The Hindu Business Line : Microsoft plans to offer software in Indian languages

Mr Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, with Mr Dayanidhi Maran, Minister for Communication & Information Technology; and Mr Ravi Venkatesan (right), Chairman, Microsoft India, at a meeting in the Capital on Tuesday. - - Kamal Narang

New Delhi , Nov. 16

THE visiting Microsoft CEO, Mr Steve Ballmer, has said the company plans to localise its Windows and Office software in 14 Indian languages by next year-end, and urged the Government to take measures to stimulate the IT economy in India as the country lags in investments in computerisation.

"I wanted to understand the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh's IT agenda. I communicated my enthusiasm for what IT can bring, its economic impact, its education impact, economic development and growth, e-governance...

The thing I saw foremost in the PM's mind was support for all Indian languages in computer and software that people use. I updated him on our project `Bhasha' to bring Windows and Office in 14 Indian languages by this time next year," Mr Ballmer said after his meeting with Dr Singh here on Tuesday.

Stating that Microsoft was enthusiastic about India, Mr Ballmer indicated that there were opportunities for the government to do even more on the issue of digital inclusion.

"We also think there is more that the government can do to stimulate the IT economy in India, since India still lags somewhat in investment in computerisation for its own purposes, even though it is providing IT services for the world," Mr Ballmer, who also interacted with the IT and Communications Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, during his brief visit to Delhi, said.

He said Microsoft would continue to hire more R&D engineers both in India and its headquarters in the US.

On the issue of offshoring, he said that the company needed to add smart people but could not hire as many people as it could use. "We are hiring. We will add 3,000 people in the US this year; we will also add hundreds of people in India this year," he said.

Asked if his visit was prompted by the growing popularity of Linux in India, which the company considers as an emerging market, he said, "We have good competitors in absolutely everything we do and, of course, we are going to compete; but we also have a lot of big goals that are independent of that competition."

He said that the company had announced its plans to invest $400 million in India two years ago, and was now "working hard towards investing that amount."

Mr Ballmer also addressed the government leaders' roundtable, which was attended by senior bureaucrats.