Search

India has fast emerged as a leader in the information technology (IT) field. This is due primarily because the people of India were quick to realize and act on the potential of IT industries to generate wealth, foreign exchange and employment. Today, the IT industry is a primary factor in India's national agenda as an instrument to modernize India's economy. There is a natural but gradual shift toward IT usage in government and in education. The first time the computer significantly affected the general public in India was in 1986 with the computerization of the nation's railway passenger reservation system. In recent years, however, the power of the Internet and e-commerce has brought IT into the everyday life of India's general public. Indian software exports grew 57% in 1999-2000 and 51% in dollar terms over 1998-1999, while the domestic market grew 45%. Growth in e-commerce solutions rose about 200%; the CAD/CAM market grew 41% and banking software and enterprise resource planning increased 70% and 23% respectively.