In a giant leap taking IT to the masses, India's Department of Information Technology (DIT) Monday launched a set of software tools and fonts in a CD, which would be distributed free of cost.

National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched the CD, which includes Hindi true type fonts with font driver, UNICODE compliant open type fonts for Hindi, Hindi language multifont keyboard engine, driver, firefox browser and GAIM-multiprotocol messenger in Hindi.

It also has a Hindi language translation tool, simplified typing tutor for Hindi and English, an integrated word processor, a Hindi dictionary and a spellchecker.

Gandhi also launched free tools and fonts for public distribution after registration in the designated website - ildc.gov.in TDIL Data Center.

"The IT industry has a crucial role in bridging the knowledge gap by facilitating the acquisition, absorption and dissemination of knowledge," Gandhi said while launching the CD.

Recalling that her late husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had taken many IT initiatives, she said: "There should be a continuing effort to tap global knowledge, assimilate and create knowledge of local relevance to make it available for the benefit of people at large."

Minister of Communications and IT Dayanidhi Maran said the distribution of fonts and other software tools free of cost had the potential to unleash creative capabilities of the people in the country.

"This new programme is equivalent to Microsoft Office," Maran said, adding that fonts for all the 24 Indian languages would be ready within six months.

He said the mission would accelerate PC penetration, relevance of telecom and broadband revolution in rural areas and trigger a range of application and contents, including those in e-governance and education in local languages.

"The days when I can listen to Laluji's (Railway Minister Lalu Prasad) speech translated into English with a chip are not far," Maran said. "The tourism industry also would be benefited as language would not be a barrier at all in communications."

Speaking on the occasion, senior journalist Mrinal Pande said the new facilities would help illiterate Indian women to break all barriers. "It will begin a new revolution."

The Hindi fonts and language software is expected to begin a revolution in the language media too.

The CD has been developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) academia research labs and private players such as Modular Infotech, Cyberscape Multimedia, Priya Informaticc, IIT Hyderabad, Cadgraf Digital System Ltd, CK Technologies, Prologix and Softview.