ETHICAL ISSUES IN EMERGING KNOWLEDGE

ETHICAL ISSUES IN EMERGING KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMIES
GEETANEE NAPAL
Department of Management, University of Mauritius
Réduit, Mauritius
E-mail: vnapal@uom.ac.mu
As technology revolutionizes the speed of communication worldwide, the dissemination of information has become relatively easy, thereby enhancing education and the integration of culture in emerging knowledge-based economies. The Internet for instance enables rapid transmission of huge amounts of data in little time. However, technological advances potentially carry risks like breach of confidence, copyright infringement, virus transmission and computer hacking. Should the knowledge economy be viewed as a new economy where ethics and values should be revisited? Where does this leave emerging economies that are already vulnerable to ethical issues, due to economic exigency?
Key words: ethical issues; information and communication technology (ICT); emerging economies/emerging knowledge-based economies; new ethics; technological advances.
1. Introduction
The emergence of the knowledge economy presents numerous advantages to organizations and people, provided the right infrastructure is put in place to allow them to make good use of relevant opportunities. In order to enable individuals and organizations to adapt to the needs of a knowledge economy, new work methods and a change in values, behaviours and skills is required. New approaches to leadership, human resource development, organizational development/change management, and information and communication technologies should be developed. In a knowledge economy, information must be managed differently because information flows take the form of communicated knowledge of a comprehensive nature.
ICTs are viewed as powerful tools that are rapidly changing the mode of information dissemination worldwide. Data mining and search engines help stimulate the growth of pedagogy as the incorporation of new technologies give rise to new policies. With the rapid evolution of ICTs, new rules are being established to govern business and political participation and information flow at an international level. On the one hand, there is a feeling that the construction of an information society could be the key to economic development and modernization. On the other hand, it is a fact that access to new technologies requires high income and reasonable education levels. For an emerging knowledge-based economy to progress, people must have reasonable access to IT infrastructure and education. The knowledge economy has evolved rapidly in both the Western world and in developing/industrialized nations like China and India. However, we cannot ignore the ethical issues that are cropping up with the growing importance of ICTs in contemporary life.
This paper focuses on issues that emerge as a result of technological evolution and addresses the question of whether ‘new ethics’ is needed to handle the situation. Among the problems that accompany technological evolution are inadequate access to IT infrastructure and education, hence the concept of digital divide, the issue of poverty in the developing world, corrupt practices in the form of bribery in business, distribution and use of power in emerging economies, infringement of property rights and/or property theft and information gathering through spying. Although there is the logical expectation that globalisation should impact positively on any nation, ethical issues arising with the advent of the knowledge-based economy should not be underestimated.
1.1. What Does Technological Evolution Entail?
While Mehra et al. (2004) lay emphasis on the “potential of the internet to improve everyday life for those on the margins of society and to achieve greater social equity and empowerment” (p. 782), numerous scholars, policy makers and the public at large have expressed concern over the negative impact of technological advances. The main forces that lead to ethical problems in emerging knowledge-based economies are technology, globalisation, and access to education. As technology revolutionises the nature and speed of communication across nations, the risks that accompany such rapid evolution–cyber crimes, hacking, cyber scams and frauds, Internet defamation, software piracy and copyright infringement – cannot be overlooked. In the business community, the Internet is considered as a major channel for commercial transactions. Consequently, on-line business has given rise to several potential ethical issues relating to honesty and integrity, responsibility, accountability, privacy and confidentiality, protection of data (e.g. credit card numbers) and freedom from invasiveness (e.g. websites that automatically track and retain customer contact and information). Other issues at stake include the quality of goods delivered, disclosure and reliability of information, sources of goods, and Internet economics versus traditional economics. Internet economics compels us to consider the impacts of global Internet business, employment through the net (e.g. local and global telecommuting), web advertising, competition on the Internet (computer hacking and falsification of data), and public information and financial disclosure. Therefore, people should be given the opportunity to optimize their competencies and make the best of the challenges facing knowledge-based economies.
1.1.1. Access to Education and ICTs
It is important to note that illiteracy constitutes a major problem in emerging knowledge-based economies. If we consider the discrepancy that exists between developed and developing nations in terms of education facilities and ICTs, we cannot ignore the impacts of the digital divide on emerging economies. To overcome this problem, the benefits of education must be emphasized and initiatives undertaken at national level, so as to give everyone equal access to education and IT infrastructure. A well-educated population is likely to engage in ethical decision-making and pay closer attention to stakeholder needs. Education levels tend to influence computer access and access to Internet–those with higher levels of education are more likely to be equipped with information and communication technologies at home and/or at work. Similarly, education is closely correlated to income, which obviously facilitates the purchase of ICTs and inclusion in both home and work settings. However, when income levels are taken into account, those with higher educational achievements may benefit of higher rates of access.
1.1.2. Digital Divide
Technological evolution will inevitably lead to disparities across borders, hence the significance of the digital divide. ‘Digital divide/gap’ refers to the disparity between those populations who have regular, effective access to digital and information technology and those without equivalent access. It generally encompasses physical access to technology hardware as well as skills and resources that allow for its use. It can refer to both international and domestic disparities in access to information technology. It can also refer to the skills people have – the divide between people who are at ease using technology to access and to analyse information and those who are not. More expansively, the digital divide is referred to as “a symptom of a larger and more complex problem: the problem of persistent poverty and inequality” (Servon, 2002: 2). Mehra et al. (2004) lay emphasis on the major components that contribute to digital divide. These are “socioeconomic status, with income, educational level and race among other factors associated with technological attainment” (p. 782).
The digital divide could be the outcome of various factors worldwide. If gender-based, it depends on whether the female population has access to education. Results of a broad survey of 15 Western European countries demonstrate that – “females, manual workers, elderly and the less educated have less internet access than males, professionals, the young and the well educated” (Cheung, 2004: 63). If there are discriminatory practices against minority groups, does this not constitute an infringement of people’s rights? If the minority are suffering prejudice and are being denied the chance to education and access to ICT, are basic human rights not being violated?
In emerging knowledge-based economies, the digital divide may be the outcome of an imbalance of diffusion of IT infrastructure, high online charges, insufficiently trained staff, imperfect network legation and information resource shortage in international languages. Some less wealthy nations may have difficulty achieving connectivity, especially in rural areas. The lack of purchasing power or low population densities in less favourable regions could deter telecommunication providers from investing in broadening their networks. Inevitably income constitutes a problem for poor nations. Even if the problem of infrastructure for connectivity is resolved in suburbs, high costs of Internet-compatible computers still have to be faced. Sometimes, market forces push Internet Service Providers to “shy away from investing in these regions that show little promise of short-term profits” (Wilhelm, 2004: 133-134). Wilhelm’s findings imply that preference is given to more favourable areas, more than likely urban settings to the detriment of rural ones, in some countries. However, is it fair to quantify returns on a public service in such a way as to hinder the dissemination of knowledge in less favoured and disadvantaged regions?
