 CII, TN government launch Connect 2006
 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Government of Tamil Nadu launched on August 11, 2006, the sixth edition of Connect - Connect 2006 - the annual information, communications & technology (ICT) event, with the theme of 'Creating a knowledge-driven ecosystem'. The three-day event will be held in Chennai from September 8 to 10, 2006.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, as the chief patron of Connect 2006, will inaugurate the function and deliver the inaugural address, and the patron of Connect 2006, Union Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Dayanidhi Maran, will deliver the keynote address.
The three-day conference-cum-exposition, to be held at the Chennai Convention Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai, will focus on what comprises a unique knowledge ecosystem and how that ecosystem can be further strengthened to make Tamil Nadu the destination of choice for knowledge-based industries, said M Lakshminarayanan, chairman, CII (Southern region).
The conference will bring together eminent global speakers from all the key segments that make up the ecosystem - academia, industry, government and professional bodies; and the exposition will showcase products, technologies, solutions and services across the entire ICT continuum of hardware and electronics, telecommunications, software and
BPO.
Connect 2006 will see international participation from The Netherlands, Japan, Korea and Australia and explore synergies across nations for a mutually beneficial relationship and growth, Lakshminaryanan said.
The sessions include:
Tamil Nadu emerging as an electronics manufacturing hub;
World class telecom services: the India story;
Creation of knowledge satellite cities and clustering of industry segments for synergistic co-creation of value;
Bridging the talent gap in IT and in BPO;
Tamil Nadu emerging as an infotainment zone;
Tier 2 cities and beyond.
The conference will culminate with a power session that will bring together industry chieftains including Anil Ambani from the Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Shiv Nadar from the HCL Group, S Ramadorai from TCS and Pramod Haque from Norwest Venture Partners to deliberate on 'Vision 2011' for Tamil Nadu and the roadmap they envision for the growth of the ICT sector in Tamil Nadu, said Lakshmi Narayanan, co-chairman, Connect 2006 and president and CEO, Cognizant.
Dayanidhi Maran said in a statement, "We are fortunate that Connect 2006 comes at a time when a new government under the dynamic leadership of Dr Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi has just been inducted into office in Tamil Nadu. The state government is working closely with the Central government to catapult the state to a leadership position in information and communication technology and the knowledge economy. Connect 2006 brings together all the key constituents - policy-makers, academicians, industry representatives and others who propel growth of knowledge economy. It will help India and Tamil Nadu to identify actions and evolve strategies that will further improve our position in the global software and services export sector. Considering the stature and mix of speakers drawn from across the globe, this event will also enable key players to identify opportunities for themselves in this scenario."
"Tamil Nadu is fast emerging as a manufacturing hub both in the telecom and IT hardware sector. With the presence of Nokia, Motorola, Flextronics and Foxcon, the state is poised to become a leading ICT hub in this part of the world," said Shaktikanta Das, secretary (Industries Department), Tamil Nadu, in a statement.
"Tamil Nadu is becoming a hot destination for IT companies around the globe and today offers a 'plug and play' infrastructure with a bandwidth of 13.52 tbps - the largest in India," - said C Chandramouli, Secretary (IT), Government of Tamil Nadu. "Talented manpower, good infrastructure and investor-friendly policies of the state government attract global players in the ICT sector," he added.
"With increasing synergies within the ICT sector, providing a common platform to all key participants will result in significant benefits to all players," said Gopal Srinivasan, chairman, Connect 2006 and director, TVS Electronics.
"Connect 2006 will showcase the successes that multiple countries have seen in creating knowledge clusters, and look at how best Tamil Nadu can leverage the best practices and learned lessons to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that will further strengthen the knowledge economy."
"Connect 2006, in its successful sixth edition, shows the strong partnership between CII and the Government of Tamil Nadu in making the state a destination of choice for investment in the ICT sector", added
Lakshminarayan.
"With the demand side of the ecosystem being buoyant, the spotlight today has shifted to creating the talent for the future for sustainable growth and Connect 2006 will address this important facet," said Lakshmi Narayanan, co-chairman Connect 2006.
"With Tier 2 cities fast emerging as knowledge hubs, it is believed that a significant proportion of future growth will get decentralised, and a dedicated session on this topic will add value to the entire knowledge community."
P K Mohapatra, deputy chairman, CII - Southern Region and president and chief executive (Technology Business), RPG Enterprises, said greater thrust would be given on development of tier-2 cities particularly in terms of infrastructure.
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