"We plan on connecting 487 blocks in the North East in the next 18 months. With this the North East will become the first part of the country to have block level Internet penetration," says Mahajan. Mahajan also said that 15th August 2000 has been set as the deadline for implmentaton of the recently passed IT Bill. "We expect the final report on specific regulatory measures to be undertaken by 5th July and will ensure implementation of the law by 15th August," says Mahajan. Addressing the issue of global demand for Indian IT professionals, Mahajan expressed his concerns over a domestic imbalance when it comes to engineering skills.

"Considering that engineers from all streams are pursuing IT today, I fear there may be a domestic imbalance where the other sectors are concerned" said Mahajan. He also said that he was actively pursuing the issue with the PM as well as other Ministries whereby he aims to ramp up facilities in existing engineering colleges as well as start new ones. "Iam not against global demand for Indian IT skills" he clarified "but Iwant to ensure that domestic demand is also met".

The sub-committee headed by jurist Fali Nariman to prepare the draft Convergence Bill was expected to address issues arising out of the convergence of media in a fashion which will integrate voice, video and data transmission through a single delivery mechanism. "Eventually the IT Bill, The Broadcast Bill and Telecom Bill will all be covered under an umbrella - Convergence Bill," Mahajan said.

Mahajan expects Internet penetration to stand at about 35% of the population by the time the bill is actually passed. "TV penetration today is at about 30%, assuming that the PC and other devices will account for another 5%, the Bill will cover about 35% of the population" he adds.

Mahajan was speaking at the inauguration of an education portal - joincollege.com. The portal has been promoted by Nitin Thakoor, a third generation entrepreneur. The site is in the process of compiling a database of all ccolleges in India. The site also provides admission forms online for select colleges in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore currently. The site also lists various funding options for students in India as well as overseas and information about education opportunities overseas, according to a company press release.