The Hindu Business Line : `Don't allow Media Lab project funds to lapse'

EXPRESSING dismay at the loss of two "precious" years of the Tenth Plan with the restructuring of the controversial Media Lab Asia project, a Parliamentary committee has suggested that budgetary provisions for the leftover programme not be allowed to lapse after the Plan period.

"The committee is constrained to note that research collaboration agreement with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US was not extended and research projects taken up directly by Media Lab Asia had been dropped as a part of the restructuring whereas the restructured programme has the earlier visions and same objectives," the Standing Committee on IT headed by Mr M.M. Pallam Raju, said in its first report on Demand for Grants 2004-05.

In the process, it said, "precious two years of the Tenth Plan had been lost without any progress".

It has also expressed apprehensions on whether the Department of IT would be able to utilise the Rs 227 crore (its own contribution to the project) in the remaining three years of the Plan.

Media Lab Asia was initially launched as a collaborative venture with the US-based MIT and aimed at bringing cutting-edge technology to plug the digital divide between the country's urban and rural areas. MIT, however, pulled out of the project last year citing differences with the earlier Communications and IT Minister, Mr Arun Shourie.

In July last year, the Government decided to recast Media Lab Asia project into a major research hub by giving it annual budgetary support of Rs 65 crore.

In its latest report, the committee recalled that the project had been approved for one-year exploratory phase beginning January 2002 to December 2002. The restructuring of the project carried on till July 2003 as a result of which no funds were utilised during the last two years, it said.

"The committee observes that a full scope nine-year restructured programme was initiated from May 2003. The restructured project carries out the earlier vision forward with the same objectives with an outlay of Rs 262 crore for the Tenth Plan," it said.

The panel has also expressed concern over the deployment of the projects that are in the pilot stage. "Technologies will be developed but will they be put to use effectively? Who will monitor the deployment of Media Lab Asia projects? The initiative is good but it requires more serious thought and planning at the ground level," it said.

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