In other words, the purpose and direction chosen determine the competency of the workers that the enterprise possesses. Human capital is indeed critical to business success. The decision to hire someone is one of the most critical business decisions. Employers must hire the right people, which takes a great deal of time, expertise, and expense. Therefore, there is a need for some one to improve the effective-ness of recruiting and screening, speeding up the hiring process and help reduce the recruiting costs.

This is what nisiet has done by launching NCPAT.Any organisation is only as good as its employees. They provide new perspectives and contribute to the growth of the organisation and facilitate realisation of those goals for which the organisation has been set up. They apply creativity and initiative to their work roles and responsibilities to make things happen. nisiet team has demonstrated these key competencies and enterprise skills by launching innovative method of identifying meritorious employees for meeting industry needs while providing a chance to able and competent young avenues to employment. A commendable job indeed and how did they make this possible. I believe the more broadly you think about anything, the more insights you will have, the more creative you will be and the more valuable you will be to yourself and your organisation. This is what is manifested at nisiet through this NCPAT, which saw the participation of nearly 6000 job aspirants and more than 200 employers.

The responses or ‘Feedback’ as I would like to term it (in the context in which nisiet is operating), is a continuous process of self-improvement. Initially, it provokes the thinking process in the receiver and persuades the presenter to rethink what was presented earlier. In the context of our culture, it is also a process of self-purification, whereby layer by layer of inconsistencies both in the body and the soul, are peeled off and only the essential purified core remains-just like ores of metals which are mined out and have to go through rigid tests by fire to emerge unalloyed, shining and bright.Small businesses, especially, need to navigate carefully in the turbulent waters of change arising out of global competition, deregulation, mergers and acquisitions, and scale adjustments to growth or downsizing. Responding quickly to such market conditions and a competitive landscape is a major challenge.

For this we need future-fit training courses, which will continuously update the industry to face these new challenges. Therefore, the different aspects of training courses have to be coordinated so that the input received by one, for instance, project planning, should feed into the others, and vice versa, so that there is simultaneous growth. This holds good for the launching and running of small businesses as well. This ensures that one aspect of business and its management does not lag behind due to the lack of growth in another.nisiet, being a pioneer in providing support and assistance to the SME sector, is making a conscious effort to understand exactly what the customers think of our services. We need to constantly tune in to the demands of the market. It is the realization of this need of the industry on the one hand and customer satisfaction on the other that has led us to find a way to deal effectively with a different set of customer expectations-expectations that change constantly. To this effect nisiet has developed an innovative feedback system to monitor the utility of our programmes. We do get the usual feedback from participants when they complete their courses, which we feel is inadequate.

Making use of IT enabled tools nisiet team has designed a new innovative online feedback system that enables participants wherever they are to send not only their feedback per se, but also questions and problems encountered during their operations.We are trying to cut down on the learning curve and make our systems a little more intuitive. This online feedback system is not only limited to the participants who took part in our programmes, but the larger clientele who contribute their ideas for improvement of our services. The feedback system enables the persons monitoring the feedback from nisiet to instantly know the particulars of the participants, the course they attended and the utility of the programmes enjoyed by them by the keyed-in registration number.

This system becomes important for nisiet because we would like to keep in touch with the participants even after they have left the institution. We would like to know how the programmes are impacting them in their work situation.Another innovative feature of this programme is that the system updates itself every 30 seconds, which provides the very latest information to spotlight problems and helps us take immediate action to ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction. It also enables the faculty to track how well they are doing so that they know what to change and when. This programme will keep us alert when it comes to catering to the demands of the participants, and this keeps us one step ahead. Our fingers are literally on the pulse of the participants, every 30 seconds. Continuous renewal is our credo and this is a testimony for our commitment towards excellence.Note : Continuous feedback and updating of information have the potential to give a boost to small industries facing new challenges in this age of globalization and massive changes in world economy. With the help of cutting-edge IT tools we at nisiet have developed an online feedback system that keeps us updated every 30 seconds.