As economies interact on the global market, certain realities cannot be overlooked. If Western economies face problems like those listed above, we can only imagine how worse off emerging economies are. As it is, they already face constraints when it comes to information technology infrastructure and ICT resources, in general. In addition to IT infrastructure, transportation infrastructure poses problems in some developing economies, particularly those characterised by poverty and related problems of a social nature.
1.1.3. Poverty in the Developing World
As some parts of the global economy experience rapid economic growth, others are faced with issues like poverty, conflict, corruption, famine, illness and illiteracy (Werhane et al., 2008). Hart (2007) refers to an elite group of executives, employees and shareholders as the sole beneficiaries of the wealth created by multinational enterprises. As the world population grows, a considerable percentage of people of big developing countries like India and China live in utter poverty (as reported in Werhane et al., 2008). The same pattern characterises most African economies and developing nations, in general. In some parts of the developing world, the political class tends to deny the existence of poverty although many families have similar living conditions. How do we expect less wealthy nations to keep pace with technological advances taking place globally?
Forces like communication technology, modern infrastructure and free trade enable greater mobility for people, thereby facilitating interaction amongst business partners (Hagan & Moon, 2006). At the same time, businesses have to match global standards and show respect for their stakeholders. Ideally, globalisation should have a positive impact on people’s lives and enhance standards of living as a result of consistent economic growth that derives from increased trade and investment. However, this may not necessarily be the case in reality. The same factors that have contributed to change in absolute terms are accountable for widening the poverty gap by increasing the disparity between wealthy and poor nations. Globalisation kills local industry and contributes to job losses. Technological advances are bound to differ across countries, and the digital divide is bound to have more serious repercussions on economies that have limited means to invest in information and communication technology. In such an environment, business people are more likely to engage in questionable practices in an effort to either ‘match’ the standard of their business counterparts on the global market, or simply avail of ‘opportunities’ that lead to easy money.
1.1.4. Power Abuse and Corruption
In some places, public expenditure is manipulated and driven away from growth-promoting areas and essential services like education and ICTs. Sometimes public funds are diverted to where bribes are easy to collect. The culture of corruption that prevails in developing nations diverts public goods from ever reaching the poor. In addition, the latter are victimized as they are expected to pay bribes for public services that they are entitled to, free-of-charge (Werhane et al., 2008). There are even instances where the authorities hold back their services because they have no guarantee of economic payoff. Already there is evidence of a concentration of public spending in low-productivity projects such as large-scale construction to the detriment of value-enhancing investments like improvements in the quality of social infrastructure and ICTs (Blackburn et al., 2006). These are normally the outcome of monopolistic power conferred on some individuals in specific positions. Corruption is associated with state power that is, it is an outcome of both the discretionary power and monopolistic nature of the state (Tanzi, 1998). More vulnerable are big organisations like infrastructure businesses and enterprises involved in large-scale projects, as major infrastructure projects are invariably publicly funded.
The abuse of discretionary power and monopolistic nature of the state can only breed ethical issues by increasing inequity between rich and poor countries. In countries with an individualistic culture, one’s immediate obligation goes to one’s relations, and this may override one’s notion of duty as spelled out by basic ethics concepts. This can in turn give rise to corrupt practices in the form of favouritism and nepotism. Democracy in emerging economies tends to encourage the abuse of power to suit one’s vested interests. These nations may not have effective systems of checks and balances, which tends to give way to greater political access coupled with greater flexibility with the way public funds are dispensed (Mohtadi & Roe, 2001). The political class is likely to give priority to affluent citizens, enabling them to use their position to avail of access to facilities derived from technological advances. This implies that people who do not have the right network to channel their request for such services will lag behind, giving rise to further inequity with regard to education and IT competencies. In such systems, wealthy citizens willing and able to pay bribes are at an advantage whereas less well-off ones are penalised.
1.1.5. Infringement of Property Rights and Property Theft
Traditionally, intellectual property belonged to developed countries. Therefore, the developed world regards the protection of intellectual property as important, given that such property brings wealth to mankind and helps achieve progress. Developing countries have cultural achievements such as their heritage and folk arts that they consider valuable and thus, worthy of protection as well.
Intellectual property may be tangible or intangible. Are intangible forms of property like software, product formulation, formulae, inventions or processing techniques recognised as such? Intangible property can be far more valuable and difficult to protect than tangible assets. It is hard to put a value on intangible assets like the ability to innovate, codified knowledge about products and processes, and employee assets in the form of talented people and human capital. While being invaluable to the organisation, these assets are also vulnerable to infringement and theft (Hagan & Moon, 2006). Property theft can take the form of insider trading, counterfeit products, or price gouging. Insider trading takes place when one uses privileged information as one’s own. Another common form of theft is the use of proprietary information to further another firm’s ends. Such information is normally accessed through the unauthorised use of company computers and programmes (Fritzsche, 2005). What restrictions can and should be placed on different forms of property including digital information? What exactly constitutes ethical transgression? Although such issues can be easily/clearly defined by the lay person, people who do have recourse to techniques like misappropriation can plead ignorance in an attempt to defend their acts.
1.1.6. Spying
Other factors to consider include the level of education of the population and income levels. If people in poor countries feel that they are not at par with their business partners on the global market, they could engage in unethical competitive behaviour in an attempt to match the performance of their rivals. Crane and Matten (2004) refer to industrial espionage through questionable practices in the normal business settings in European context. Business people can instigate a process of intelligence gathering through spying by having recourse to suspicious means. In the process, the legal and ethical practices underlying conventional information gathering or market research are deliberately flouted. Spying and information gathering can potentially contravene the privacy and confidentiality of competitors and/or other stakeholders. In places where bribery represents a normal way of doing business, illicit payments can be offered to induce competitors’ employees to access confidential information and trade secrets.
2. Do We Need New Ethics to Accompany Growing Technological Developments?
Phenomena like illicit information gathering, unauthorised accessing and exploitation of intellectual property and property theft accompany on-going developments in technology (Crane & Matten, 2004). As concepts like computer ethics and digital divide continue to gather importance globally, questions arise as to whether business ethics should be re-thought (Ghillyer, 2008; Hagan & Moon, 2006; Hartman & Desjardins, 2008; Suresh & Raghavan, 2005). Bearing in mind the characteristics of business, both the legislation and notions of ethics need to be reinforced to cope with changing tendencies as well as to handle basic ethical issues associated with their individualistic culture. Unless business people thoroughly understand the law, it will be hard to manage the ethical issues brought about by the misuse of communication technology. Alongside with the law, a culture of ethics should be instilled, so as to deter harmful business practices that can potentially lead to serious losses and long-term economic decline.
Ghillyer (2008) lays emphasis on the ten commandments of computer ethics and raises the question as to whether some new code should be adopted for the global community. The fact is that in spite of the existence of the United Nations’ Non Governmental Global Compact and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, ethical misconduct continues to prevail in international business. Ghillyer (2008) proposes a global code of conduct as the solution to moral issues encountered in the context of globalisation. Does the problem not lie with the interpretation of concepts of ethics and codes of ethics that is, with enforcement? After all, ethics codes exist worldwide but are subject to varying interpretation, as are universal principles. As they are not legally binding, codes of ethics tend to be regarded as optional while business people have a tendency to underrate their importance.
