<a href="http://www.livemint.com/articles/2011/08/29214955/Govt-starts-website-to-explain.html?atype=tp" target="_blank">http://www.livemint.com/articles/2011/08/29214955/Govt-starts-website-to-explain.html?atype=tp</a><br>
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<b>Govt starts website to explain economic terms and concepts</b></div>
<div>
<div><div>Remya Nair<br><br></div>
</div>
</div>
<div><div><div>The government has
started Arthapedia, a website designed on the lines of Wikipedia, that
will act as a source of reference for economic terms and concepts used
in the public policy domain in India.</div><div><br>The website, an attempt
by the government to bridge the gap between policymakers and the general
public, was inaugurated on Monday by Planning Commission deputy
chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia as a part of the golden jubilee
celebrations of the Indian Economic Service. It will cater to the
requirements of academicians, economists, policy practitioners,
journalists, students and other interested parties, both within India
and abroad.</div><div><br>“The objective of this portal is to increase
transparency in government by simplifying indigenous concepts or by
introducing domestic institutions to support the professional
development of public policy economists,” the website says. “It is meant
to enrich and enhance citizen-friendly policy formulation through
dialogue and collaborative action.”</div><div><br>A finance ministry
official involved in the designing of the website said government
officials may frequently use some terminologies unique to India such as <i>panchayati raj</i>
and flagship programmes, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme, but their exact scope and meaning may not
be well known to others. “The idea is to explain the meaning and
relevance of the terms in the Indian context. Also, some terms may have
different meanings in different countries. It is important that the
Indian context is explained,” she said.</div><div>Besides explaining
terms and concepts, the website will also offer detailed profiles of
some of the key Indian policymakers. To begin with, the website has
uploaded five profiles—Prime Minister Manmohan Singh; finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee; C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister of India; Ahluwalia; and Reserve Bank of
India governor D. Subbarao.</div><div><br>Users willing to upgrade the text
and context of a particular word can open the text on a virtual mode and
edit the same with authentic references. The edited content is posted
after being moderated by the editorial board. In the initial phase,
however, only serving IES officers will be allowed to write the content
of this website and non-IES persons can only post comments and queries
for now.</div><div><br>To be sure, the website has a disclaimer that says
the government of India does not monitor the entries and the views
expressed therein are not necessarily those of the government. “The
entries, therefore, must not be treated as official statements of policy
or definitions”.</div><div>It will, however, take some time for the
website to become a one-stop destination for all terms, concepts and
profiles of eminent personalities. </div><div><br>“Going ahead, the
challenge will be to sustain the portal with constant upgradation,”
Kaushik Basu, chief economic adviser in the finance ministry, said.</div></div></div><br><br>-- <br><br>Sohel Bohra<br>Co-founder - <a href="http://www.wikifyindia.com/" target="_blank">WikifyIndia</a><br>+91-95038 48386<br>
<a href="mailto:sohel@wikifyindia.com" target="_blank">sohel@wikifyindia.com</a><br>
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