India's Knowledge Commission

This is an email from one of the members of SAJA(South Asian Journalists Association), Ram Narayanan who is with the US-India Friendship group. Good read for those who want to do something for India, in any of the following ways.

"Dear Friends:
The National Knowledge Commission is a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, set up with the objective of transforming India into a knowledge society. It covers sectors ranging from education to e-governance in the five principal focus areas of the knowledge paradigm, viz.:

1. Access - Easy Access to Knowledge: Literacy, Language, Translation, Libraries, Networks, Portals
2. Concepts - All Levels and Forms of Education: School, Vocational, Higher, Medical, Legal, Management, Engineering, Open and Distance Education.
3. Creation - Effective Creation of Knowledge: Science and Technology, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Innovation, Entrepreneurship
4. Applications - of Knowledge Systems: Traditional Knowledge, Agriculture
5. Services - like e-Governance.

The Commission has set up nine working groups on:
Libraries, Language, Health Information Network, Undergraduate Education, Medical Education, Legal Education, Management Education, Traditional Knowledge, Open and Distance Education
It has organized a number of workshops and surveys on these and related subjects.

The website of the National Knowledge Commission can be seen at http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/
The Commission’s Report to the Nation 2006 can be read at http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/report2006/default.asp
There are many pieces of information on the website worth reading including:
Report of the Working Group on libraries, as submitted to the National Knowledge Commission... http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/documents/wg_lib.pdf
Expert Report on Knowledge Network prepared by Dr.D P S Seth...
http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/documents/er_nknet.pdf
and
Report of the Working Group on language, as submitted to the National Knowledge Commission....
http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/documents/wg_lang.pdf
More working group reports will be out in due course.

The Commission’s website also has a "Discussion Board" to post comments, although I didn’t see any comments at this time.
All in all, the Commision’s website is worth careful study. For those living here in the US or in India or elsewhere, who possess specialized knowledge and/or have the ability and passion for doing something in and for India, here is an opportunity to start thinking.
To me it appears for successful implementation of the Knowledge Commission’s present and future recommendations, the involvement of government bureaucracy, especially at middle and lower levels, should be minimized (except for funding) and a major share of responsibility fixed on the private sector, including credible, competent and passionate NGOs. Do you agree?

Do you think it would be a good idea to set up a "Fraternal Help Team" (can we coin a better term?) for each of the 21 Focus Areas to offer ideas to the Working Groups and to help implement their recommendations when they come out.
Would you like to be part of one or more "Fraternal Help Team(s)" devoted to each of the following 21 Focus Areas?:

Literacy, Language, Translation, Libraries, Networks, Portals, School Education, Vocational Education, Higher Education, Medical Education, Legal Education, Management Education, Engineering Education, Open and Distance Education, Science and Technology, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Traditional Knowledge, Agriculture, e-Governance
If you have specialized knowledge in any of the above specific areas, your contribution may be crucial to help India get successfully established on the road to becoming a knowledge superpower.
Do let me have your thoughts on what you CAN AND ARE WILLING TO DO?

Cheers,
Ram Narayanan
US-India Friendship
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/