While business partners fulfil their responsibility towards their stakeholders, it is the duty of every responsible government to lead by example and breed a culture of ethics at national level. It is equally their responsibility to bridge the gap between rich and poor economies, foster corporate social responsibility and sustain efforts towards the convergence of ethics by providing the necessary infrastructure at national level and this includes putting in place appropriate telecommunication devices. There is evidence that political people, in emerging nations, sometimes welcome corporate investors under ‘flexible’ terms ‘in an attempt to boost economic growth’. In this endeavour, public funds could easily be channelled towards sub-quality products. If this were the case, governments could be deliberately inflicting economic and human rights abuses on their people in the name of growth.
3. Conclusion
All this considered, ethics is there and should not only be regarded merely as an academic discipline. There is no need for new ethics, but both private and public sectors should reflect on their mode of doing business and ensure they fulfil their duty towards their stakeholders. Technology offers a unique opportunity to extend learning support beyond the classroom, something unknown to the business community until recently. “The variety of functions that the Internet can serve for the individual user makes it ‘unprecedentedly malleable’ to the user’s current needs and purposes” (Bargh & McKenna, 2004: 577). In addition to this view, there is a perception that the building of an information society is the key to economic development and modernization (Dey, 2005), implying that this would naturally pull an economy out of poverty. New technology is capable of bringing advantages like contribute to the development of depressed regions and promote global citizenship and human rights amongst other positive things (Argandona, 2008; Richter & Mar, 2004). However, economies or people who do not understand technological improvement, may not be as effectively positioned to benefit as quickly from such advances (Hartman & Desjardins, 2008). This implies that they may not be adequately prepared to handle the challenges associated with hi-tech advancement. In these circumstances, the priority of major stakeholders – the government, state-owned enterprises, business entities, research institutes, universities – should be to invest in the right infrastructure to educate their people.
Telecommunications infrastructure could be developed and sustained in a consistent manner with proper strategic thinking. Should governments of emerging nations not pursue reform as part of their national policy to promote their economy on the global market through science and technology? Should they not encourage industrialisation by virtue of IT development and explore means of further developing information technology to accommodate their own needs on economic, social and political fronts? Does the fact that the domestic telecommunication market is gradually opening up to foreign investors and competitors not justify increasing investment in the telecommunication arena in emerging economies? Countries that are members of international bodies like the World Trade Organisation are at an advantage. Such affiliation acts as an external drive force for them to persevere in pursuing and sustaining reform in the field of telecommunications and technology. Technological reform should be the priority of all economies involved in global operations, irrespective of how developed they are.
Amongst the initiatives that Governments can embark on to facilitate competition in a knowledge-based economy are the formulation of information strategies and policies that integrate relevant information in the context of their goals and objectives. Such strategies should support and enable a knowledge culture. At a national level, we need proper legislative, regulatory and fiscal frameworks that encourage and support the creation and sharing of knowledge, thereby enhancing creativity and innovation. Educational institutions and Governments should establish appropriate information literacy skills and behaviours that the education system and lifelong learning programmes must provide, for the smooth evolution of the knowledge economy. Both organizational and individual competitiveness should be promoted in emerging knowledge settings. Government policy should make provision for the development and promotion of standards and good practices that would help manage all types of information in knowledge-based organizations, while easing organisational competitiveness. At an individual level, new skills and behaviours should be encouraged to enable individuals to optimize their potential and play an active role in the evolution of the knowledge economy. Along with organizational and individual competitiveness, information profession competitiveness – through embracing, informing and stimulating the wider information profession on all issues relating to the management of information in the knowledge economy – should be enhanced. Governments that do not respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by the emerging knowledge-based economy will face the risk of their economy becoming increasingly marginalised on the global market, as competitors take up emerging challenges and opportunities.
ICTs can transform value systems across the world. For example, although its effects have not always been positive, the liberalization of western television has drastically changed cultural views, values and beliefs worldwide. Governments should be made more accountable. Institutions that provide funding to developing nations should exert strict control on the use of public funds. Where abuses are detected, sanctions should apply to deter unethical conduct. If attention is paid to the ethical issues generated by technological advances, and if codes of ethics are respected, we will, in the long term, overcome the problems associated with technological evolution.
References
Argandona, A. 2008. ‘The New Economy: Ethical Issues’, Journal of Business Ethics 20: 3-22.
Bargh, J. A., & McKenna, K. Y. A. 2004. ‘The Internet and Social Life’, Annual Review of Psychology 55: 573-590.
Blackburn, K., Bose, N., & Haque, M. E. 2006. ‘The Incidence and Persistence of Corruption in Economic Development’, The Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 30: 2447-2467.
Cheung, C. 2004. "Identity Construction and Self-Presentation on Personal Homepages: Emancipatory Potentials and Reality Constraints", Web Studies, (New York: Oxford: In D. Guantlett and R. Horsley, Eds.): 53-68.
Crane, A., & Matten, D. 2004. Business Ethics: a European Perspective, New York: Oxford University Press.
Dey, B. R. 2005. Business Process Engineering and Change Management, Bizantra: Innovations in Management.
Fritzsche, D. J. 2005. Business Ethics: a Global and Managerial Perspective, New York: McGraw Hill International Edition.
Ghillyer A. 2008. Business Ethics: a Real World Approach, New York: McGraw Hill, Irwin.
Hagan, J., & Moon, C. 2006. ‘New Economy, New Ethics’ in Business Ethics: Facing Up to the Issues, The Economist Books, London: Profile Books Ltd, pp. 7-21.
Hartman, L., & Desjardins, J. 2008. Business Ethics: Decision Making for Personal Integrity and Social Responsibility, New York: McGraw Hill International Edition.
Mehra, B.; Merkel, C, & Bishop, A. P. 2004. ‘The Internet for Empowerment of Minority and Marginalised Users’, New Media and Society 6: 781-802.
Mohtadi, H., & Roe, T. L., 2003. ‘Democracy, Rent Seeking, Public Spending and Growth’, Journal of Public Economics, 87: 445-466.
Richter, F-J., & Mar, P. C. M. 2004. Asia’s New Crisis: Renewal through Total Ethical Management, World Economic Forum, Singapore: Wiley and Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd.
Servon, L. 2002. Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology, Community and Public Policy, Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Suresh, J., & Raghavan, B. S. 2005. Professional Ethics, New Delhi: Chand & Co. Ltd.
Tanzi, V. 1998. ‘Corruption Around the World, Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures’, IMF Staff Papers, 45,4: 559-594.
Werhane, P., Kelley, S., Hartman, L., & Moberg, D., “Alleviating Poverty through Profitable Partnerships: Globalisation, Markets and Economic Well-Being”, Unpublished Manuscript, (2008).
Wilhelm, A. G. 2004. Digital Nation: Towards an Inclusive Information Society, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Websites
http://www.ruralfinance.org/servlet/BinaryDownloaderServlet?filename=1122821975489_RFI_worldbank.pdf
http://culture.developmentgateway.org/uploads/media/culture/Ethical%20issues.dochttp://www.itcportal.com/rural-development/critical-problems-vital-solutions.htm
http://www.ruralfinance.org/servlet/BinaryDownloaderServlet?filename=1122821975489_RFI_worldbank.pdf
Reports
‘Ethical Issues in the Globalization of the Knowledge Economy’, Centre for Business Ethics/ Institute of Philosophy, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
The report of the competitiveness and the knowledge based economy Executive Advisory Group to Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, July 2002 (CILIP in the knowledge economy: a leadership strategy).

NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION

NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION: A TRANSFORMATION TO KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

P.K.Jain
Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi
Delhi-110007, India
E-mail: pkjain1310@gmail.com

Parveen Babbar & Seema Chandhok
Indira Gandhi National Open University, L&DD, Maidan Garhi
New Delhi-110068. India
Email: parveenbabbar@ignou.ac.in; schandhok@ignou.ac.in

Geeta Khulbe
Department of Library & Information Science
University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India
Email: geet.paliwal@gmail.com

India constituted National knowledge Commission (NKC) with the objective of transforming India into a knowledge society. Established in 2005, it covers five focus areas of the knowledge paradigm: access, concepts, creation, applications and services. The scope of NKC is confined to a variety of subject areas such as language, translations, libraries, networks, portals, distance learning, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, application in agriculture, health, small and medium scale industries, e-governance etc. This paper seeks to explain how National Knowledge Commission has emerged as a powerful and democratic source of information and knowledge on the Internet. It attempts to discuss the NKC Index – a measure of performance of knowledge economy and the way it provides decision support for accelerating growth and policy making within the governmental system. Within the context of various variables of National Knowledge Index in India, the paper shows how NKI is facilitating the design, development and monitoring of the policies, processes and projects of the country, building national capacity and ability to create new ideas, thoughts, processes and products and the means to translate these into economic wealth. In sum, the paper attempts to discuss NKC’s methodology, subject areas, specific recommendations, knowledge networks and specifics of network architecture, applications, and utilities.
Key Words: Knowledge Commission; Knowledge Economy; LIS; India

1. Introduction
The world is finding itself in an increasingly competitive and globalised international environment where the information infrastructure, research & innovation systems, education & lifelong learning, and regulatory frameworks have become crucial variables. To become globally competitive nation in the 21st century, the critical factor is to harness its knowledge potential. India decided to build intellectual and technological capital for its future development. With this vision the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh constituted National Knowledge Commission on 13th June 2005, to sharpen knowledge service sectors of India. In his speech at National Knowledge Commission (NKC) launch he expressed that brainpower should be reflected in a country’s economic competitiveness as well as military prowess. [1]
India also aspires to become globally competitive nation. One prominent aspect of globalization is voluminous flow of information through knowledge management. To maintain its share of global knowledge services, India would need 2.3 million knowledge professionals by 2010, or it may face a deficit of 0.5 million workers, the World Bank report says.[2] NKC was established to overcome this limitations and to make reforms in the competitive knowledge economy and relate them to education, research, S&T laboratories, literacy, language, libraries, networks, intellectual property rights, agriculture, e-governance and many more.
Knowledge Management: An Emerging Concern
Knowledge management is emerging as a key concern of organizations, particularly those who have already redesigned their business processes and embedded total quality approach into their practices. Major consulting firms are now gearing up to add knowledge management to their lines of business.
What does this mean to library and information service professionals? Does it mean that the nirvana of public appreciation and value is here? After all, don't librarians organize and provide access to knowledge? Is it yet another management fad of the type referred to by Hilmer and Donaldson that promises to be the technique to manage organizations smartly and effectively? Does it reflect a shift of balance in the business world to an emphasis on the knowledge end of the data-information-knowledge spectrum? Is knowledge management just a new income stream for consulting firms when other buzz words lose their luster? Or perhaps knowledge management is an oxymoron, and it will be followed in a few years by "managing wisdom" when neither is really possible.
We have multiple agendas in addressing library and information professionals on this topic:
• to provide a lens through which to view this emerging phenomenon
• to explain how other communities of interest are perceiving knowledge management
• to stimulate thinking and discussion about the role of library and information service
• professionals and the role of libraries in the management of knowledge
• to encourage library and information service directors to lead by example in managing the knowledge of their organizations, colleagues, and staff to challenge readers to tell us how they are managing knowledge now
Clarifying the Notion of Knowledge Management
Knowledge is increasingly seen as a primary business asset and knowledge management as a key differentiator between firms in the late 1990s. Integral to the implementation of knowledge management is the understanding of organization's information flows and implementing organizational learning practices which make explicit key aspects of its knowledge base. Knowledge management is not about managing or organizing books or journals, searching the Internet for clients or arranging for the circulation of materials. However, each of these activities can in some way be part of the knowledge management spectrum and processes.
Knowledge management is about enhancing the use of organizational knowledge through sound practices of information management and organizational learning. The purpose is to deliver value to the business. The figure shows the relationship between these four components, indicating that knowledge management is more than managing information flows.
It rests on two foundations: utilizing and exploiting the organization's information (which needs to be managed for this to occur); and second, the application of peoples' competencies, skills, talents, thoughts, ideas, intuitions, commitments, motivations, and imaginations [5].
To appreciate the challenges of knowledge management, we need to understand what knowledge is and how it gets transmitted. A useful way to think about knowledge is as enriched information with insights into its context. We explain by example what this means to organizations.
A mid-sized manufacturing firm we call M/s Company “X” knew that one of its products was not selling well and they did not understand why this was so. It had taken many years and dollars to develop. Their management information systems gave accurate information about how much of the product was selling and where it was selling, but no insights into the reasons why or what they could do about it--except where the firm was trialing a feedback approach with field staff.
This consisted of both face-to-face debriefings with sales executives and then an electronic discussion database involving the sales executives, field staff, marketers, and product developers. All field staff in the trial group had laptop computers and mobile phones and were able to readily dial in to the firm headquarters. Following the debriefings and further suggestions from the electronic discussions, some minor but important changes were made to the product. A renewed effort was made by the sales staff in that area and was successful. The turnaround time of six weeks was less than one third of the usual time it would have taken for this review process to be completed.
Capturing the insights of field staff about why the product was not attractive to customers, and making this accessible quickly to marketers and product developers, was an example of utilizing knowledge which might otherwise had remained with the sales staff. It would remain in the minds of the field staff had it not been made explicit, captured and then factored into decision-making processes.
The fact that a sales person or reference librarian knows something about why products or services are not utilized the way the organization desires is not in itself organizational knowledge. It becomes organizational knowledge only when there are management processes in place which capture that often personal, tacit, front-line information from which others in the organization learn and make decisions. This is the meaning of knowledge management--purposeful management processes which capture often personal and contextual information that can be used for the organization's benefit.
Company X’s use of the field staff is just one component of the firm's integrated approach to knowledge management.
Expertise Centered Management for Business Benefit
Knowledge management represents a quantum shift for most organizations. It is a form of expertise-centered management focusing on using human expertise for business advantage.
When senior managers and consulting firms refer to the benefits of knowledge management, it is not from some altruistic perspective that people and organizations should have a better knowledge base. It is, to quote a recent symposium, about "leveraging knowledge for business impact" where considerable thought has gone into how good knowledge management practices can improve the competitiveness and financial performance of firms and ways in which this can be measured.
Knowledge management practices aim to draw out the tacit knowledge people have, what they carry around with them, what they observe and learn from experience, rather than what is usually explicitly stated. In firms that appreciate the importance of knowledge management, the organizational responsibilities of staff are not focused on the narrow confines of traditional job descriptions. Managing knowledge goes much further than capturing data and manipulating it to obtain information. The aim of knowledge management is for businesses to become more competitive through the capacities of their people to be more flexible and innovative. These characteristics are organization-specific, the context is critical, and they are hard to imitate--attributes which deepen the sustainability of knowledge management as a competitive advantage.
Tacit and Explicit Knowledge
The distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge is critical in appreciating the scope of knowledge management and how it differs from information and data management. Nonaka refers to the spiral of knowledge where new knowledge always begins with the personal. For example, a researcher has insights that lead to a new patent. A manager's informed and intuitive sense of market trends becomes the catalyst for utilizing the patent in a new type of product. The factory supervisor draws on both experience and rethinking processes to develop a new process which brings the product to the market more quickly. In each case the tacit knowledge of an individual becomes explicit as part of the firm's management processes.
Nonaka identifies four basic patterns for creating knowledge in any organization:

