Three events held last week will mean a lot for India. The
first one was IBM announcing a $6 bn investment plan for India, which can be
achieved, only if there are enough technically qualified people available. The
second was about Redhat's plan to include India in its 'One Laptop per
Child' program. And the third was the Indian President APJ Kalam's flight in
the Sukhoi fighter jet.
Let me start with the much talked about $6 bn IBM
investment plan. This move speaks volumes for the confidence that organizations
such as IBM and their top of the line world customers place on India. They
sincerely believe that outsourcing to Indian professionals will get them cost as
well as quality advantages. Companies such as IBM do not work on cost advantages
alone.
Kalam's Sukhoi flight conveys that the political leadership in India can do things that only Prime Ministers and Presidents of rich and famous countries have done |
While India is already an established outsourcing
destination, this mega investment from IBM has stumped everybody; most of all,
its competitors. This move should trigger many others to start or enhance their
current India operations. Beyond reasons of competition, this is also a big
confidence builder. If IBM is going there, it must be on the basis of concrete
reasons.
As India's acceptability and standing goes up, so do the
challenges. One major challenge that India will face in its run up to the top
slot will be the unlimited supply of talent pool. Bring up the subject of
quality manpower availability with any software company or BPO setup, and you
will only hear of problems and complaints. I believe that quality manpower, over
the next 10-15 years will make all the difference. It is in this context, that
India Inc as well as the Indian government should seriously consider the Redhat
'One Laptop per Child' initiative. It's a dream plan, which countries such
as India could turn to their advantage. As per this plan, children in developing
nations will be able to get a laptop for $100 in the next few years. Unless
there are big hidden costs, India will greatly benefit from this program. If
India wants to be an IT superpower in the future, it needs PCs for its children,
today. As of now, the response to this program has been very lukewarm.
Obviously, there are quite a few concerns that many of
these companies have. How smooth will it be to run these large operations out of
India? Will they find infrastructure, government support, and business and
industry policies conducive? Are these companies confident that this is a
long-term investment? President Kalam attending the IBM function is a very clear
message of the government support in making India a global IT hub. Kalam said,
“IT is key. Not just business
leaders, but even country's leaders need to get involved in it”.
And finally let me also explain why President Kalam's
flight in the Sukhoi fighter jet is so significant. This flight was a symbol of
the confidence and ambition that India is capable of. TCS, Wipro, Infosys,
Mittal Steel, and Reliance are global giants emerging out of India, we now have
a 76-year old head of the nation who dons a pilots gear and flies in a
supersonic fighter aircraft. Kalam's flight, therefore, conveys to the rest of
the world that the political leadership in India now wants to do things that
only Prime Ministers and Presidents of rich and famous countries did.
The world will continue to enhance its ranking of India,
but that makes the task even more difficult. India will quickly have to work out
an effective education infrastructure that will be able to produce capable
workers. The industry and the government will have to work together on this.
India will need to make itself a great place to do business. And the country
will need to produce and support leaders who have the capability to dream big
and deliver even bigger.