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Kalam, Sukhoi, and IBM

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DQI Bureau
New Update

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.

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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.

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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.

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