From Tacit to Tacit - When one individual shares tacit knowledge with another in face-to-face contact.
From Explicit to Explicit - When an individual combines discrete pieces of explicit knowledge into a new whole, such as a finance manager collecting and synthesizing information and opinions from different parts of the organization then putting this into a financial report.
From Tacit to Explicit - This extends the organization's knowledge base by codifying experience, insight, or judgment into a form which can be reused by others.
From Explicit to Tacit - When staff begin to internalize new or shared explicit knowledge and then uses it to broaden, extend, and rethink their own tacit knowledge.
The real challenges in knowledge management occur in the last two patterns of knowledge creation: going from tacit to explicit and explicit to tacit. These patterns are often easier to recognize in everyday life, for example, in parenting, in relationships. It is worth reflecting, how often does this type of knowledge creation occurs in your organization? What conditions are conducive to encouraging such forms of managing knowledge?
2. Genesis and Growth of NKC
NKC had a designated time frame of three years and it submitted its Report to Nation in 2006 and 2007. The final report “Towards Knowledge Society: Three Years of the National Knowledge Commission” was submitted in October 2008 with about 200 recommendations on 24 Focus areas. The vision of NKC was to devise and guide reforms to help India’s transformation into a strong and vibrant knowledge economy.[3] NKC, started with seven members including Chairman Dr. Sam Pitroda who is a leading inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Dr Pitroda is also widely considered to have been responsible for India's communications revolution. [4] Other members include renowned dignitaries from different fields like Dr. Ashok Ganguly- Corporate Leader, presently chairman of ICICI OneSource Limited and ABP Pvt Ltd, Mr. Nandan Nilekani- Infosys, Prof Deepak Nayyar- former Vice Chancellor- University of Delhi, Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. Sujatha Ramadorai- Professor of mathematics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Prof. P Balaram- Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, the Vice Chancellor of Jammu University who is one of India's leading thinkers and writers on international relations.
The organizational structure of NKC is given below with the Prime Minister of India as the head and the Planning Commission as its Nodal Agency for planning and budgeting as well as for handling Parliament related responses.











The NKC portal is available at http://knowledgecommission.gov.in/ in 12 languages including English, Hindi, Nepali and other Indian regional languages.
NKC started with classification of Key focus areas and stakeholders through consultation and discussion among the government authorities and outside agencies involved. After identifying the key Focus areas and stakeholders, it constituted working groups of experts and specialist in their areas. Further, organization of workshops, formal and informal consultations with concerned entities and stakeholders were taken up. These working groups submitted their reports after having deliberations, workshops, seminars and surveys. The final report was submitted to Prime Minister of India with key recommendations, financial implications supported by relevant documents. These recommendations are also disseminated to state governments, civil society and other stakeholders. Further implementation is to be initiated by the Prime minister’s Office for coordination and follow up with various implementing agencies.[5]
3. Knowledge Paradigm of NKC
India is the fastest growing economy and the fifth largest economy of world. [6] The World Bank has forecast, India will become fourth largest economy by 2020.[7]
For becoming successful in achieving such an empirical and epistemic shift, NKC was constituted with a knowledge paradigm. NKC identified five major Focus areas. These are access, concepts, creation, application and services. NKC defines ‘Access’ as easy access to knowledge; ‘Concepts’ as all levels and forms of education; ‘Creation’ as effective creation of knowledge; ‘Application’ as knowledge systems; and ‘Services’ as delivery of services such as e-governance.
Access deals with the knowledge access with areas related to Literacy, Language, Translation, Libraries, Networks and Portals. Concepts relate to knowledge levels like School, Higher, Vocational and all forms of education including Medical, Legal, Management, Engineering Education and Open & Distance Education. Creation associates with significant creation of knowledge relating to Science & Technology, Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. NKC defines Application as knowledge Systems for Traditional Knowledge, Agriculture and Aqua Foods. Last but not the least is Services that deals with citizen centric e-governance. Each focus area is having sub focus areas. These are diagrammatically represented as follows:












In addition to these focus areas NKC has formulated a set of recommendations for having Right to Education; Legal Framework for Public Funded Research and for attracting and retaining more talented students in basic sciences.
3.1. Access to Knowledge
NKC was established with aim to provide equal opportunities by providing access to knowledge. It is the most fundamental way of reaching to the citizens. Access to knowledge deals with providing accurate knowledge to general public. The following issues were addressed in ‘Access to knowledge.’
3.1.1. Literacy
India started its National Literacy Mission (NLM) on 5th May 1988 with an objective of achieving sustainable threshold level of 75% functional literacy for non literates in the 15-35 age group by 2007. In a country like India where the eradication of illiteracy is beset by several social and economic obstacles, the National Literacy Mission has played a great role in removing it. The 2001 census indicates that the Literacy level in the country has gone up to 65.38%, from 52.21% in 1991.[8]

