NEWS: Invite to Microsoft IT leaders' meet brings cheer to Bengal

[FREDERICK NORONHA <fred@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Invite to Microsoft IT leaders' meet brings cheer to Bengal

by Krittivas Mukherjee, India Abroad News Service

Kolkata, Mar 22 - In a development that augurs well for West Bengal's
fledgling information technology (IT) industry, the state has been invited
to participate in the Microsoft-organized three-day World Government
Leaders' Conference being held at Seattle, the U.S., from March 27.

West Bengal, which begun laying a thrust on IT since last year and has
succeeded in attracting some global players in the sector to set up
operations here is being represented in the conference by its chief
secretary Manish Gupta.

The state government is happy that it had been invited to participate in the
conference, which would be attended by government representatives of many
states. Microsoft chief Bill Gates, who visited India recently but had kept
West Bengal out of his tour itinerary, will address the conference.

A source in the chief minister's secretariat told IANS that the government
was hopeful that Gupta, who is slated to speak at the conference, would be
able to impress upon Microsoft's policymakers about the strides made in IT
by the state government and get the company to invest in the state.

Though IT majors like IBM have involved themselves with West Bengal,
Microsoft, which has centers in Hyderabad and Bangalore, does no business in
the state. The government is hopeful of Microsoft setting up a center or a
research unit in the state.

"This conference is significant for us because only those government
representatives have been invited who have brought about notable progress in
the field of IT in their states," the source said.

Gupta, who has been the chairman of the state's task force on IT, has been
briefed on the possible dialogue he might have with the top honchos of
Microsoft and other global IT firms.

Meanwhile, IBM has come forward to collaborate with the state government in
introducing IT courses in secondary and higher secondary schools in the
state, beginning from Class-V. The government would shortlist schools and
build the necessary infrastructure, while IBM will provide with the course
and teachers. The global IT giant would collect a separate fee of Rs.130 per
student for the tuition it offers.

The government has also decided to introduce computer science as one of the
subjects in the joint entrance examination (JEE). The decision would take
effect from JEE 2002.

--India Abroad News Service