Dated October 21, 2002
The Hindu Business Line - Online Edition

IN a major move to position India's IT and telecom prowess in European markets and the Mediterranean region, strategize business partnerships and investment opportunities for Indian IT and telecom, the Union Minister for Communications and IT, Shri. Pramod Mahajan, is leading a high-level delegation to Italy from October 24 to 28.

Showcasing India as the "Gateway Hub for IT and telecom opportunities", the visit will focus on highlighting India as a preferred location for investment in IT and telecom, highlighting the policy initiatives undertaken by the Government to position India as a strategic locale for collaboration, partnership and joint ventures in the cutting edge technology areas of IT and telecom.

The Minister's visit will also identify growth opportunities for both countries in the sector to tap the market opportunities available in third country markets.

According to an official statement, Shri. Mahajan will be interacting with key principals within the Government and the industry during his stay. One of the major highlights of the visit will be the inauguration of the `SMAU 2002' International Exhibition on Information and Communications Technology and Consumer Electronics by the Minister.

During his interaction with key government functionaries, Shri. Mahajan will review the working and progress of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on IT. The JWG has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.

Shri. Mahajan is being accompanied by a business delegation to SMAU 2002.

The members of the business delegation are: Mr. Ranjan Mittal, Managing Director, Bharti Group, Mr. Arun Kumar, Chairman, NASSCOM and President, Hughes Software, Mr. Phiroz Vandrevala, Executive Vice-President, Tata Consultancy Services, Mr. Anil Kekre, Head Europe Operations, Satyam Computer Services, Mr. Ashok Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Kedia Infotech Systems, Mr. Niraj Vedwa, Vice-President, Nucleus Software Exports, Mr. Milind Joshi, Vice-President, Persistent Systems Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Vinamra Agarwal, Vice-President, Prologix Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Mr. K. Vinod, General Manager, Europe Operations, Servion Global Solutions, Shri. R.K. Arora, Executive Director, C-DAC, Mr. Vinay Deshpande and the Simputer team.