Technology must focus on poor

It is imperative for countries to create an environment conducive to promote technology as it is one of the key areas that will have tremendous impact on the social, cultural and political fabric of communities, telecom expert Sam Pitroda said.

Outlining his vision for defining technology and the key factors important for its full expression, Pitroda, said "Everything we do outside our bodies to have a fuller, richer, more efficient lifestyle is technology."

"To germinate and grow, technology needs an environment which is free from human biases, is open to questioning and is capable of celebrating failures as much as successes," he said in an address at Dubai's leading business school on Thursday.

"The emerging trends more than indicate that technology will comprehensively impact the social, cultural and political fabric of the communities we live in," Pitroda, who was instrumental in kicking off a telecommunication revolution in India during late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's tenure said.

The chairman of WorldTel Group said "there are four key technology areas that will have a huge impact on the way we live and work - information and communication technologies, biotechnology, alternative energy technologies and materials technologies."

He said technology should focus on providing answers for the poor people, adding "unless we apply technology to come up with solutions in areas of education, sanitation, clean drinking water and governance, the true potential of technology will never be utilised."