Karnik is 'Dataquest IT Person of the Year'Â

Kiran Karnik,
President of Nasscom, the apex body for the software industry in India, was
today named the 'Dataquest IT Person of the Year 2005'.

Announcing the awards
here, the Dataquest Awards panel also named Hemant Sonawala, Chairman, Hinditron,
for the 'Lifetime Award.' The 'Pathbreaker Award' went to R
Chandrashekhar, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Communication and IT.
“Kiran Karnik has led from the front while fighting the outsourcing backlash
and helped in giving the software industry a fresh lease of life,” said the
awards panel.

“Karnik lent his
support to the software services industry in its most trying times and
relentlessly championed India's cause in the outsourcing backlash debate with
his hallmark sincerity, candor and conviction,” the panel added. Sonawala was
selected for the Lifetime Award for his contribution to the growth of the
domestic IT industry in India.

“Hemant Sonawala is
one of the pioneers of India's domestic IT industry. He has been a forerunner
in introducing high technology products in India through strategic alliances and
has essayed the role of a pioneer and an entrepreneur in the industry, the panel
commented.”

Chandrashekhar was
named for the award for his key role in laying the foundation of e-Governance in
India.

“R. Chandrashekhar
has initiated a model of public-private partnership, which is now being
replicated to drive the country's e-governance agenda and has led landmark
initiatives while operating within the procedural confines of the government
set-up,” the panel said.

The Dataquest Awards panel comprised S Ramadorai, CEO of
TCS and Chairman of the panel; Dr DB Phatak of IIT Mumabi; Deepak Ghaisas, CEO
& CFO of i-flex Solutions; PK Vohra, Head of IT, ICICI Bank; Lalit Sawhney,
Head of IT, Reliance Infocomm; K Jaishankar, CEO, Ingram Micro India; Neelam
Dhawan, Managing Director of Microsoft India and Pradeep Gupta,

Chairman and Managing Director of the CyberMedia Group and Deputy Chairman of
the panel.

DQC News Bureau