The Hindu Business Line : MS to help bridge India's digital divide — To offer multilingual Windows XP Starter Edition

The Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, with the Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, Mr Bill Gates, during the former's visit to the Microsoft office at Seattle on Wednesday.

New Delhi , Sept. 22

THE Minister of Communications and IT, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, and the Microsoft Chairman, Mr Bill Gates, today announced collaboration initiatives to help bridge India's digital divide, as part of which the US software giant would offer an India-specific multilingual Windows XP Starter Edition supporting nine Indian languages and English.

The announcement, which follows in-depth discussions between Mr Maran and Mr Gates in Redmond (USA) yesterday, assumes significance as the option of English language interface on Windows XP Starter Edition (cheapest version of Windows Operating System) is being provided for the first time anywhere in the world.

The new Starter Edition is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 1,000-1,500, industry sources said.

In all, the collaboration initiatives span six strategic areas that include increasing PC penetration, accelerating IT literacy, ensuring affordable access to technology in rural areas, ushering e-governance, enabling local language computing and creating a secure IT environment.

"The announcement — aimed at addressing the issue of digital divide in the country — is a result of a series of in-depth discussions that took place yesterday at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters between the visiting Indian delegation led by Mr Maran, and Mr Gates, besides senior Microsoft executives including Mr Will Poole, Senior Vice President of Microsoft," an official release said here.

Commenting on the development, Mr Maran said, "The announcements by Microsoft including the launch of a new multilingual Windows XP Starter Edition for India, are steps in the right direction.

"There is an urgent need to enable affordable access to locally relevant IT applications at a broad level."

In September 2004, Microsoft had announced the pilot of Windows XP Starter Edition in India designed to meet the needs of first time PC users and push digital access in the underserved markets. Windows XP Starter Edition is currently available in Hindi and Tamil languages, and the company now plans to make it available in seven other Indian languages, and also in English.

Microsoft, in collaboration with industry partners, would also offer a special broadband and PC package at an affordable monthly instalment.

The package would be targeted specifically at the first time users and would involve partnership with BSNL, MTNL, HCL, HP, SBI and ICICI.

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