For me, this was a great opportunity to meet a galaxy of illustrious women working in various capacities for different causes they espouse. Though we conduct many events on a regular basis, the International Women’s Day at nisiet was exceptional. The very fact that four organisations had come together to plan and present this event and the accomplished people who took part in the seminar made it a landmark event for nisiet.

While the number of women participants could have been larger, the fact that those present were a group of extremely talented and highly successful women made all the difference.More than one half of the total women population of the world lives in rural areas and most of them work in agricultural fields and are engaged in a wide range of land-based activities. Women workers are amongst the most exploited sections of the working class. Forced to accept low paid jobs with very poor working conditions and safety standards, they are usually the first to be dismissed. Employers often openly flout even the minimal employment and safety conditions established by law.

I recall the thought provoking words of Shri K R Narayanan, President of India, on the occasion of the closing function of Golden Jubilee of India’s Independence in the central hall of Parliament on August 15, 1998. According to him women of India have a glorious record of success not only in the private domestic sphere but also in public activities and in fighting for the freedom of the nation, but today, their role in our society and politics has been marginalised. The President wondered about the quality of progress of a nation when nearly 50% of its population is oppressed, ill treated, discriminated against, and denied basic human and civil rights.

Instances of gender discrimination and atrocities against women, he said, ought to make our menfolk hang their heads in shame before the civilised world. This message from the President should bringsignificant attitudinal shifts in all those who look down upon women and their abilities.The merit of a civilisation can be judged from the standing that it ascribes to women. One of the several factors that accentuate the greatness of India’s ancient culture is the venerable place accorded to women. Manu, the great lawgiver, said long ago, "Where women are honoured, there reside the gods." There is no gainsaying the fact that women in India have made considerable progress in the last fifty years but they still have to struggle against many handicaps and social evils in our male dominated society.

In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of women in all spheres of activity and they have successfully established themselves in each one of them—be it in politics, administration, corporate businesses, journalism, and even in such traditionally male dominated areas as police, armed forces, and other security services. Women’s contributions in politics and social services over the years have especially been noteworthy.Women all over the world have been performing a variety of roles. With their entry into the public sphere, holding top decision making positions in public sector organisations as well as multinational corporations, apart from other posts, their roles have only increased.

It is a tribute to their abilities, resilience, and strength of resolution that they are managing their multiple identities successfully.The perspectives that dominated public discourses on gender issues in the past many years have inspired us to introduce many programmes at nisiet and it is in this context that we established a Women Studies Cell specially dedicated to the all-round development of women. The Indian Woman is entitled to a supreme place in her own realm of activity just as man has in his. Although attitudes towards women are gradually changing, it will be quite some time before they are conferred their well-deserved place. The march of civilisation has protracted the time in giving due recognition to the immense capabilities of women who had played and continue to play an influential and equal role in shaping the destiny of humankind.

Indeed, we have to encourage businesses to recognise that their responsibilities towards society go far beyond the activities motivated primarily by profit. Businesses should cultivate a sense of corporate social responsibility. It would be ideal if we can build a partnership among the state, the business sector, and the society to promote good governance and human rights based upon the ideals of shared responsibilities, public interest, and social conscience. This partnership must also aim at increasing transparency, accountability, efficiency, and public participation the four major preconditions for good governance, not the results of it.

The convention on “Business Ethics and Public Accountability - A Clarion Call”, held at nisiet on May 31, 2002 was a response to the recent slew of financial irregularities that unleashed unprecedented volatility in markets. These led to devaluation, default, and capital flight creating a crisis of confidence among the investor community compelling us to reconsider the role of the stakeholders.These opprobrious affairs have unnerved the nation and the victims of such lapses were the long-term retail investors who saw their returns dwindle in the aftermath of scam after scam. Apart from financial bodies being cheated out of crores of rupees, a huge number of retail investors succumbed to the ploys of the burgeoning tribe of unscrupulous market operators.

