Nasscom prepares action plan for higher e-commerce use

Our Bureau

Bangalore, Aug 3: The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) has laid out a ten-point action plan for the government to enhance e-commerce adoption in India. The Nasscom recipe for the government includes greater private sector participation in e-developmental activities, a comprehensive Income Tax (IT) Act that deals with issues like security and trust associated with e-commerce and a common e-governance architecture at all government levels.

The draft of the action plan will be presented to the ministry of information technology, Nasscom chairman Phiroz Vandrevala said. The plan is based on the Nasscom-BCG study released on Thursday on ‘imperatives for India Inc to harness the e-commerce opportunity’.

Commenting on the action plan at a two-day seminar ‘Nasscom e-biz India 2001’, Mr Vandrevala said, “e-commerce offers great opportunities for the Indian government to improve the growth of economy, bridge the developmental gap between its urban and rural citizens, and to improve the overall efficiency.” The government, to tap these opportunities, has to prioritise the important areas and shift focus accordingly, Mr Vandrevala said.

The 10-point plan has called for the government to play the role of a facilitator, especially in determining e-commerce related technology standards, promoting computer and Internet education and developing communication infrastructure by encouraging more players in the area.