C-DAC: Press Kit - In the News -No Soft Options

Would an organization with thousands of developers on its payrolls pay thousands of crores of rupees to buy proprietary software applications and operating systems that can be developed in-house at a fraction of that cost? Well, if it is the Government of India, that possibility can't be ruled out. Building a cohesive and comprehensive eGovernance system with a nationwide footprint will involve deployment of millions of desktop terminals, applications, network and security software and operating systems. It will be important to ensure that the technology platforms integrate seamlessly across geographical and departmental boundaries so that information can flow freely. But the little that has been done so far by way of eGovernance, barring some states, was achieved with typical bureaucratic wisdom: Buy some computers, load some software, make sure the targeted three per cent budget is spent on computerization and finally, go back to dusty cardboard files with yellowing paper. Well, not always, since some departments have achieved some degree of computerization, but unless all the elements of the system work as a unified whole, eGovernance will continue to look like a patchwork quilt that needs replacement.

Just as the government is doing a lot of things it has no business doing, like flying airlines, running trains and buses, operating power plants and telecommunication companies, it is also into software development. With an annual budget of over Rs. 100 crore, it maintains a team of around 7,000 software engineers for infotech research and development. A large number come under the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) with which key computing and technology related R&D institutes were recently merged. While C-DAC has feathers in its cap like the PARAM supercomputer series, it could be involved in the process of developing an end-to-end framework for eGovernance with uniform platforms and technologies that allow access across the country. While it would be convenient (and lucrative, for some) to implement proprietary systems, open source code software presents an attractive alternative given the existing research manpower resource base vis-à-vis the costs involved in purchasing solutions from multinational software vendors. Security is another issue that has been bothering governments across the world, since in the networked environment it is theoretically possible for vendors who have sold the software to access sensitive government information. A public interest litigation that will come up soon for point of admission hearing in the Jharkhand High Court has urged for a directive to the government to develop and deploy open source solutions for eGovernance in the proprietary versus open source match, the ball is now in court.