August 2008, IT for Change

This is a contribution on behalf of IT for Change towards the September consultations which will decide the agenda for the third annual Internet Governance Forum to be held in Hyderabad in December 2008. This contribution specifically looks at the issue of 'enhanced co-operation' as a process for global Internet policy making.

August 2008, InfoChange-India

The issue of patents for software was discussed and rejected last year by the Indian government but has come back this year for approval. This article by a FOSS proponent is of the opinion that the the clubbing together of different protections like copyrights, patents and trademarks is misleading. While rights are supposed to protect and serve the people, they only serve to protect the interests of the holder at the cost of people who need it the most.

June, 2008, Gurumurthy Kasinathan, Infochange technology

The article analyses the current process of policy formulation with regard to the implementation of ICT in schools for enhancement of the quality of education imparted in India. The Government of India have recently formed a group to draft a policy in this regard. The disturbing fact is that this group contains members of Information Technology who have a vested interest in this which can lead to serious implications for the policy.

July 2008, Farida Umrani and Rehana Ghadially, i4d

This study explores the issue of gender neutrality and inclusion of marginalised sections in IT enabled services. Using a sample of men and women from the Muslim community in Mumbai who have undergone the Urdu desktop publishing diploma course offered by the government, the study finds that women are at a disadvantage compared to men in acquiring soft skills such as English language proficiency and communication, that are essential for a successful career in this sector. Since traditionally Muslim women in Western India take up home-based businesses, the authors recommend that imparting proper business skills during training will help them undertake successful businesses on their own.

July 29, 2008, Times of India

This article talks about the fact that domestic or inbound BPOs are not affected by the downturn in global economies and in fact are poised to do rather well.. The domestic BPO market is not driven by issues of labour or cost arbitrage but rather by factors such as enhanced productivity, reduced turn around time for marketing and other such factors. A testament to the growing importance of domestic BPOs is the fact that they generate about a quarter of the revenue in this sector and the share of this revenue continues to grow.

June 27, 2008, Vasumita S, Deccan Herald

This report narrates how the spread of SMS among youngsters is changing the way they use language. While the new medium is no doubt exciting and cost effective, it has its pitfalls. According to experts, there is a tendency among youngsters to use the new SMS language in official communications and examinations which leads to erosion in the quality of English.