “We have come up with number of radio and television programmes, and print material in Gujarati,” says Girdher. “AIR and Doordarshan are already broadcasting our programmes.
Since August, posters, stickers and calendars with messages and tit-bits on medical information are being distributed in these districts. We would also like to survey the campaign’s impact by the middle of next year,” says Girdhar, adding, “We hope to bring some positive change in the lives of the physically challenged.”
Source: Expressindia.com
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