The problem with associations, even as distinguished and successful as Nasscom, is that they tend to be perceived as forums for the classes and not for the masses. So only a handful of CEOs are able to shape the destinies of the association and the industry through their participation in the executive council and other discussion and decision-making bodies. As a result, a vast majority of the industry watches from the sidelines and has no real role to play in helping to solve the problems of the association or the community within their own sphere of influence.

The attempt this year is to change this scenario by offering creative and passionate stakeholders of the industry ample opportunities to collaborate and build communities of practice that can provide opportunities to make a real difference!

Nasscoms six-point agenda clearly signals that the India story is still intact and the time has come to prepare the ground for a new growth story for the industry. The need to substantially improve the quantity and quality of skills available through multiple strata of education initiatives is the most immediate action.

The industry body has already started engagements with the government to provide joint scholarships that would fuel PhD research in the country. And a joint plan to set up multiple new Indian Institutes of Information Technology with participation from firms, state governments, and the Ministry of Human Resources will substantially improve the output at the higher end of the system.

A large-scale vocational training movement, a massive expansion of the assessment initiatives of Nasscom, and the Knowledge Network propagated by the Nasscom Foundation for providing information access in all parts of the country will ensure that access to education is substantially enhanced in all segments of the society in all geographies.

Ganesh natarajan

A related theme is that of social and gender inclusiveness. For too long, the industry has been largely concentrated in large cities and in spite of efforts to extend the innovation ecosystem to tier-2/3 cities, most of the newer locations, with Pune and Kolkata as exception, have yet to really become alternative magnets of growth.

The pressure on infrastructure and transportation in large cities can be best relieved if some of the fifty new locations that Nasscom is identifying are able to build and sustain an environment where knowledge entrepreneurs can access capital, educated manpower and the physical, electronic, and social infrastructure.

An expansion of the Women in Leadership initiative is also envisaged to ensure that the lakhs of young women who enter the industry every year are provided security and support to build a career over a prolonged period and assume leadership roles in all industry segments.

A third initiative is Green IT. While this movement may begin with the IT sector itself, Nasscom can play a major role in extending its impact on the user community, and will work with global partners to bring best practices to this initiative.

How does everybody participate in the agenda and make a difference to any of these initiatives? The objective of fostering creativity, community, and collaboration that make up the six themes for the year will provide the cementing force for individuals and firms to transcend traditional barriers and find common themes where innovative ideas and ventures can be launched and new opportunities for growth can be identified.

At a very basic level, the opportunity to take a germ of an idea and share it with a community of peers can enable industry building to happen from the grassroots. As the year progresses, multiple forums will be rolled out to make every individual or group with a pet theme or plan to seek the inputs of similar minds and brains. Will this open up new opportunities for the restless minds in this industry? Write in and tell us and lets see if we can make a difference!

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