Hai friends, During the last week of Dec '02 there was a 'Kerala Sangamam' organized by Kerala chapter of 'World Social Forum' . The main agenda was to create a common platform for the efforts of various groups who works for alternative Keralam, and make them work together for common cause.

Ther was very active discussion on Software under GPL and on Modernisation of Goverment Program (MGP) using IT. The meet has come to a conclusion that current IT policy and MGP are not on the correct track. It is also decided to conduct a workshop at Kochi during March '03, on MGP for Keralam and IT policy for Keralam. The targeted output of the workshop is an alternative MGP programm and Alternative IT policy for Keralam.

ATPS (Appropriate Technology Promotion Society - Kochi) is entrusted to organise the workshop. The ATPS is trying for maximum participation in the work shop. Prior to this a discussion on this subject can be started on this subject. Here I submit a draft document prepared by me for initiating a discussion on IT policy for Keralam.

Regards,

Anil-Kanhangad ATPS

DISCUSSION PAPER -------------------------------- History of Science & Technology ----------------------------------------------- Almost all technical advances are response to social, economic demands made entirely in earlier times and some times even now by the craftsmen, themselves working over and improving their traditional skills. Science is a later event, which emerges in recognizable form from common social tradition on crafts, only with the beginning of civilisation. These separate streams of technology and science were run apart from each other in earlier age. The conditions of earlier civilisation led to a division of classes, which put scientists in a privileged class while manual craftsmen were only a grade above slaves. This division and its impact on all walks of life condemned science to sterility and techniques to frequent stagnation, while radical advances came only rarely. These occasional advances partially broke down and there was gradual growth in mutual stimulation of scientist and craftsmen. The recent scientific technical transformation by which modern Information Technology has been evolved is results of such a fusion of Science and Technology.

Information Technology Revolution -------------------------------------------------- The Information Technology revolution, as any other historical creative process appear as a consequence of great social, economic and political movements. The period of technical scientific advance which gave birth to modern Information Technology is in full swing for above fifty years. Ignoring these historical facts, Information Technology, which is a collection of techniques for gathering, storing and processing of data and its dissemination as information, which is as old as society itself, is being presented as a new discovery by its new pseudo care-takers. By this continuous and vigorous campaign, Information Technology often termed as mere software and computer hardware technology. These new imposed definition has led Information Technology as facilitation for a group of elite classes, which in turn leads for a so called digital divide in the society where people is divided as information rich and information poor.

Information Technology and society ---------------------------------------------------- The relation of IT and society are fully reciprocal, just as transformation are produced inside IT by social events, so have social transformation been brought about through the use of IT. These direct or indirect effects operating on the material frame work of society and on the idea by which it is sustained. The easily seen direct changes are taken to be the main result of IT by most people. But indirect effects are for more important. Though initial growth of IT was a product of economic and political factors, once it is established as means of securing economic and political power, its very existence become a factor in social life. So it is very much essential to study the total impact of IT, on society whether it is manifold, direct or indirect .

Judging from the appropriate flexibility of IT as any other technological tool, it can be stated as neutral and it is the purpose for which it is used, is making the difference. Following are the major economic and political compulsion behind the rapid growth of modern Information Technology.

--Processing large volume of Information generated within a short time of war related operation for strategic advantage of nations and for extending the control of state over its citizen. --The Information processing needed to monitor and control production cost and setting of large surplus of capitalist production in a dispersed market.

IT for Sustainable Development ---------------------------------------------- Bright futures that IT brings to human kind have been described by many of its conventional promoters. They name it Information Society where information and scientific knowledge replaces human labour as main productive force.

These future is not going to be that bright or may be even disastrous until and unless the big mass, to whom it ultimately affects, whose jobs will be ultimately replaced, has effectively intervened in the process of making information society with a definite intention of bringing a sustainable development where all sorts of inequalities are narrowed down.

But, the current growth of Information Technology is a typical example of cart before bull. New innovations rarely match the sustainable development needs and always focus on elite sections. New IT innovations are the result of a fierce war for larger market share by a few trans-national companies. Major impact of this phenomenon are --It effectively hegemonies technology by providing earlier access to new technology only to interested parties. --It limits the production and availability at low technological, low cost options, preferably most profitable one.

Appropriate IT Solution --------------------------------- For financially starved but intellectual rich country like India emergence of IT revolution is taken as good news. But harnessing the full potential of IT requires an aggressive and visionary policy frame work and creative planning and wider participation of its people at large. The current white collar jobs which fills the gap of conventional inefficient information system will be made void by extensive use of IT. However with a vibrant vision and action plan the human power can be diverted to the more productive zones where they can contribute more effectively which are newly created with the advent IT. If the peoples participation in implementation of IT is not ensured, the complete benefits will be taken away by section of the society with vested interest.

Now, global market for IT is predominantly western. A less developed economy trying to penetrate in the world market of information technology can thus be effectively contained by the market leaders. The strict intellectual property rights law in some developed countries are already threatening the new innovation in IT sector. Unless one can design an IT solution truly needed for the social and cultural milieu, it may be impossible to develop systems that satisfy the sustainable development needs. It is therefor very much essential to develop our own methodology and techniques in providing IT solution for social needs.

Compared to other activities of IT software, hardware and infrastructure cost seems to be at higher level, while its local expertise remains low. However, cost effective solutions such as localy assembled hardware and relatively higher bandwidth of Wireless Local Loop (WILL) which exactly match the rural network need can be considered.

In case of software there is a global movement for cost-effective solutions, popularly known as 'free software' which are distributed under General Public License (GPL). With the use of these software local software expertise will increase and cost of software development will be fully distributed for local employment generation. Closed approach of patented software ultimately cause degradation of our existing software expertise. While use of patented software will take away a huge ammount as software cost and license fees by trans-national companies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prepared by Anil-Kanhangad K V for ATPS