Protecting the small investor is important because such protection serves as a major confidence-building measure for capital markets over the longer term and attracts assets allocation from this segment of investors. For a market to have Business Ethics a broad investor base, especially a non-institutional one, small investor protection is critical. In general, the more legal protection minorities enjoy, the more they will want to invest. Past research in some countries have shown that stock markets as a whole are larger and more active when investors are better protected.What are the lessons that we can draw from this seamy side of affairs? Battered by scams the market yearns for a pro-active regulator. The institutions and other large market agents should not be allowed to think that they could abrogate their fiduciary responsibilities to investors with little risk.

The whole problem needs to be tackled through both precautionary and protective means. Among the precautionary moves, the regulatory framework has to introduce proper screening methods to exercise control on security dealers. As a back up precaution, people with very low creditworthiness should not be allowed to enter into this highly sensitive and lucrative market which otherwise will pave way for recurring scams and economic offences. As protection, the market needs to be policed by far more professional and strong regulators, possessing formidable Investigating powers to levy substantial fines for infringement, which can ensure fairness, and transparency.

A regulatory mechanism bestowed with the power to ‘bite’ to back its ‘bark’ will be the answer to the maladies of the financial sector.The role of professional agencies has come under serious scrutiny in the wake of these happenings. Auditors should play a more pro-active role, not as mere auditors or accountants, but as part of the management to contribute towards better corporate governance. The professional agencies need to cooperate with the regulators in stamping out frauds. The most important role that they can play is that of ‘whistle blowers’ which can help in safeguarding the organisation. More accountable professional agencies will go a long way in enhancing public trust in the system as currently there is a lot to be desired from their services.

The real beatitude in business should be sought in achievements comparable with those of the artist or the scientist, of the inventor or the statesman.And the joys sought in the profession of business must be akin to the joys from similar vocations, and not mere vulgar satisfaction experienced in the acquisition of money, in the exercise of power, or in the frivolous pleasure of mere winning.This is the inspiration behind organising this convention in the backdrop of the increasing number of fiascoes and flagrant violations of the premises of public accountability and the heightened concerns of the investor community.

It is hoped that the unpleasantness experienced while discussing these various issues will prove beneficial in the long run, if only for the reason that it will keep coming back if we do not strive to avoid such calamities in the future. This convention is a small but sure step that will go a long way in spreading awareness.

We do not seem to understand the logic of a few people or a manufacturing company holding the rights for what has always been free knowledge. This comes through, especially in cases of traditional knowledge systems, be it agriculture or medicine. For centuries, people of the subcontinent have availed of the beneficial and medicinal properties of neem and turmeric, to cite the two most talked about cases, and suddenly one fine day we discover that certain firms in the US have staked their claims to this knowledge. This led to a serious brainstorming in the top echelons of the government and India galvanised her forces to fight out this battle of usurpation of collective knowledge.

Though India won this battle, she was pinned with the unfair tag of being averse to the concept of IPR itself. This will have to change soon, signatories to WTO, India will have to complyThe existing IPR systems are oriented around the concept of private ownership and individual innovation. They are at odds with indigenous cultures, which emphasise collective creation and ownership of knowledge. There is a concern that IPR systems encourage the appropriation of traditional knowledge for commercial use and that too without the fair sharing of benefits of the holders of the knowledge. They violate the indigenous cultural precepts by encouraging the commodification of such knowledge.

But, as signatories to the WTO, India will have to comply with the various rules, laws, and regulations of the regime, and one of them is the common laws for IPR. India is not necessarily in a disadvantageous position vis a vis IPR, we only need to be more vigilant and shed our earlier complacency regarding ideas of knowledge. This vigilance is needed to protect our knowledge systems through national policies and international understanding linked to IPR, while providing its development and proper use for the benefit of its holders. We need a particular focus on community knowledge and community innovation. To encourage communities, it is necessary to scout, support, spawn and scale up the green grassroots innovation. Linked innovation, enterprise, and investment are particularly important. New models and new thinking on IP will have to be envisioned to accomplish this.

