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As a landmark in the series of release of Software Tools and Fonts in various Indian languages that are contemplated, the Department of Information Technology (DIT), will make available free tools and fonts to the public distribution upon registration on the designated website. Keeping in view the far reaching initiative of the DIT as also to bring about Language Computing technology revolution in the country, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, National Advisory Council will launch release of Free CD containing rich collection of Hindi Software Tools and Fonts to the public on Monday, here in the presence of Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology and Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology. Smt. Gandhi will also launch the website which would provide free distribution on-line, upon registration by the net surfer at the designated website. The contents of the free CD include the following software and their contributors also:
· Hindi Language True Type Fonts with Keyboard Driver
- C-DAC, Modular Infotech, Cyber Scape Multimedia, C.K. Technogies and Softview
· Hindi Language Multifont Keyboard Engine for True Type Fonts
- Cyber Scape Multimedia
· Hindi Language Unicode Compliant Open Type Fonts
- C-DAC, Modular Infotech, Cyber Scape, CAD Graf Digital System Ltd.
· Hindi Language Unicode Compliant Keyboard Driver
- C-DAC
· Generic Fonts Code and Storage Code Converter for Hindi
- Priya Infomatech
· Hindi Language Version of Bharateeya OO.o (Open Source)
- C-DAC
· Firefox – Browser in Hindi
- C-DAC
· GAIM – Multi Protocol Messenger in Hindi
- C-DAC
· Columba – Email Client in Hindi
- C-DAC
· Hindi OCR
- C-DAC
· Aasaan Typing Tutor for Hindi & English
- C.K. Technologies
· Integrated Word Processor
- C-DAC
· Dictionary English-Hindi
- C-DAC
· Hindi Language Spell Checker
- C-DAC
· Hindi Language Transliteration Tool
- C-DAC
· Hindi Language Text to Speech System
- IIIT, Hyderabad, Prologix, Lucknow
· Translation support system from English to Hindi through the website
- IIT, Kanpur
· Hindi Language Corpora over the website
- C-DAC
India is a unique multilingual country in the world with 22 constitutionally recognized languages and 1650 dialects. Of the languages, Hindi – spoken by a large population and as the official language - has a unique place. It is a language spoken in most states in northern and central India and is an Indo-European language, of the Indo-Aryan subfamily. Evolving from the Middle Indo-Aryan prakrit languages of the middle ages, and indirectly, from Sanskrit, Hindi derives a lot of its higher vocabulary from Sanskrit as well as a large number of words borrowed from Persian, Arabic and Turkish.
Hindi is the second most spoken language in the world, after Chinese. Around 500 million people speak Hindi in India and abroad, and the total number of people who can understand the language is estimated to be around 800 million. According to a survey in 1997, 66% of all Indians can speak Hindi, and 77% of Indians regard Hindi as "one language across the nation". More than 180 million people in India regard Hindi as their mother tongue. Another 300 million use it as a second language.
Use of computers in Indian languages is not new. Early emergence of tools, products and use in media date back to 80’s. But widespread impact has been far too less and the market growth momentum inadequate. In this context, Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of India thought it fit to commence a “language computing initiative” through the setting up of a committee in November, 2004. One of its early decisions was to aggregate “tools and fonts” from public and private players and release them for “free” public use creating a tremendous kick-start and momentum to the initiative.
The work on Indian language computing is being carried out since the last two decades for a variety of tasks, including data processing, word processing, desk-top publishing and so on, on different platforms and operating systems. As less than 5% of the Indian population understands English, it becomes important to develop tools and software in Indian Languages for use by the larger section of people. Information technology in India has economic, developmental as well as social roles. In its economic role, it is a problem solving tool which through computing and information processing has a multiplier effect on the productivity of other sectors besides creation of employment and wealth creation from its own industry.
C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) is an autonomous scientific society under the Administrative Control of Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology. Known for its PARAM series of supercomputers built since its inception in 1988, it has also been a pioneer in R&D, standards promotion, products development and deployment in language computing arena. In this initiative, it is partnered by a number of public (academia, R&D labs) and private players under the patronage of DIT.
RM/AMA-180605 CD-Curtain Raiser
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