Achievers
Books
Business
Calendar
Community
Controversy
Cuisine
Eateries
Education
Enterprise
Faith
Good Samaritans
Health
Infotech
Media
Memories
Movies
News Archives
Opinion
Specials
The Arts

MS accused of 'underhand deal' in Kerala

The opposition Congress in Kerala has alleged that the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist had 'colluded' with Microsoft Corporation in taking up the computerisation programme at an additional cost of Rs 450 million.

Raising the issue, Congress leader M M Hassan alleged that both the ruling party and the US giant had an 'underhand deal' over the state government's program to computerize of local body offices. The scheme has been allegedly drafted and finalised by the Information Kerala Mission.

Whereas the computerisation of around 1,200 local bodies could be completed with just Rs 50 million, the cabinet had sanctioned the proposal for Rs 500 million, the KPCC general secretary said.

Hassan alleged that the government succumbed to Microsoft's pitch for high-end software that could only be used on servers, each costing about Rs 400,000, though such superior computers weren't necessary in panchayats.

However, P Govinda Pillai, director of the Centre for the Development of Imaging Technology, under which the IKM comes, refuted the charges and said they were politically motivated.

The local bodies were to use a whole range of software application packages to aid in pension disbursement, project management and governance, he said, justifying the decision to go for software that would work only on high-end machines.

The local body does not require Microsoft's Back Office, and IKM had not suggested that it be used, he said. The panchayats would require only some components, and only lower-end servers would be required, Pillai said in a rejoinder in Trivandrum today.

"As for the issue of Microsoft having any arrangement with C-DIT, I have never denied it," he said, adding that C-DIT has indeed signed an MOU with Microsoft India train people in the use of its products. This was not a commercial deal, he said.

"The MOU has absolutely no bearing on the choice of technology for IKM, which is... totally independent..., having its own criteria for choosing the technology," he said.

Microsoft did not force IKM to buy their products, especially those that weren't selling, he said. A committee of experts, including renowned figures in IT like Dr M Anandakrishnan, chairman of the IT Advisory Committee, Tamil Nadu, and Dr S Ramani, former director of National Centre of Software Technology, Bombay, had chosen the software and hardware, he said.

UNI

Next: More controlled items exported to India: US

Tell us what you think of this report