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      Home News

      DQI BureaubyDQI Bureau
      May 31, 1998
      in News, Uncategorized
      0

      dt1.jpg (7930 bytes)–Ravindra
      Gupta,

      Secretary, DoE, Govt of India

      He is softspoken, but very
      firm on what he is saying. The new Secretary of Department of Electronics (DoE) is a
      veteran IAS officer who was Principal Secretary (Industrial Development), Government of
      Uttar Pradesh. He is also boning up on technology and has ambitious plans for the IT
      growth in India. For a quintessential bureaucrat, Ravindra Gupta is extremely candid and
      brutal in his assessment of the ground realities facing the country. Mixing the macro
      policy matters with the nitty gritties of the micros, Gupta spoke to DATAQUEST barely 12
      days after he assumed office, on himself, DoE, the Government priorities, and his action
      plan. Excerpts:

      You have taken over the Department
      of Electronics at a time when a major policy initiative is being planned in IT. This is
      the first time such an initiative has been planned. Does this faze you?

      No, why should it? I think this is a welcome recognition of the potentialities of this
      area. There is a recognition that IT is important and there is no doubt that it can play a
      key role in the country. It is an interesting time.

      But this [policy statements from
      PMO] did not happen in the last 15 years. Do you think that puts us in a position where we
      will be unable to catch up with the rest of the world?

      No, I don’t think so. Just because you put it on some national agenda or electoral
      manifesto does not mean that you are not giving attention to this sector. This sector has
      got attention. It is not that it is happening today. I think this sector has been
      performing well. The overall growth rate of over 20 percent compounded annually. And in
      software, of course, it is much brighter. So I think that at least in software we have an
      advantage. It is not that government did not have policy initiatives, it did have.

      What are your first impressions of
      DoE?

      It is a fine department and IT is an
      area which will grow. You see, electronics, information technology, water, and genetic
      engineering are the areas of tomorrow. These will have to get focus.

      What have you decided as your
      priority areas?
      You have to assess your
      strengths and then build your plan of action and strategy thereon. And secondly, in an
      international environment, there will always be decisions that you will have to make in
      that (global) context. And sometimes, decisions that might not always be relevant for the
      global market. But these are two imperatives. By the way, software is an area of strength.
      In a couple of years this will become the major export focus. That is an area where
      sustained effort is necessary.

      So you are confident of software
      being a major growth engine?
      Definitely yes. You see major
      IT players are all looking at India for software. I think it is quite possible that we
      will quadruple our share of the global software trade in the next few years and that is
      only the beginning. But if we want to become a major player, I feel that apart from
      software we need strong R&D support. I feel that the Department must give basic
      support for building a strong R&D network. I think a strong R&D is also necessary
      for strategic requirements.

      For the last year or so
      Indianization has been a buzzword in DoE. Are you going to give the movement a further
      fillip?

      Well, personally I am not sold on some word. You see we must look at the rationale behind
      Indianization or indigenization. Today, technological obsolescence is so high that
      sometimes it does not make sense go in for indigenization. Because, you have to compete in
      your own market and you have to compete globally, and I think this move might not prove
      very fruitful given the handicaps we have in the financial and infrastructure sectors.

      But what about using local language
      as a medium on computers to increase computer proliferation?

      Yes, there is a definite need for that. But for a country to improve you need a
      certain type of education. You need people to have a certain IT-orientation. There are
      other issues involved. Like PC penetration, for example. Right now it is one per 1000.
      Now, if we are to increase penetration to even 10 per 1000, that is up to 1 percent, then
      it is important to have some kind of language development on the PCs, otherwise
      penetration is not going to happen. That is why the country has to work on software on
      Indianization. But there are other issues as well, like the question of affordability for
      example. For the 0.1 percent penetration this kind of language development is not really
      necessary. But if we want to go deeper then this kind of effort is well-intentioned and
      well-thought-of. There have been a number of efforts within the Department in this
      direction and yes, the Department will continue to give this a priority.

