Wikipedia Indian edition

New Delhi: Online encyclopedia giant Wikipedia plans to launch its Indian edition aiming to expand its footprint in the lucrative internet markets of India and China, reports Economic Times. The non-profit foundation is considering a proposal to launch Wikipedia.in, a local India chapter, similar to its country-specific portals in China, Germany, U.S. and UK.

"Currently, Wikipedia is under-penetrated in India despite the fact that a majority of India's online population speaks English and there is a presence of Wikipedia in languages prominently spoken in India," said the Wikipedia Foundation, in its strategic review aimed at growing the foundation's footprint over the next five years.

According to Economic Times, while Wikipedia is available in local languages including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali, the number of articles in these languages is still limited. Wikipedia noted that language is not a barrier in India. "In India anyone who has internet access has functional literacy in English, so language is not a huge issue, but the way people interact with the articles, shows that there is a lack of ownership and understanding about the fact that they can own and edit the articles. Lack of an India chapter is an issue." said Achal Prabhala, an advisory Board Member of Wikipedia Foundation.

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