IT's There, but We Don't See it

IT has catapulted India into the global arena, but back home it should

make much more impact

An industry that is worth Rs 165,000 crore. An industry that has

made India synonymous with IT, software, outsourcing. We applaud India's fine

IT performance in these 50 years.

But take a look around you. We see computers everywhere in

corporate India, but step outside this world and how many of them do you see? Do

you think most people in India-in cities or villages-would really miss a PC

were it not around?

India has a PC penetration of 18 per 1000 people. With a

projected five million PCs plus to be sold this fiscal, that will go up also.

And that is an impressive increase from 6 PCs for 1000 people in 2000-01. But

still far below the 100 per 1000 people worldwide. And that is because of a

combination of oft repeated factors. The sub-10K PC is still a dream. Software

costs are lower but not low enough. Packages for local applications have been

neglected for long. And the killer app that will make people take to computers

in a far bigger way is still elusive.

Email is great, but it hasn't yet become the choice mode of

communication for a large majority. The Internet is great for getting

information -but there is little interest for too many people. Computerized

banking is great for tracking transactions but banking itself is not something

that everyone uses. Portals like Agmarknet, APREGS, e-Suvidha, etc, are great

services. We talk of e-Governance projects all the time-but there are too many

pilots and too little of mass application. And sadly, this situation has not

changed dramatically for the last many years.

IT is being seen globally as a tool to raise productivity and

the standard of living, deliver greater educational opportunity, improve

healthcare, and increase global participation. In 2001-2005, ICT represented

6.8% of global GDP, says Digital Planet 2006. The world is expected to spend

almost



$3 tn on ICT in 2006, which is set to go up to $3.9 tn by 2009. India by
contrast will spend $65.5 bn on ICT in 2007. And that includes a huge spend

which is essentially catering to the international markets.

The tools are there. The intent is good. Yet, there are a lot of

missing links. For instance, is there an inexpensive small enterprise package

that can take care of the accounts, admin, HR, purchases, and other requirements

of a small entrepreneur? Beyond a couple of accounting packages, we can't

think of any software that can come to the aid of a small business. The vast

segment of SMB has watched from the sidelines-as statements of being an IT

superpower are bandied around.

As an example, health is another area which can benefit

tremendously from IT infrastructure, especially in a billion-people country like

ours. Maybe a lot is happening but do the masses see it? We have heard of

telemedicine projects by Apollo, Narayana Hrudayalaya, ISRO. But we need such

initiatives to become mass movements.

India, having established itself in the global software arena,

needs to follow an inward looking approach now. The work is cut out: Lower the

cost of the PC and software, create relevant applications that will help the

farmer, the housewife, the goldsmith, the weaver, the small business to better

their productivity as well as lives. The challenge is to take on this work.

And the IT industry has the power and clout to make that happen.

The point is to make the efforts happening in pockets to be scaled up and

replicated across the country so that IT can touch and change the life of even

the commonest man for the better.

Till then we maybe able to call ourselves IT super-suppliers to

the world, but not an IT superpower.