Years ago, just after India became independent and the new government was looking for ways to kick start the economy, Sir M Visveswarayya gave this slogan, “Industrialise or Perish”. By the time we could industrialise and realised that the whole project had ultimately created lopsided industrial growth, even the smaller and younger nations had raced ahead of us. The present time is opportune and we have certain advantages over even some of the developed countries. This is the time for innovation, and to reformulate the earlier slogan, we have to either “Innovate or Perish.” As an institute solely devoted to SMEs, nisiet has taken awareness building about IPR among SMEs as a challenge. A striking example of the reasons for taking up this challenge emerges from a survey where the awareness level among SMEs about IPR is as low as 25%. This cannot be allowed to continue because IPRs under the WTO regime has far reaching implications for the small and medium industries sector. In this regard, it is imperative for the government to review its policies concerning the sector with a view to not only make them compatible with the WTO regime, but also to prepare them thoroughly to respond to the emerging environment as an opportunity rather than a threat.

The solution lies in turning the situation into an opportunity by steadily conceptualising and fine-tuning our fundamentals. The ultimate challenge will be to bridge the divide between the third world and other developed nations and for this to fructify, special emphasis should be placed on IPR information sharing, capacity building with creation of appropriate physical and intellectual infrastructure, and awareness building. The larger issue of balance of power needs urgent attention. Unfortunately, the battle today is between those that are not equal, both economically and institutionally. An ideal regime of intellectual property rights strikes a balance between private incentives for innovators and the public interest of maximising access to the fruits of innovation. To achieve this balance, developing countries have to put their foot down and insist on need for fair play in technology transfer, creation of a favorable economics of essential medicines, and protection of traditional knowledge.

In a global business environment, it is at our own peril that we ignore the importance of intellectual property rights. The world is moving too fast and even among developing countries there is growing awareness, which can be witnessed in countries like China, which is way ahead of India. The host province of Guangdong, the venue of the symposium, is China’s most important export powerhouse. Guangdong province, now, accounts for more than 30% of the country’s exports – most of which are high-tech products. Indeed, the Pearl River Delta Region is a true representation of the success story in economic and industrial development.

In just a few decades, the region has emerged as China’s most dynamic high-tech development and production centre, contributing nearly 90% of the province’s high technology exports.Much of the credit for these successes go not only to the hard work of those who have built these companies, but also to the enlightened intellectual property policies of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the State Intellectual Property Office. The thrust given by China to innovation and patenting and the efforts they are making in building up this awareness in the country is mind-boggling. Books are published in the Chinese language on various facets of WTO and IPR and I found them displayed prominently in all the bookshops I visited.Already, these efforts are showing concrete, positive results: Patent applications filed by high-tech firms in Guangdong province now account for nearly half of China’s annual patent applications. Revenues generated from high-tech companies in the region— all taking advantage of the intellectual property system– have grown 33% annually over the last five years, reaching 42 billion dollars last year.

China is by no means a more privileged country than India. It has worked hard to incorporate and assimilate alien cultural concepts into its once-upon-a-time closed-door culture of self-isolation to give it a distinct Chinese feel. They have been keeping pace with all the technological developments, and have brought out ‘Chinese’ versions of everything. This can happen only through awareness and making use of and managing the vast information resources available on IPR. The World Intellectual Property Organisation is itself a reservoir of information and is doing a commendable job in disseminating information-related to IPRs. The question is, are we ready for it and do we have the drive? There are companies in the world like Kodak who follow the policy of 'a patent a day', and there are others who patent three products a day. These companies are the world leaders and control worldtrade in their products because their products are far ahead of the times. Being ignorant of IPRs is no bliss because you are likely to lose your domain and rights in your own country on various products, which have traditional importance to the country.

The small-scale sector, which is the backbone of development in the country, particularly needs to devote a great deal of attention towards IPRs. This sector, in times to come, will suffer immensely if it refuses to wake up to the hard realities of the day.There is a need to set aside funds and efforts for R & D and at the same time the small- scale sector must be oriented towards recognising the need for protecting their intellectual properties. This awareness should be created and can start at the DIC level where small businesses are provided the necessary fillip. The culture of innovation and the awareness to protect what is innovated should get into our veins in the first phase itself. This requires gigantic initiatives both at the policy level and at the grassroots level.

