Applauding the report, Mr. Sachin Pilot, MoS, Communications and Information Technology said, "Our ministry compliments NASSCOM and TERI for taking this initiative towards enabling India's immediate action on sustainable development. I have no doubt in my mind that ICT can play a transformational role by partnering with both Government and Enterprises in India to go Green.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)-Business Council and NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) launched a report titled, 'Sustainable Tomorrow: Harnessing ICT Potential'. The report is an attempt to bring together the entire ecosystem of users and providers of IT applications and services that can help meet the goals of climate change and environment sustainability. The report emphasises on the role played by ICT in reducing India's energyrequirements by encouraging practices that promote a healthier environment without impeding the economic growth. The report recognises the potential of ICT sector and largely focuses on cost effective product enhancement and not necessarily driving energy efficiency. The report is result of a research project jointly undertaken by TERI BCSD and NASSCOM with help of its member companies in identifying IT solutions that can play a game changing role in reducing carbon footprint and defining new opportunities. This initiative attempts to engage with key state and central government departments and present the barriers vis-à-vis current practices. The scope of work is not limited to GHG emission abatement, but also encompasses pragmatic steps to reduce the footprint of the ICT sector and accelerate adoption of green practices; and perspectives of other industry sectors on large scale use of ICT services and infrastructure for both mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Speaking on the initiative Dr. RK Pachauri, Director-General, TERI said, "The rapid growth of the ICT sector in India makes it imperative that future activities in this field fully meet the objectives of sustainability and social responsibility."Applauding the report, Mr. Sachin Pilot, MoS, Communications and Information Technology said, "Our ministry compliments NASSCOM and TERI for taking this initiative towards enabling India's immediate action on sustainable development. I have no doubt in my mind that ICT can play a transformational role by partnering with both Government and Enterprises in India to go Green. I also urge the ICT industry members and research organizations like TERI to take the lead in making India an Innovation hub for Green Technologies and practices."

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM, said, "As India moves towards becoming a knowledge-based society, ICT solutions can aid development in different ways. In the last decade, ICT has helped India improve its efficiency and contributed to better governance, thereby, changing India's image globally. The IT Industry is playing a transformational role in the way businesses, customers and citizens are serviced, and also leading the way in establishing a new paradigm for Knowledge and Services led economy." He further added, "There is immense scope for IT Industry and its members to enable customers across verticals to harness Green Technologies and Practices, and create new models for a low-carbon, energy efficient economy. We, at NASSCOM believe that it is the confluence of Information Technology, Communication Technology, Automation and Digital Technology is clearly way forward to enable environment."