The Hindu Business Line : C-DAC project draws interest at Tunis meet

KERALA'S `Akshaya' computer literacy project and C-DAC's telemedicine solutions have generated substantial interest here at the World Summit of Information Society (WSIS).

Many developing countries in Africa are keen to replicate the Akshaya model, said Mr P.H. Kurian, IT Secretary of Kerala. "Countries such as Sudan, Congo and the hosts, Tunisia, want to replicate our model of rural connectivity," he said.

Another project that caught the fancy of the developing world is the e-Krishi project of the Kerala State IT Mission.

"The agriculture department of Tunisia is keen to develop a similar virtual market place on the lines of the e-Krishi project," he said.

The Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management - Kerala (IIITM-K) could be roped in to provide necessary consultations to these countries on implementing Kerala's project, Mr Kurian said.

Many visitors to Kerala's small pavilion were surprised by the State's achievement in social development, he said.

C-DAC telemedicine goes live Those who walk into the India pavilion see live how the telemedicine project works in Kerala.

C-DAC has established a link to a hospital in Kannur from where patients seek consultation through the CancerNet project. Under this, the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram is linked with five hospitals across the State through V-Sats.

"The response to this project has been very good. Many countries have evinced interest in this," said Mr Krishnan N., Additional Director of C-DAC.

Countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Oman, Israel and Japan are keen to learn more about the CancerNet project, he said.

Tunisia is also exploring the possibilities of remotely hosting their software applications in India as a back-up mechanism. "We have an optical fibre network between Kochi and Egypt. If we can extend that to Tunisia, this is very much possible," Mr Krishnan said.

Companies such as Infosys, HCL Infosystems, Midas, TCIL and NIIT are also showcasing their products and services here at the WSIS 2005. The ITC e-Choupal project is also on display at the India pavilion.

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