Kalam calls for creation of 'digital bridging fund' by IT companies

New Delhi, Nov 8 (UNI) President APJ Abdul Kalam today suggested creation of a fund by domestic and foreign telecom companies from a part of their profits to reach high bandwidth and last mile access to rural areas for bridging the digital divide.

The companies can contribute part of their profits to the fund based on their quarterly performance, Dr Kalam told a panel discussion organised by Microsoft.

The fund could be operated by a separate board of management, which is independent of the companies that are contributing to it, he said at the event attended by CEOs of IT companies and corporate leaders.

He said the management of the fund could be entrusted with the task of providing the additional bandwidth needed in most needy towns and rural areas based on ''national priority''.

The board can be run by leading professionals or social organisations, he added.

The aim of the board should be to ensure a particular growth of ICT facilities for defined locations, he said adding, contributors could independently assess the growth.

This action, Dr Kalam said, would supplement the initiatives by central and state governments. ''In a large democracy, you will agree with me that bridging the gap cannot be done only by the government.

All of you need to help collectively so that impact is better and your commitment to a common cause is more transparent,'' he said.

Titled 'Two Hundred and Twenty Million People' (the number of people living below the poverty line in India), the presidential lecture also sought the creation of two cadres by the universities--- one a global cadre of skilled youth with specific knowledge of special skills and two, a global cadre of youth with higher education.

''These two cadres will be required not only for powering the manufacturing and services sector of India but also will be needed for fulfilling the human resource requirements of various countries,'' Dr Kalam said.

Indians not covered by the higher education system should get world class skills in areas like construction, carpentry, electrical systems, repair of mechanical systems, fashion design and para-legal services, he added.

''No Indian youth should be without either a world class higher education or without world class skills sets,'' he said exhorting universities to undertake the mission.

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