India Literacy Rates
1951-2001
Census Year Percentage of Literate
1951 18.33
1961 28.30
1971 34.45
1981 43.57
1991 52.21
2001 65.38
Source: Economic Survey 2001-2002, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.
India has enormous number of non-literates and if nation desires to have knowledge society then it has to take the path of converting non-literate to literate. For this NKC gave recommendations of issues like re-evaluation of the National Literacy Mission, use of ICT applications for literacy programmes, material development and training, generating innovative concepts and initiatives in literacy and last but not least is to have equivalence in formal and non-formal educational system.
3.1.2. Language
India is a multilingual, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious country where there are more than 850 living languages, of which 22 are official languages.[9] There are 1652 mother tongues according to the 1961 Census of India, out of which more than 400 are tribal languages.[10] In view to this it is essential to make school education available to all sections of society and bridge the gap between English medium and regional language medium of instruction; between the rural and the urban and similarly between the government schools and privately run schools.[11]
NKC stresses that language is relevant not only as a means of communication or a medium of instruction but also as a determinant of access. The commission suggested for increasing an understanding and command over the English language, as the most important determinant of access to higher education, employment possibilities and social opportunities. On the similar lines NKC recommendations broadly relate to level of introduction of English, pedagogy, relevant textbooks, teacher training, adequate resource support (in terms of teachers and material), and use of ICT in language learning. It proposed to formulate a National Plan for the teaching of English as a language, in addition to the regional language, starting in Class I. It will also be ensured that student at the end of twelve years of schooling is proficient in at least two languages.
3.1.3. Translation
Access of Knowledge requires high quality translated material for strengthening people's participation in education and the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Presently India has inadequate facilities in this regard. NKC worked on some issue for translation industry related to its development, projection and its promotion of printed and virtual publications. NKC also recommended for more translation of pedagogic materials and providing quality training for translation. NKC strongly recommended for establishing a storehouse of information on translation.
NKC also gave a proposal to set up the National Translation Mission (NTM) that would identify gaps, promote good quality translation, training, disseminating information about translation and translators, and co-ordinate the ongoing work by public and private organisations. The Key activities of the proposed National Translation Mission are:[12]
1. Translator education
2. Information dissemination
3. Promotion and dissemination of good quality translation material
4. Promotion of machine translation
3.1.4. Libraries
Libraries foster global access to information and they are central hubs of our knowledge infrastructure. They are conduits that enable all members of the community to benefit from global information resources, ideas and opinions. According to NKC, libraries play two distinct roles - to serve as a local centre of information and knowledge, and be a local gateway to national and global knowledge. It recommended for achieving the above goals libraries must modernize their collection, services and facilities. It also recommends for a community-based information system. Some of the issues under consideration of National Knowledge Commission were institutional framework of libraries; networking; education, training and research; modernization and computerization of libraries; maintenance of private and personal collections and staff requirements to meet changing needs. The major recommendations for formulating strategies in Library and Information Science sector were as follows. [13]
a. Set up a National Commission on Libraries
b. Prepare a National Census of all Libraries
c. Revamp LIS Education, Training and Research facilities
d. Re-assess staffing of libraries
e. Set up a Central Library Fund
f. Modernize library management
g. Encourage greater community participation in library management
h. Promote Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications in all libraries
i. Facilitate donation and maintenance of private collections
j. Encourage Public Private Partnerships in LIS development
3.1.5. Networks
A network refers to any interconnected group or system. NKC recommended for Knowledge Networks and Health Information Network as they purposefully led social entities that are characterised by a commitment to quality, rigour and a focus on outcomes.
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) suggests to utilise the potential of institutions involved in creation and dissemination of knowledge in several areas such as research laboratories, universities and other institutions of higher learning. These networks are regarded as support structures for innovations and facilitate the dissemination of both ‘good process’ and ‘good practice’.
R&D activities in various fields all over the world are being carried out through collaborative approach nationally and internationally. Consultations, data sharing and resource sharing are the three major ingredients for computationally rigorous and data intensive research problems. Therefore NKC suggested to create the facilities to enable Indian researchers to undertake such collaborative efforts albeit at reasonable costs.
Further, National Knowledge Commission envisaged the vision of establishing an efficient and cost effective network design to interconnect all Universities, R&D institutions, S&T institutions; Health service facilities, Agriculture research and extension institutions and Libraries in the country.
On the similar terms a Health Information Network is also suggested as a reliable, swift, real time health data collection system. It will enhance the quality of health care delivery in India.

3.1.6. Portals
A portal is a customized transactional web environment, designed purposefully to enable an individual end user to ‘personalize’ the content and look of the website for his/her own individual performance.[14] But Anderson says, ’Lets not build portals just because we can, lets build them because they contribute to organizational strategies, because they meet the needs of target user groups and because the benefits out weight the costs.[15] In view to this NKC is determined to provide single point of access to citizens of India through public portals for exercising their fundamental right to information. It recommends for creation of web portals as a significant tool for right to information, decentralization, transparency, accountability and participation of the people.[16]
NKC initiated to set up portals on certain key areas such as Water, Energy, Environment, Education, Food, Health, Agriculture, Employment, Citizen Rights etc. Presently four major portals launched for Energy, Water, Teacher and Environmental Sector are available at http://www.indiaenergyportal.org/; http://www.indiawaterportal.org/; http://www.teachersofindia.org/ and http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/ respectively. Design and development of India Food, Health, Agriculture, Employment, and a Citizen's Rights portal are under progress.
3.2. Knowledge Concepts
The organization, distribution and transmission of education constitute the base of knowledge concepts. Development of knowledge society is dependant on Education System. Education and the national economy are associated as mind power is the key to tapping an economy's full potential. NKC has concerns with many aspects of the Indian education system covering school education, higher education, professional education, and vocational education.

3.2.1. School Education
Knowledge Based Society foundation is built on School Education. India is making effort to universalize Elementary Education under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which covers all States and Union Territories and reaches out to 19.4 crore children in 12.3 lakh habitations. NKC examined school education across the country with the issues relating to access and quality. Its recommendations suggested for providing universal access to quality school education as a cornerstone of development for Knowledge Society. It further insisted for making it Central Legislation at the national level to affirm the Right to Education, which is a fundamental right mandated by Article 21A of Constitution, Government of India. It advocates for a model bill which has the potential of creating a parallel and discriminatory system of schooling which can result in stratification of the education system for children from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds. [17]

3.2.2. Vocational Education
Vocational educational aims to develop skilled manpower through diversified courses to meet the requirements of mainly the unorganized sector and to instil self-employment skills in people through a large number of self employment oriented courses. With the development of India’s economy there has been intense demand for skilled and educated workforce. One of the weaknesses of Indian education system is that it does not gives due importance to vocational education and this is the major reason that demand for skilled workers is not met by the existing system. Since, the skills imparted do not match employer needs so NKC recommends for a model of imparting vocational education that is flexible, sustainable, inclusive and creative. It suggests for significant increase in public and private investment in Vocational Education and Training (VET). It also put forward that the quality and image of VET needs to be actively promoted in order to view it as comparable, and relevant general secondary education.