      But one of the problems peculiar to
      this Department seems to be that there has been no major IT policy initiative till now,
      since the IT policy of 1984….What you are saying is that there is no published
      document…

      ….No, it’s not just a document having a focus or a vision. No, but why don’t you have a
      look at the Five Year Plan document? You will see the intent there. You will see the
      direction there. You cannot say the intent or the policy is not there. It is there. There
      might be problems with the acceptability of the intent and policy, but they are there. I
      am aware of this, but I would like to review everything before I put forward a draft
      policy.

      Is this draft policy going to be
      similar to the action plan suggested by the Prime Minister?
      You see, you must have a
      vision. Then you must have goals that will help you achieve that vision. The action plan
      says that India must become a global IT superpower in 10 years. Now, we must examine what
      this means and then work out on a practical achievable target. There are a lot of issues
      involved. The government, for example, will not be able to find the kind of resources that
      is required to make the statement into a reality. So, we have to look at other methods. Of
      inviting private sector, of inviting global IT majors to come into the country. We have to
      find a solution.

      Do you think the government should
      play a role in inviting major R&D based investment dollars into the country?

      We have to play a role in getting the large investments. For example, I would like to see
      one of the chip majors set up a mega-fab in the country. Now that is a huge investment in
      the tune of over $ 2 billion just for the plant alone and another $ 1 billion for the
      support infrastructure. But for this to happen, we need to give a push at the highest
      level. I have proposed some incentives to the Finance Ministry which might be announced in
      the next Budget, but you see nowadays it is no longer enough just to give incentives and
      put it up on the Internet and hope that Bill Gates or somebody will see it and come and
      invest here. You have to go out and get the investment. For example, when the Prime
      Minister goes out of the country, we must try and arrange one-to-one meetings between him
      and these chip-makers. That kind of special push is required if we are to get in the big
      investments.

      One of the things which has been
      quite important is producing cheaper computers. Even the government tried it, but less
      successfully. Now, is affordability on your agenda?

      Affordability is a big issue. But I really don’t know if we can make another Volkswagen
      Beetle. Reducing the price of a PC by a couple of a thousand rupees is not going to help
      much. The PC will still be in the range of Rs 40,000-50,000. That is still too much for
      most Indian families. It is definitely not the equivalent of $ 1000. How to make a cheaper
      PC, I do not know. Because, even at Rs 20,000 the PC will still be too expensive for most
      Indians. Even if we give incentives to manufacturers, there is still a component price
      which is too expensive. So I really cannot see a solution to this. To counter this, one of
      the things I am looking at is to see that we get computers more into our schools. Most of
      the schools, today, cannot afford to buy PCs. So we are looking at various methods. For
      example, permitting government organizations donate their PCs to schools after two years.
      This is not allowed now. Further, one computer is not enough. But then, it is at least a
      start. We have to start looking at ways and means beyond duty cuts. Today the duties and
      taxes are not that high anyway. So cutting them is not going to make much of a difference.
      Anyway, if we are to increase awareness and penetration then the schools is the best way
      to go.

      The DoE does have a society that
      looks after computer education. Do you think you need to give a re-look at the
      functionality of the DoEACC?

      As I have already told you I will be giving a fresh look at everything. I don’t know yet
      what extra role the DoEACC can play. In fact, I am looking at the ITIs which are spread
      all over the country as the primary dissemination body for training on computers. You see
      there are a number of issues involved but I look at it as four major issues or problems.
      To sort these out, I will be setting up four missions-one each for technology,
      infrastructure, HR, and mega-fab. These four will address the major areas of concern for
      the Department.

      By when do you intend to have these
      missions in place?
      You must give me sometime. I
      have just taken over. You see we have to put the vision together. Get the policy mooted
      and then put the structure in place. Mobilize the Department and the Government. There is
      a lot of work to be done. All I can say is that I am looking at a Vision 2020 for the
      Department.

      There is a lot of talk recently
      that the Department is going to be converted to a Ministry.
      What is there in a name. You
      people think that if we become a ministry our problems will go away. It’s like saying if
      we appoint a relief commissioner then there will be no longer any calamity. Unfortunately,
      it does not work that way. Whether a department or a ministry, the problems will remain
      the same and they will be similarly dealt with.

      L SUBRAMANYAN and
      SURAJIT AGARWAL,

      in Delhi.

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