It had started with a huge bang and Rs 65 crore seed money in 2001. Two years
later, the Media Lab Asia project, baby of the ministry of information
technology, government of India, has all but shut shop. The department of
information yechnology, headed by Union minister Arun Shourie, is looking at a
complete revamp of the project.
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According to sources in DIT, bogged down by the corporate-style expenditure
of the Media Lab, the ministry has restructured with the services of 40 of its
staff, including managing director and CEO Bimal Sareen dispensed with as also
separating MIT from active management and is now planning to convert it into a
more government-like structure. However, the MIT website quotes Prof Nicholas
Negroponte as having said, "The new minister does not believe in rural
development through ICT
less interested in basic innovation. He wants a very directed, project oriented
research with step-by-step deliverables."
DIT’s contract with the Media Lab Asia, which expired on December 2002, was
extended for a further 3 months till March 2003. A fresh contract is yet to be
negotiated. What remains to be seen now is whether Media Lab US would renew the
contract after a month’s lapse, and in case that happens what would be the
nature of the agreement. According to sources, the ministry is also considering
the option of a non-exclusive deal with Media Lab US and opting for a plurality
of tie-ups with outfits like the Carnegie Mellon. It may also consider a
partnership model with the industry for a technology research and innovation
routine–a C-DOT for the IT sector–bypassing the Media Lab US altogether.
Funds, or the paucity of it, have also been a key cause for concern. While the
initial funding for the project over a ten-year period was pegged at Rs 5,127.5
crore, the DIT has reduced its share from Rs 2,390 crore to Rs 900 crore. The
revised finance plan, however, has been opposed by the Planning Commission and
the ministry of finance in an expenditure finance committee–a group of
government officials representing DIT, Planning Commission and finance ministry–meeting.
The Cabinet will look into the matter by the month-end.