Russia on Wednesday invited Indian entreprenuers to participate in the Information Technology programmes which have been launched in that country to enhance Internet penetration.

"India and Russia could join hands in bridging the rural-urban digital divide in both the countries," visiting Russian Senior Deputy Minister for IT Andrei Korotkov said at an Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council meeting in New Delhi.

Russians have sophisticated technology in wide ranging areas such as telecom and fibre optics which could successfully combine with India's capabilities in software development, he said.

Stressing on the need for setting up a portal in Russian and English languages, Korotkov said the portal would bridge the communication gap that exists between the two countries and open up opportunities for co-operation in the IT sector, according to an ESC release.

Russia, he said, was laying considerable focus on empowering the rural people through digital revolution  and IT backbone had to be built in these areas.