Highlights

• New info-tech policy unveiled
• India not to sign CTBT
• Economy revival steps yield results
• BJP-allies ties "very good"
• Price rise due to floods, says PM
• Bangalore it.com inaugurated

Private Net providers to get licences by Nov 7
PM announces hi-tech network education plan

BANGALORE, Nov 1 (UNI, PTI) — In a significant step, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today announced that the licences for private Internet service providers (ISPs) would be issued before November 7 and the government would set up an education network — the Vidya Vahini Network (VVNET) — synergising all the planned intranets of various agencies.

Mr Vajpayee made the announcement at the inauguration of the five-day mega information technology event — bangalore it. com — in the presence of leading players of the information technology. The first phase of the VVNET would be operational by August 15 next year.

The keenly awaited announcement of the ISP policy sent cheers among the IT buffs. The policy was aimed at fastest proliferation of quality Internet service at an affordable price.

He said the government was working out modalities to permit use of Insat capacity by private service providers and privately-owned satellites registered in India to promote distance education, information technology and business communication.

Mr Vajpayee said foreign equity up to 49 per cent would be allowed in joint venture with Indian private Internet service providers (ISPs) who will be issued licences before November 7 to help provide quality Internet service at an "affordable" price.

The ISPs would pay zero licence fee for the first five years and a fee of Re 1 thereafter, he said.

The Prime Minister, who interacted with scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre here, said India could not afford to depend on other nations for developing space-based communications which was essential to meet the increasing needs of information technology, distance education and developmental and business communication.

He said a space centre would be set up in the north-eastern region to help remove regional imbalances in development.

He said the country’s first ocean satellite IRS-P4 would be ready for launch early next year which is also expected to witness the maiden test-flight of gslv rocket for launching geo-stationary satellites.

Inaugurating a function at White Field, near here, Mr Vajpayee announced the government would set up a "Vidya Vahini Network" (VVNET), a unique combination of land and satellite-based communication systems that will place India in the forefront of networked education in the world.

VVNET, he said, would synergise all planned intranets of various agencies such as the UGC, CSIR, Ministry of Human Resource Development and state-level networks. The first phase of VVNET would be operational by August 15 next year.

Later, talking to newsmen at the airport here before leaving for New Delhi, the Prime Minister asserted that India would not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the present situation was not conducive for it. He, however said, "I do not know what would happen ultimately."

When asked about the talks with the USA following the Pokhran nuclear blasts, being held in a shroud of secrecy, he said there was nothing secret about the talks and he was regularly informing the leaders of the Opposition about the parleys. "Diplomatic talks are to be held in a cordial manner," he added.

Replying to a question on the strained relations between India and China following the nuclear tests, the Prime Minister said, "The air has been cleared and we expect that our desire for friendly relations with China will materialise".

Mr Vajpayee said the recent steps taken by the government to revive the country’s economy had already started yielding results. There was stability in the stock market and inquiries had already started pouring in about investment in the country. "We are expecting good offers from abroad,’’ he said, adding that the Union Government was confident of getting desired results of the measures taken for the revival of the economy.

To a question, he said efforts taken by the government to arrest spiralling prices of essential commodities had already shown results, with prices showing a downward trend.

He emphatically denied the charge that the hike in prices was due to a "nexus" between the traders and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The price rise had taken place due to unprecedented floods and heavy rains, he added.

Mr Vajpayee said he had deferred the much awaited Cabinet expansion following suggestions from his colleagues.

Replying to a question, he said the BJP’s relations with its allies were very good.

Asked about the next meeting of the Coordination Committee, which had agreed to meet once a month, he said Defence Minister George Fernandes who spoke to the allies had said that the leaders did not want the meeting this month. The meeting would be convened after the elections next month.

Asked about the threat of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerji that she would withdraw her support if action was not taken by the Centre against West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, he said "now she has revised her views."

He asserted there was no question of his government being brought down after this month’s assembly elections, saying that the BJP would win in three states.

However, he said, the elections in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were not a referendum on the BJP-led government at the Centre.

"When we are going to win, there is no question of our government being brought down," Mr Vajpayee told reporters at the airport here before emplaning for Delhi after a two-day visit to the city.

Meanwhile, Bangalore will have the privilege of having one of the five world class international airports in the country, Mr Vajpayee announced today.

Speaking after inaugurating the ‘bangalore it.com’98’ at White Field, near here, he said the government had decided to formulate a policy to develop five world class international airports.

His announcement came at the end of his speech in response to Chief Minister J H Patel’s demand in this regard.

An international satellite gateway at a ‘software hamlet’ in Mysore was inaugurated by Mr Vajpayee through a video-conference from here.

The gateway at the software village, stated to be the first of its kind in the country, will help software companies in and around Mysore to access the global Internet as well as high speed private lines to anywhere in the world.

It has been set up by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) under the Union Department of Electronics.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a scientific research institute at Bidalur, about 60 km from here, being established by the Admar Mutt Education Foundation of Udupi.

Mr Vajpayee lauded the Mutt’s efforts in venturing to establish the institute — the Poorna Prajna Institute of Scientific Research — to provide opportunity to the young to conduct scientific research.

Mr Vajpayee said research in science, which had been reached a dead end in many areas, needed to go beyond traditional sciences to get answers to questions that lay in spiritualism.