Further, laws have to be changed so thatelectronic records are accepted, not only in commerce, but also by government departments and in courts of law. This is absolutely necessary if unnecessary duplication of records is to be avoided. But while explosive growth in IT is likely to continue, even without government intervention, the need here, as in any other service, is to reduce costs. Communication tariffs need to be lowered and private internet services providers should be roped in. The proposal to co-ordinate the networks of the Railways, PGCIL, GAIL and SAIL into a national grid is accordingly a step in the right direction. In other words, growth in telecommunications must complement the growth in IT. In the wake of the enormous brain drain in the software industry, the move to float venture capital funds is a welcome measure. The targeted Rs 200 crore fund would be a boon for aspiring entrepreneurs in the country. Moreover, financing software development is the right step to encourage Indian software business to make a dent in the globalmarket. But why should all this be done for IT? Why is IT so special? The answer is that, apart from the ability to make India a software power, IT has the potential to transform productivity, to eliminate the constraints of distance, and to make world-class information available extremely cheaply in the remotest corners of the country. And perhaps most importantly, however, IT can, via the Internet, be a radical force for the rapid dissemination of new ideas.