Transformation of India into a knowledge society

A new national initiative is underway in India for the transformation of India into a knowledge society. Government of India has set up a National Knowledge Commission with a mandate to serve as a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India in sectors ranging from education to e-government in the following five principal focus areas: Access; Concepts; Creation; Application; and Services. The Commission has set up nine working groups on libraries; languages; health information network; undergraduate education; medical education; legal education; management education; traditional knowledge; and open and distance education. It has organized a number of workshops and surveys and has published two comprehensive reports called "Report to the Nation" 2006 & 2007. The objective of this paper is to critically examine the work of this Commission and to assess the potential impact of this effort on the growth of Indian economy. Technology-induced, knowledge network will form the backbone of the massive effort to build a knowledge society and the paper will present a framework for structuring democratic values in governmental decision making.