``Software in India is being developed keeping in mind the needs of Westerners, with little thought given to those living in this country", Pitroda remarked. Describing the IT as an "agent of change", the technocrat said, exhorting the political leadership and the IT community in the State to create a wide information network and utilise it for the good of the people. The government must initiate efforts to "educate and inform" people on IT and introduce it in the administration and commerce and business establishments to increase their productivity.

Besides setting up IT units, he said efforts should be made to create museums of Gujarati culture and heritage, electronic games for children, call and multi-media centres and distance learning facilities in the proposed Infocity.

In his inaugural address, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel said the proposed Infocity would earn Gujarat a glorious place on the international map of information technology. The software development units and IT training institutes will be exempted from inspections of the Pollution Control Board and factory inspectors.

Expressing the hope that the proposed Infocity would take the State into the new millennium, the Chief Minister said a subject in computer learning would be introduced their business acumen, Gujarat figures nowhere among the states producing computer software", Pitroda said, adding that Bangalore and Hyderabad had already earned reputations as `software capitals' among entrepreneurs the world over.

Pitroda, who is chairman of the UK-based Worldtel, said his company was working on bringing all four southern states on the Internet.

He also said that, given the fact that Gujaratis were a commerce-oriented people, there was much scope for electronic commerce in the state. He said, the idea of electronic commerce would be successful provided it was given serious thought and a concrete plan was prepared by the State government.

Stating that he would like to offer all his help to the Government in framing the Information Technology strategy for the state as also for framing the plans for the Electronic Commerce, Pitroda cautioned, "nothing would come out if we failed to make up our mind."

He said the people of Gujarat should make up their own minds, relating his experiences as an adviser to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. "I would go to the meetings after making up my mind that I would not listen to anybody", Pitroda said half in jest. ``I would do so because Indians are great at distracting people; they give you the negative side of things so convincingly that you start believing them, at the same time forgetting your own original ideas".

Chief MinisterKeshubhai Patel is due to perform the "Bhoomi Pooja" at the Infocity project site on Tuesday, Gujarat Industrial Development corporation release said. "The proposed Infocity is a technology park meant especially for software industries and related industrial projects. This would be a state-of-the-art industrial park", the release further stated.