PCAIT aims to unite Delhi's channel community under one platform

The IT channel community of Delhi, the nation's capital, has finally found
a voice. It has come in the form of a brand new association called Progre-ssive
Channels Association of Information Technology (PCAIT). Led by RK Malhotra as
the first President, the association was formally unveiled recently in a
function in Delhi.

The vision of the associa-tion is "A mature, open association
Co-creating the growth and harnessing the potential of the Information
Technology Industry governed by ethical, fair, business practi-ces and setting
standards for the benefit of all". And the mission is "Work together,
Build together, Progress together".

How did this association come into being? What prompted it? Elaborated
Malhotra, "Our industry, particularly the channel community, has a vast
pool of managerial, technical and entrepreneurial skills. Most of them are
educated, ambitious and highly successful in their own domain. It would not be
an exaggeration to say that as a businessman, if you are successful in north,
you can virtually succeed anywhere. Therefore, a dire need was felt to
channelise such immense resources for the mutual benefit of the industry and
organizations with a predominant focus on growth and integrate such them
nationally as well as globally."

Accordingly, a group of 15 like-minded people representing various
organizations volunta-rily came forwarded last year in May to convert this dream
into a reality. During the ensuing 10 months, more than 20 meetings were held at
different locations to identify the Vision, Mission and Objectives of PCAIT. And
finally, all the hard work of these 15 Progressive Men became a reality in March
2005 when the association was formally registered with the authorities.

Said an elated Malhotra, "If I were to summarize the vision, mission and
objectives of the association, I would say-what CII is to the Indu-stry, what
NASSCOM is to the Software Industry, PCAIT is going to be to the IT
Industry."

But what's so unique about this association? Well, there are several
aspects, which differentiate PCAIT from other industry associations. First, the
focus is on growth and integration of the channel community with the global IT
scenario. Second, the mem-bership of PCAIT is only by invitation so that only
those members are inducted who think alike, are in sync with its objectives and
are willing to contribute to the same. Third, the decisions of the Executive
Council are by consensus and no voting is allowed. And fourthly, all the
activities of PCAIT are focussed through six committees. Each commi-ttee is
fully empowered to take decisions to achieve the objectives set out by the
association.

Added Ranjan Chopra, the Vice President of PCAIT, "We have long plans
ahead. PCAIT will not function like a conventional IT association but is poised
to become magnificent and a force to reckon with in the coming months. Our
ambitions are global and we will strive our best to achieve it."

Objectives

• To bring IT community under a single platform
• To interface with other associations
• To settle disputes among members if any
• To promote ethical and legal business practices
• To work for the betterment of the members and their

Family

• To organize seminars, workshops and trade shows for the
  growth of IT industry

• To conduct events and celebrations

• To interface with Government bodies

• To have an IT Plaza

• To interface with NGOs, charitable organizations,
  societies etc to promote and support IT literacy and

IT dissemination

To support persons, NGOs, charitable organizations, societies
etc in need of emergency help and to promote social cause as per needs and
situation

To evolve, articulate and implement appropriate guidelines/standards on various
aspects of IT industry.

If you want to become a member of this association, contact:
V Krishnan, Executive Secretary, PCAIT, 1A, Mohammadpur, Adjacent to Bhikaji
Cama Place,

New Delhi 110066.

Tel: 011-26109775/26105431/51681703/9811211083.

Email: vkram23@rediffmail.com

Various Committees

Membership/PR/ Sponsorship/Publicity

• Asim Raina

• Ranjan Chopra

• Sanjay Mittal

Growth & Standards

• Ashish Agarwal

• Kapil Wadhwa

• Sanjiv Bhavnani

Events/Celebrations

• Ajaya Kumar

• Sujeet Narula

Govt & Social Affairs

• JP Modi

• S Nautiyal

Legal/Ethical

• Alok Gupta

• Devendra Taneja

Finance

• Keshav Madhav

• Saket Kapur

Eligibility

Any firm, society, company or division thereof, registered or incorporated
in India and conducting business in IT, Internet, e-commerce, dealing in
computer hardware/consumables or any other IT-related services, and/or
associated services is eligible to apply for membership provided:

• Its main activity is IT related directly or indirectly
• It has been in existence for a minimum period of three years in IT-related
  business activity directly (Those with less than three years of existence
  may apply for Associate Membership)
• Membership is by invitation and approval by Executive Council.

DQW News Bureau

New Delhi