At the annual general meeting of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries on July 3, president of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), R Chandrashekhar, was invited to talk about Digital India - Its Opportunities and Challenges. Chandrasekhar is a graduate of IIT Bombay and University of Pennsylvania and former Secretary to the Indian Department of Information Technology where he initiated the National e-Governance Programme.
Chandrashekhar began by saying that scientific research and technology is not new to India and that we put our stamp of authority in the field of innovation and technology hundreds of years back ever since India gave the world the concept of zero. He acknowledged that the past chief minister of Goa and the present have both been keen to push IT ahead in state. However, he cautioned about over-reliance on infrastructure and urged for focus on other key requisites of IT growth.
Answering a question about why the IT industry is not flourishing in Goa compared to other states like Pune or Hyderabad, Chandrashekhar replied, "Infrastructure is taken for granted today. If you don't have it you are out of the race. So, relying on development of infrastructure alone won't help.” He stressed on three key requisites: IT talent, innovation and knowledge. Easy access to talent, homegrown or outsourced from other states, is the most important. Reliable connectivity and low costs will also help, he opined. Answering a question about how one can use digital tech in developing smart cities, Chandrashekhar said one needs to focus on two things: actual infrastructure and its management. Digital technology can help in better management of the infrastructure.
Chandrashekhar was positive that Goa, with supportive polices and progressive views of the government, can move to a demand-driven digital India and not a supply-driven one. The challenge is to overcome the fear of failure and bring changes in the process of how we do things. We require a big change in mind-set to achieve a confluence of circumstances that are ideal to usher digital growth, he said. While we have excellent know-how at hands, the change in methods of governance and attitudes of different sectors to successfully work together is required for better implementation of new technologies. An understanding and acceptance of different work cultures is necessary to ease the transformation towards being a digitally savvy economy. Chandrashekhar narrated a joke to drive the point home: A person got lost while travelling in hot air balloon. He saw someone in the fields below and asked where he was. In reply, the man informed that the balloon was at a height of 15 meters from the ground. He went on to give the exact coordinates of the place as well. The man stuck in the balloon said, “You must be an IT guy because the information is accurate but useless to anybody." Pat came the reply from the IT guy: "And you must be from management because you don't know where you are, where you want to go and still you find faults with me.”
The point of new technology is to re-imagine each sector, Chandrashekhar said. He also stressed on the need to use technology correctly and quoted an equation taught by a favourite professor: OO + NT = EOO (Old Organisation + New Technology = Expensive Old Organisation).
If used correctly, the sky is the limit. E-commerce is just the start of the outreach of digital technology and India is yet to see what it does in healthcare, agriculture and other untapped sectors. "Imagine what could be done in Agriculture where 40% of the produce doesn't reach anyone's plate? Think of how water could be managed well with the use of technology?" Chandrashekhar cited the example of Israel, which has much less water than India but produces far more yield in comparison because of better water management.
Highlighting the progress of technology, Chandrashekhar said how at one time, only two or three people could win against a computer and now, it is impossible to do so. Does that mean robots will rule the world, put an end to the human race like they show in sci-fi films. No, one needn't worry about that. "The right mix of robotics or technology and humans is important; we need to create a symbiotic relationship with technology." The example of chess is a good one. While computers can do nano-second calculations and out-do the human mind, it requires humans to interpret the results and then put those results to good use for the betterment of humanity. Technology and humanity and inter-dependent, one is meaningless without the existence of the other.
Digital enhancements may seem to pose a threat to traditional businesses and the challenge is to adapt well in time. Social media, clouds, robotics, machine to machine communication are the new terms to know. Air bnb is the largest hotel company in the world that doesn't own a single hotel room. Similarly, Uber is the largest taxi company that doesn't own a single taxi. "This 'uberisation' of traditional businesses cannot be ignored anymore," Chandrashekhar said.
Digital India is the most important initiative of this government, and possibly by any government till now in the history of India, Chandrashekhar said. A confluence of circumstances have come together which have put us at the doorstep of a historic movement with an unprecedented opportunity. "Breakthrough solutions and breakthrough costs are real possibilities. IT is our calling card in the world."
Gauri Gharpure studied journalism at Columbia University, New York, on a Fulbright grant. She makes paper jewellery. Follow her on twitter @gaurigharpure