As citizens of this country, we have the responsibility to protect our country, which is emerging as a very strong nation, and we can in no way afford to remain complacent and thereby lose out on this important initiative. If we fail to meet the compulsions of the day, particularly when we are part of the WTO regime and are going ahead with an open door trade and economic policy, it can cost us dearly.

Organisations need to apply newer methods and newer skills to face these challenges and that is how winners and losers in the development paradigm emerge. It is during these trying times that nisiet has discovered itself as a nimble footed and strong learning institution. The hallmark of a good learning institution is that it should learn from its mistakes to improve upon its performance. We have been quite good at looking inward and that has made all the difference.Transition from the existing situation is a complex process that needs to be managed carefully and prudently by SMEs in India. Hence, during this transition, it is important to face the onslaughts of intensified challenges and to support the process of adjustment by putting in place programmes that will facilitate this shift.

What is important is how we harness global business opportunities to obtain maximum benefit, thus eliminating or minimising its potential negative aspects. SMEs face many problems in the area of human resource development, technology, R&D, and access to financing, to name a few. With a view to addressing these problems we have introduced a new raft of short and long term programmes. Our interactions with the industry have increased significantly and we have been organising many seminars and workshops and popular talks to benefit the industry.For bracing ourselves for the morrow, organisational renewal and building newer competencies is a prerequisite. Some of the challenges which the institute would like to address in this drive to support SMEs are change management in adjusting to global business environment, fostering innovation, Intellectual Property Rights, international quality requirements, strategies to face competition, and managing human resources in a turbulent situation.nisiet has always tried to buck the trend by navigating in unchartered waters, albeit with well calculated care.

One of the features of nisiet's lateral thinking is to shift focus from economic entrepreneurship to social entrepreneurship. The founding of Women Studies Cell and nisiet’s NGO Network was a step in this direction. To achieve a greater degree of success in this adventure, our entrepreneurship development programmes are focussing on promoting family businesses, and through our future entrepreneurship programmes we would like to promote value systems through entrepreneurship. Value systems differ from society to society, and while promoting such an idea, we are also aware that one society's value system should not be forcibly hoisted onto another's.

This calls for serious interdisciplinary research into value systems, entrepreneurship, and societal norms. This will form part of our future agenda. Thus, we want to shape up entrepreneurship as a vehicle for creating a value system and not remain a mere wealth making machine. This, we feel, is the need of the hour, as the larger societal good pivots on entrepreneurship well entrenched in value system.

There is nothing wrong in either of the methods—in the former one can see it but lacks the process skills to reach there, whereas in the latter, one has reformulated and mastered it as the art of living and as a craft for survival. There is a certain grittiness in the latter method, where one has struggled and competed with one’s peers, without compromising on quality to emerge as the best. This excellence is self-assuring for a person. You can trust them with your heart. There is certain comfort when you meet a person or organisation who/that has always made excellence a way of life, a creed to follow.Excellence has existed in all times and climes. Excellence doesn’t require any massive mindset change, but when excellence is needed as the base for a sustained pursuit of business success one needs to look at change as an option for carving a niche for oneself.

Also, excellence is not necessarily achieved under the best of circumstances. There are instances of individuals and institutions that have done extremely well and kept up excellence even under the most trying conditions. The questions that come up are—is excellence an essential prerequisite or is it a luxury? When should you look for excellence or just past time of those who should be trying to achieve it as a living concern? Is excellence an equity issue or a gender issue?While there is no level playing field and access to resources is not on an equal footing, it is but natural that some organisations continue to be under pressure to achieve excellence in relation to those who enjoy the advantage of being in a more comfortable position. This is the dilemma that dogs many institutions, countries, and individuals who are trying to catch up with the others. Organisations in India have been passing through a serious crisis today.

