A file picture of NICT 2007

Guwahati, Aug. 27: The fourth edition of NICT — the Northeast’s biggest conclave on information and communication technology — will get under way at Vishwaratna Hotel tomorrow, networking some of the biggest names in the IT sector with government representatives, including DoNER minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, over two days.

Assam Governor S.C. Mathur will inaugurate the conference tomorrow afternoon while Aiyar is scheduled to attend one of the sessions on the concluding day.

Assam IT minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is also scheduled to attend the conference on the inaugural day.

Organised by The Telegraph, the number one English daily in the east, the conclave is an initiative to showcase the IT potential of the Northeast, considered India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, and to create an opportunity for the region to attract investments.

D.D. Purkayastha, organising secretary of NICT 2008 and managing director and CEO of ABP Pvt Ltd, said: “NICT was an extension of The Telegraph’s close association with the region. We are now part of the region’s social and cultural ethos. Through NICT, we are now also becoming a partner in the region’s progress”.

He said since all the big players of the IT sector converge at NICT, “the conclave presents a wonderful opportunity for the government planners and industry to sit across the table and discuss nation-building strategies through the use of IT”.

Over the next two days, India’s leading IT captains, industry top brass, government and PSU officials will discuss topics like Resurgence Northeast through ICT; Exploring Opportunities through Deep Dive Segments and Shaping the 21st Century Northeast.

Another attraction of the two-day event will be a panel discussion on Internet Governance — Recent Trends and Challenges.

Among the who’s who of industry who will speak at the conference are B.P. Muktieh, chief general manager of IDBI Bank, Bruno R. Goveas, head, marketing and product management, Akamai Technologies Inc, Deepak Maheshwari, director, corporate affairs, Microsoft Corporation (India) Private Limited and Gautam Barua, director of IIT Guwahati.

Assam is the partner state of the conclave through its IT organisation, AMTRON, while Meghalaya is an associate sponsor. Some of the leading groups and organisations, which are associated with NICT, 2008 are North Eastern Council, ONGC and Wipro.