Wednesday, August 24 2005 15:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Concerned over instances of data leaks from call centres in India, Government is actively considering amending the IT Act, 2000, to check such serious violations, Lok Sabha was informed today (Aug 24, 2005).

Minister of State for Communications and IT Shakeel Ahmed said during the question hour that two instances of data security violation have come to light, but government cannot take action as no complaints have been filed so far.

"Till any complaint is lodged, we cannot take action. There are contracts between call centres and companies," he said.

Observing that the IT industry had grown by a whopping 34 per cent this year and it would continue to grow in the coming period, Ahmed said Indian engineers and technicians had built computers which would cost less than Rs 10,000.

"We want these computers to be made available to the people".

At this, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said, "The House joins me in congratulating the young men and women (in the IT industry) who have made this happen and taken the industry to such heights".

Members thumped desks in appreciation. Maintaining that India was a big outsourcing market, Ahmed said its value for the Indian software industry stood at 17.2 billion US dollars in 2004-05 and 3,174 companies in this field had proven their mark in the global market.

To another question, he said the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, would be amended to provide support for cellular services from Universal Service Obligation Fund for faster expansion of telecommunications in rural and remote areas.

Ahmed said 5.5 lakh of six lakh villages in the country had been provided phone connections and the remaining would be connected by December next year.