3.2.3. Higher Education
India has one of the largest 'Higher Education System in the world. There were only 20 Universities and 500 in Colleges at the time of independence in 1947 but today there are 416 Universities out of which 251are State Universities, 24 Central Universities, 103 Deemed Universities, 5 Institutions established under State legislations and 33 Institutes of National Importance established by an Act of Parliament in 1956 for the by Central legislation. The plan and non plan budget for year 2007-2008 for higher education is Rs.1805.10 Crore and Rs. 1948.87 Crore respectively. [18]
Higher Education in India has evolved in distinct and divergent streams with each stream monitored by an apex body, indirectly controlled by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and funded by the state governments. It is proposed to double the scale of higher education by increasing the gross enrollment ratio to at least 15% by 2015 and making accessible to all sections of society. NKC suggested increasing the quality and standard of education and making higher education more relevant to the needs and opportunities of a knowledge society.
Other major recommendations included having 1500 universities nationwide and establishment of an Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE). The grant for higher education should increase to at least 1.5 per cent of GDP, out of a total of at least 6 per cent of GDP for education. It also recommended for creation of 50 National Universities which provide education of the highest standard. Also gave suggestions on reforms in existing universities, restructuring of existing under graduate colleges and promoting enhanced quality of education.[19]

3.2.4. Medical Education
Keeping in view the wide disparity in the distribution of health professionals and health services in India NKC recommended for reforms in medical education with inclination towards care-driven, rural oriented and equitable health services. It also suggested reforms on regulation and accreditation in Medical education, its quality, faculty development and regional balance. These submissions are really essential for economic growth and improved quality of life in India.

3.2.5. Legal Education
NKC report 2006 says ‘Legal education is a vital link in the creation of knowledge concepts as well as in the application of such concepts in society.’ [20] ‘Legal Education is essentially a multi-disciplined, multi-purpose education which can develop the human resources and idealism needed to strengthen the legal system of the country’. [21] So, it is essential for realization of values supplemented in the Indian Constitution that its legal education should be justice oriented. One of major recommendations of NKC is to form a new regulatory mechanism under the Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE) dealing with all aspects of legal education vested with powers to enforce its decisions on the law teaching institutions.

3.2.6. Management Education
India is having an unprecedented growth in number of technical and management institutions being set up especially after the year 2000. The number of postgraduate and undergraduate institutions has gone up from 700 to 1700. NKC has given many recommendations for raising standards and promoting excellence in management education in India.

3.2.7. Engineering Education
NKC stressed for increase in the quality and number of engineers produced in India as the country is moving towards new opportunities of manufacturing and Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO). It has given similar suggestions as in other focus areas like Reforming the Regulatory Framework, Improving Governance of Institutions, Attracting and Retaining Faculty, Curriculum Reform, Integrating Sciences and Engineering Education, Encouraging Research, Industry-academia interaction, Improve access and Mentoring.[22]

3.2.8. Open and Distance Education
Open and distance learning is one of the most rapidly growing fields of education, and its potential impact on all education delivery systems has been greatly accentuated through the development of Internet-based information technologies, and in particular the World Wide Web.[23] World’s largest and India’s national open university- Indira Gandhi National Open University has at present 1.85 million students to its enrollment which is 18 percent of the students enrolled for higher education in India. India has 35 private open distance education centres, 15 state supported universities and 60 conventional universities in the country that offer distance education.[24] With such a huge network NKC suggested for creating a national ICT infrastructure for networking of ODE institutions and setting up a National Education Foundation to develop web-based common open resources. It recommended for establishing a credit bank to effect transition to a course credit system and National Education Testing Service for assessing ODE students. Similar to other educational subjects it recommended for creation of a new Standing Committee for the regulation of ODE under the Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE). Last but not the least is to develop a system of quality assessment through reliable external agency which will work as a rating system for assessing the standards of all institutions imparting Open and Distance Learning.
3.3. Knowledge Creation
Knowledge Creation is the key to identifying and analyzing new knowledge. It requires interpreting the implications of new findings for the real world, and developing a road map for making the best use of new knowledge. If a nation has to stay ahead of the curve in development it has to either learn to use existing resources better, or has to discover new resources. Both these activities involve creation of knowledge. Knowledge Creation thus involves issues like S&T activities, innovation systems in the country and IPR issues.

3.3.1. Science & Technology
India is regarded as one of the top-ranking countries in the field of basic research. In the emerging scenario of competitive economy, S&T in India has come up as one of the most powerful instruments for growth and development. The Department of Science & Technology plays a pivotal role in promotion of science & technology in the country. Department of Science and Technology has allocated more than Rs 100 crores for new research facilities for its S&T institutions. In order to be a leader in the global arena, it is crucial that India give further impetus to the scale and scope of research activities being carried out. India is working in the field of S&T with wide range of activities ranging from high end basic research to development of cutting edge technologies for meeting technological requirements of the common man. NKC recommendations for S&T are related to setting up of studies on futuristic interdisciplinary areas in S&T, envisaging its use as a crucial tool for development and facilitating it to solve problems of the poor and the underprivileged. The commission advised for setting up of National Science and Social Science Foundation (NS3F) which will look at all knowledge as one seamless entity which will be seen as an avant garde organization with 5000-year-old tradition of Indian broad-based knowledge.[25]

3.3.2. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
India is dedicated to mobilizing the use of intellectual property rights for economic and social development by creating an IP culture and enhancing knowledge and competencies in tune with the global environment. Government of India desires to streamline and strengthen the intellectual property administration system in the country. NKC on the similar line suggested for development of effective legal systems for IPR enforcement and availability of accurate and detailed ready-to-use IPR information. It also recommended for the development of a vibrant IPR culture in the processes of knowledge creation, application and dissemination connected especially with market demand and rewards.

3.3.3. Innovation
India has made rapid strides in the world of research and development in the last few years with a growth rate of Indian economy at 6-8% per year. Innovation will continue to be the underlying theme for driving growth and improving competitiveness in various sectors of the Indian economy. But India would only benefit from fostering more inclusive innovation through more R&D grassroots efforts for poor people. According to World Bank Reports ‘India is increasingly becoming a top global innovator for high-tech products and services, but it can do much more to reach its full potential, especially by bringing the benefits of innovation to the poor’ .[26] Thus India must improve its ability of informal enterprises to exploit existing knowledge.
NKC thus recommended for a cross-cutting, multipronged strategy to make India’s innovation system better which meets the needs of the common people. It foresees a National Innovation System, where entrepreneurship at the national and local levels is encouraged. It also envisages for more inter-disciplinary studies in S&T in order to encourage new approaches and methodologies.

3.3.4. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is a critical element of a growing economy. Entrepreneurship in India is on the rise and is generating opportunities for wealth creation, employment-generation and social good. It is foreseen that India is poised to unlock a Silicon Valley like entrepreneurial boom through the next 10 years.
To accelerate the growth of Entrepreneurship in the country, NKC has given some recommendations like Supportive Business Environment with Single window Clearance, introduction to New Institutional Mechanisms like commercial courts, introduce Limited Liability Partnerships, and establishment of a Global Technology Acquisition Fund for Intellectual Property. Further it also stressed on increase in Vocational Educational Training (VET) and Skill Development.
3.4. Knowledge Application
Knowledge Application is converting specialized information into practical tools and putting it into practice in the real world. The key to knowledge application is to ensure its widespread use, promoting technological change and facilitating reliable and regular flow of information. Knowledge application is the use of past knowledge to help solving the current problem. To derive maximum advantages from our intellectual assets, we must apply knowledge in fields like agriculture, industry, health, education etc. where productivity can be enhanced.