Having lived under a sheltered environment they are being asked to become self reliant and thrive as institutions of excellence. The dilemma emanates from the fact that organisations are asked to cut flab and be lean and at the same time to attract and retain the best talent. This is very peculiar challenge and given the Catch-22 situation, how can one reconcile these two disparate requirements? To attract the best talent you need to have excellent remuneration packages and maintain best standards and conditions. Organisations have to maintain best quality standards and be competitive. Survival or pursuit of excellence—that is the question! You have to think of achieving excellence when your sustenance is at stake and you are struggling to keep up the bottom line.Excellence, for an organisation under these circumstances, has nothing to do with any inherited quality or romantic visions.

It is a combination of several factors and every spoke in the wheel makes a difference. A proper and steady leadership absorbs most of the shocks on the bumpy road. Right persons at the right time for the right jobs take care of the smooth running of the organisation. Precise planning and breadth of vision should form the base on which the organisation grows. Therefore, excellence is going back to the basics and going up from there, and more often than not the path is not strewn with roses, but the experience is worth its weight in gold.

This sector has amply demonstrated the extraordinary ability to efficiently mobilise society’s resources while contributing to a changing economy.Expectedly, the emphasis of the 10th Plan is mainly on poverty alleviation and creating employment opportunities. To attain an estimated growth of EIGHT percent in GDP and the target of 10 million jobs every year during the tenth plan, there is a need to search for new strategies of development. If this target were achieved, it would indeed be a stupendous achievement. This is not an easy task, but not impossible either.Gurcharan Das, in his India Unbound, opines that India is on the “brink of the biggest transformation in its history.” He is alluding to the possibilities that the knowledge economy has opened up for India. But as the same could not be sustained we have been looking for alternatives to step up employment opportunities.

Most of our educated youth have been brought up on a constant refrain of “get-a-permanent-government-job-atany-cost” and all efforts are directed towards achieving this goal. In the process, other opportunities, which can be and are equally remunerative and safe are ignored or worse, looked down upon. This accounts for a perceived lack of entrepreneurial spirit in India coupled with the crushing culture of dependency. This should be replaced by aspirations for entrepreneurship among young and educated people.A number of programmes, with an aim to instill the spirit of self-employment, have been floated by governments to mitigate the problem of unemployment. SGSY, PMRY, CMEY, and Adarana are a few of these programmes. Though the objectives are laudable, the results have been mixed. For these kinds of programmes to be successful, their scope and objectives have to be tempered in a manner so that results are commensurate with expectations.The idea behind these programmes can be expanded to encompass an emerging group of young people with technical skills, but who face dwindling employment opportunities. If supporting students and graduates in their entrepreneurial activities can enhance the business birthrate in any nation, it is worthwhile to examine the current status of entrepreneurship education.

Considerable attention has, therefore, to be paid to formal entrepreneurship education at the school and college level. The overlooked factor for success lies in entrepreneurship and innovation in the Indian education and training market.There is a growing interest in entrepreneurship as an agent of transformation and recovery in developing societies. At the heart of new venture creation is the interplay of resources, capabilities, and opportunities. It is widely accepted that the educational system in our universities has to provide an academic environment that is conducive to develop new generations of business founders. The entrepreneurial spirit within these institutions has, therefore, to be extremely impressive and encouraging. Our experience in this area has shown that this spirit exists and only needs to be recognised.nisiet believes in taking up challenges and decided to embark upon this journey to explore uncharted territories. Our plan was to plant the seed of entrepreneurship in professional educational institutions, specifically, engineering colleges. This means detailed discussions with the management of these institutions regarding the inclination of both students and the institution for entrepreneurship education. We have also been supporting several Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs), including the one at the Vasavi College of Engineering, Hyderabad.

We realised that given the right kind of motivation, assurance of support, and resource back-up, institutions were willing to explore this idea. As if to prove this right, we found ourselves in Coimbatore for the inauguration of an EDC at the Karunya Institute of Technology in the month of October 2002. nisiet has a vast fund of knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship and these EDCs will be able to draw from this reservoir as and when they need assistance.Entrepreneurial businesses are growing by leaps and bounds, representing a major shift in business power and resources. There is every indication that the entrepreneurial movement will not only continue but also grow. Furthermore, entrepreneurial opportunities are expanding at an astonishing rate. nisiet is poised to play a pivotal role in this movement.

