"The world has only seen five per cent of India's talent in information technology and one can imagine what the scenario would be when this talent emerges in its full form," said R S Nirjar, president of Indian Society of Technical Education and also member secretary of the All India Council for Technical Education.

While addressing the delegates from more than 130 top universities and technical colleges across the country at Contech-2003, a national symposium organised by the Nirma Institute of Technology, Nirjar also said, talent and technology would be the drivers of the 21st century and IT talent would rule, hence India would rule the world.

Comparing the technical education ratio in the country vis-a-vis other countries per 1000 people, Nirjar said that Japan has 110 technically qualified personnel, Brazil has 29.6 and China has 10 while India still has a meagre 3.6 technically qualified person per 1000.

"The contribution of construction technology in the national GDP at present formally is 57.4 per cent and informally it stands at 47 percent," he said adding that if there is an increase in construction technology development by 5-6 per cent then the Indian GDP may grow approximately at 10 per cent.

In his presidential address, N V Vasani, executive chairman of NERFF, envisaging a great demand of quality integrated professionals said, "Only technology doesn't help in making of successful professionals but it's the combination of technology and communications with a vision -- being the most important one, that makes one a successful and integrated professional.

Vasani called upon the academicians and concerned authorities to facilitate more and more centres of higher learning across the nation to usher in a culture of knowledge and power in the country.