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Nasscom does its bit for earthquake

Kanchana Suggu in Bombay

While the theme for Nasscom 2001 is "E-volving strategies in the digital economy", president Dewang Mehta asserted that there is yet another underlying theme for the conference this year - 'Rebuilding hope'.

Referring to the devastating earthquake that struck Gujarat on the morning of January 26, Mehta said, "There will not be a single lip in the country that has not said a prayer for our brethren in Gujarat."

Nasscom 2001 commenced with a short film by Bharatbala Productions on quake-struck Gujarat, depicting how the state, once a land of vibrant culture is now picking up pieces of what little is left.

Nasscom, on its part has already made a commitment of Rs 50 million. "The figure can go anywhere up to Rs 250 million over the next few days," says Mehta.

At their exhibition grounds in Bombay, Nasscom has put a 'Wall of Hope', where visitors can pledge a sum of money depending on their pockets. "We have cancelled all celebrations and instead chose to have a fund-raising event on the evening of February 8," said Mehta.

While Nasscom is optimistic about crossing the Rs 250 million target in the next few days, Pramod Mahajan, minister for information technology and parliamentary affairs stressed that money is not so important, but the software sector should contribute by way of building a technology that can be of some help in seismic zones. "It's okay if Nasscom does not meet the target. I think Dewang should now focus on building a software," he said.

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