This active support prepares them to face the world of competition boldly and successfully. That the globalised world is a competitive world needs no elaboration, and how do small enterprises cope with the competition? Enterprises need to approach someone who can instruct and inform and we have been fulfilling this task. For the success of this task, we have to establish relationships with a number of diverse agencies, so that the network becomes wider and stronger. It would not be out place to mention that the institute has benefited from various interfaces it has with several international agencies like CFTC (Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), UNESCO (United nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), The Ford Foundation, USA, GTZ of Germany, and USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to name a few.

The CFTC programme has helped the institute produce several documentaries. These documentaries have not only benefited the SMEs in the countries but also helped the institute in conducting international training programmes. The institute also operated TBIIP under UNIDO assistance. Apart from this nisiet has led several business delegations to developed countries like USA and UK, which have culminated in successful business tie-ups between the participating countries. An MOU was recently signed between nisiet and ITESM of Mexico for academic association.Co-operation with the international community has become an important part of our policy making though the primary concern of the institute has been to provide cutting edge entrepreneurial solutions to the small and medium enterprises which is why the institution was created in the first place.

We perceive that this endeavor of associating with the world community against the backdrop of changing industrial environment have had a bearing upon the image of the country.In recent times, we have played host to delegations from countries as diverse as South Korea, Italy, and South Africa. They had come here seeking various solutions and we are glad that we had a solution for each one of them. What is common among these countries representing various continents is the fact that they are economically progressive countries. But, we are not surprised at this. After all these years of discussions on the pros and cons of globalisation, we could see the results of globalisation in our precincts. We knew that we have the capabilities and it was only a matter of time before it would be put to test. We are looking forward eagerly to prove ourselves in a brave new world.

Many state governments have since then introduced systems which have made administration more transparent and accessible to people. It was in the programme organized in the year 1987 titled Responsive Administration that the former Prime Minister started meeting the officers of Indian Administrative Services directly to make administration more accessible to people. I remember one of the officers from the Bihar cadre who was working on the next generation computer those days, used to monitor public grievances through a programme he had designed. Many officers also came out with different methods to resolve public grievances and to make administration more people friendly.

It is on these lines that many state governments have initiated e-governance initiatives with the laudable aim of making services easily accessible to people. The Government of Madhya Pradesh, as early as late 80s, resorted to computerizing land records manuals. Gone are the days when people used to run from pillar to post to obtain a copy of kasra from the patwari and the revenue machinery used to play havoc with land ownership particulars. The e-governance initiatives of the Government of Andhra Pradesh have fetched it international acclaim. These services enable people from anywhere in the state to access citizen services.

Several online services for different transactions are available, which are completed at the speed of only two minutes and all these services are available across the same counter. Today information related to agriculture, weather forecasts, information related to various developmental programmes—everything is provided online with easy accessibility. The services are so citizen-empowering that Bill Clinton on his visit to India applauded the adoption of IT in Rajasthan by its rural citizens for the supply of milk. e-governance has proved to be a great benefactor, though a lot needs to be done to make it more advantageous to the people. This will eliminate babudom, unemployment, corruption, long queues, delays, and will also go a long way in lifting the blanket of ignorance and open corridors of knowledge. It is in this context that we organised an exclusive seminar by Mr Douglas Holmes. Mr Holmes is considered to be an e-governance guru and has counselled several governments in the introduction of egovernance. For this seminar at nisiet , invitations were sent out to the various departments of both government and non-government organisations to participate and draw the best from this programme.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh, which has always played a leading role in taking IT initiatives to great heights, came forward to sponsor the event. That the sessions were thought provoking and informative is to say the least. After the seminar, all of us felt that there is still more that can be done and that we wanted more. However much we might say about the benefits of e-governance, the proof of the pudding ultimately lies with the eater and only when it is eaten. Therefore, in whatever form and manner e-governance is introduced, its benefits can best be translated into action only if people participate effectively in the process.