Of course, there are agencies in Mumbai, Professor Arunachalam points out, which use new technologies to provide information to doctors, but their clients are mostly pharmaceutical companies. The internet may eventually be a great equaliser for research scientists around the world, but in the early days, says Professor Arunachalam, it will widen the gap. Many researchers in India cannot access the technology for various reasons. The government is not making it easily available. The telecom regulating agency and the only internet service provider do not get along well with each other.
Cost is another factor.
Telephone lines are very poor and connections are not stable. India has enough resources to provide access in the major cities where higher education institutions and major research laboratories are located. But it takes time. That's what makes us third world. The major difference between the first and the third world is the time it takes to transfer something from the realm of possibility to reality.