3.4.1. Traditional Knowledge
Biodiversity of India amounts to approximately 12.53% of the global biodiversity. Indian biotic wealth amounts to approximately 7000 species used for the medicinal purposes mostly for the extraction of rare drugs. [27] India is country with a wide range of flora of medicinal importance. It is estimated that 70% of the health care needs are dependent on the medicinal plants.
Thus, NKC suggested enhancing India’s Ayurveda, yoga and other traditional health-care systems, establishment of a 10-year national mission on traditional health sciences of India with an initial investment of Rs1,000 crore. It also recommended for enrichment of digitization of India’s medical manuscripts project Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL). Some other recommendations include establishing goals for conservation of natural resources, promote international cooperation in exploration of traditional health systems, supporting primary healthcare in rural areas and creating a major re-branding exercise of Indian traditional medicine.

3.4.2. Agriculture
Agriculture in India is one of the most prominent sectors in its economy. It is the means of livelihood of almost two thirds of the work force in the country and a huge percent of the total GDP stems from the agriculture sector. India is not only self--sufficient in grain production, but also has a substantial reserve. It ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2007, employed 60% of the total workforce.[29] Based on above facts, NKC considered application of knowledge in agriculture will improve the agrarian economy and support the Indian farmer with a competitive edge in the global market. It also envisaged that the scope of research and extension in agriculture must be expanded beyond technology transfer to cover a wide range of services relating to knowledge creation, exchange, access and use.

3.4.3. Aqua Foods
India is a major maritime State with fourth position in the world in total fish production. The country has an annual growth rate of over 6% in aquaculture. Indian aquaculture has achieved six and half fold growth over the last two decades, with freshwater aquaculture contributing over 95 percent of the total aquaculture production. According to FAO report India utilises only about 40 percent of the available 2.36 million hectares of ponds and tanks for freshwater aquaculture and 13 percent of a total potential brackish water resource of 1.2 million hectares, in other words there is room for both horizontal and vertical expansion of these sectors.[30] NKC believes that the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the country is poised to play a major role in the lives of the people in the coming decades. It recommended for exploring the possibilities of tapping water bodies as a potential source of food in India.
3.5. Delivery of Services
Government Agencies in India are realizing that increase in interaction and participation between citizens and the State is the key to drive economy. In the present scenario Indian government agencies are facing increasing pressure due to new legislatures and policies to make the services more accessible to their citizens to meet the accountability and performance measurement. With the implementation of high-end technologies demand for e-services for citizens becomes mandatory. It will help in having accountability, transparency and efficiency in government services. E-governance can change the way in which the citizens of India perceive and interact with the government.
NKC includes E-governance as a mechanism for providing delivery of services to its citizens empowering them with increased transparency in government functioning, leading to greater efficiency and productivity.

3.5.1. E-Governance
Over the past decade in India there have been islands of e-Governance initiatives taken up at the National, State, district and even block level. Based on these experiences from successes to failures NKC gave some recommendations which will play an important role in shaping the e governance strategy of the country.
E-Governance is more about an opportunity for administrative reforms than merely about electronics and information technology and infrastructure. Thus, NKC suggestions were broadly related to Processes & Standards, Infrastructure and Organization. The real challenge for Indian Government is how to develop and sustain successful e-governance projects and deliver state of the art e-services to citizens. In view to this, NKCs major recommendations are to re-engineer government processes and change the basic governance pattern. Similarly to select some important services that make a significant difference, simplify them and offer them with web interface. Another major suggestion is to build up common standards and set up common platform for e-governance. It also advised for initiation of all national programmes like Bharat Nirman, Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and others with well-engineered e-governance and web-based service.
4. NKC Index
NKC has prepared policies to boost research, technology transfer, skill and knowledge development to strengthen India’s competitive position in the global knowledge economy. Its index will measure India’s performance as a knowledge economy and will provide decision support for policy making on growth and development. The index identifies variables for building a favourable environment for innovation and knowledge diffusion. National knowledge Index (NKI) through its key parameters monitors the performance measure for present and future development of the country. In the coming future it will be used as benchmark for comparing India with developed countries and competitor countries. The major performance variables identified by NKC are: Overall performance of the economy which includes GDP per capita, GDP growth, Human Development Index, Poverty and Unemployment Index etc. The second is Economic Regime related to GDP like trade, government budget, export etc. Next is Governance and services provided by government. The fourth parameter is R&D and Innovation which includes FDI as % of GDP. Human Capital is another important NKI which is measured in terms of education and training, skills, competencies, work, culture and health. The ICT and its infrastructure measure the technology and communication competency of the nation. Other than these we have to identify and prioritize nation’s current knowledge and core competencies, create knowledge maps which help in decision making and determining future course of policy. The last but not the least is to have Knowledge Competitiveness Index which will measure global competitiveness of different regional clusters within India.[31]

5. Major Recommendations
Given the success of NKC model, the following actions are recommended for other countries to follow:
Strategy
1. Restate the knowledge management strategy of the country in a simple, 2-3 page document, and disseminate it widely
Thematic Groups
2. Provide knowledge facilitators/coordinators for thematic groups
3. Develop a thick, rich picture of what the practitioners actually do and the explicit and implicit role of knowledge in these activities.
Technology
4. Develop and implement a consistent web policy regarding what should be on the web, in what format, for what use, and identify persons/bodies to be made responsible for content provision and infrastructure development.
5. Develop enhanced visibility of where the knowledge resides, inside and outside the Bank.
6. Develop an efficient means for the quick assembly and production of power packs.
Coordination
7. Reorganize the KM Board to reflect the four major knowledge stakeholder groups (IT, content, practitioners, and the executive), and include two outside members.
8. Develop a professional communications program about knowledge management.
9. Develop a clear set of metrics, both qualitative and quantitative, designed to demonstrate the impact of knowledge management activities on the clients.
10. Develop knowledge services that will enable clients to gain access to knowledge as an economic factor of production, and to implement knowledge management in the countries.

6. Conclusion
This Commission has enabled the Government and other related bodies to understand not just the magnitude and importance of the problems, but also make certain that the system makes opportunities available to all throughout the country. It covers almost all the important fields and factors that affect India to become knowledge economy. It is highly appreciable that the main thrust of the report is on education for achieving rapid and inclusive growth with special emphasis on expansion, excellence and equity.
For becoming a global knowledge leader and for taking ‘knowledge edge’, India needs to be in the forefront of creation, application and dissemination of knowledge.
References
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24. India EduNews.net, April 04, 2008, UNESCO guidelines way to go in distance education. http://indiaedunews.net/In-Focus/April_2008/UNESCO_guidelines_way_to_go_in_distance_education_3940/
25. National Knowledge Commission, 2007, Recommendations for Science and Technology,
26. http://knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/recommendations/NSSFLetter.pdf
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28. Biswal, Meeta and Biswal, Debidutta. Issues relating to traditional knowledge systems and intellectual property rights (IPRs), XII World Forestry Conference, Québec City, Canada, FAO. http://www.fao.org/docrep/article/wfc/xii/0911-a3.htm
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