The information technology knowledge infrastructure and research in South Asia

The South Asian region habitat about 17% of the world population and it is very important that we ensure development and prosperity of the citizens in the region for a developed and prosperous world. Information technology (IT) is considered as the technology of the modern world, one which has virtually become necessary for economic and scientific development of a nation. IT sector now plays a very important role in all spheres of life and has a measurable impact on the development trajectory of a country. The South Asian countries, despite lagging behind in Science and Technology sector development during the second half of the 20th century, made noticeable progress in the IT sector in the recent past. IT has gradually become one of the largest services sector contributors to economies of the region and one of the major employment providers. However, at the same time, it is also true that the region lacs the effort toward the development of original hardware and software products and services. Most of the products (both hardware and software) are being designed, conceptualized, and manufactured elsewhere, and the South Asian region is merely contributing to the operational part by virtue of utilizing abundant manpower. It is in this context that we have tried to measure the level of preparedness of the core strength of the IT knowledge sector and the level of research efforts in this sector towards creating original algorithms, products, and services. The paper explores and measures the IT knowledge infrastructure and the research competence of South Asian countries and provides a detailed analysis of the scenario.