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Chatting with Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Nasscom annual event in February,
2009, it was heartening to note his confidence when he predicted a comfortable
victory for the Congress party in the ensuing elections. Come May 16 , 2009,
Indian electorate certainly did not belie his confidence. The election result is
one of the most satisfying outcomes for the corporate sector and indeed for the
entire professional community in India. This is not so much because one party
won and the others seem to have lost, but the strength of the mandate given by a
discerning electorate, ensured a strong and stable government sworn in at the
center. We look forward to all the benefits of policy continuity and absence of
political compromises that it entails.
In the current global economic environment, it is important that India has a
stable and progressive political environment that takes decisive steps to
immediately put the economy back on a high-growth trajectory. Some of the
expectations from the new government which would be uniform across industry
sectors are significant investments in the improvement of physical, digital and
social infrastructure across at least the top fifty cities and towns in the
country.
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| Ganesh Natarajan |
The Indian IT and business services sector are both an engine and a catalyst
for the development of the Indian economy. And there is confidence that the
government will continue to partner with this sector for leveraging the benefits
of IT for Indias domestic economy and through international trade. We also look
forward to working with the government to promote inclusive growth and social
benefits through the innovative use of IT.
For the 60 lakh plus people who are directly or indirectly employed in the
knowledge services industry, some immediate priorities that are expected from
the government includethe extension of tax benefits to create a level playing
field for young entrepreneurial companies competing with multinationals and
large firms, strong focus on IT in e-government, healthcare, agriculture and
education. On the other hand, leveraging new strength and confidence with the
international community to ensure that the principles of free trade and
globalization are followed and the ugly head of protectionism is not raised
anywhere to thwart the aspirations of young IT professionals.
The expectation on infrastructure and education transformation is not just a
need of Indian IT but also an imperative for the long term success of corporate
India. The completion and extension of the golden quadrilateral project on a
pan-India basis and the availability of high speed broadband connectivity in the
fifty cities identified by the Nasscom BCG study will enable industry
dispersion.
There will be a renewed expectation that the next five years will truly
create India of our dreams, with a strong and sustained 8% plus growth rate,
300 mn or more Indians moving above the poverty line and strong growth in all
the tier-2 cities of the country. This will be ensured with the people joining
their urban counterparts in their success and their aspirations. A mandate like
this should be seen as a responsibility by the new government to rise above
petty partisan politics and work towards a more noble cause of taking India to a
true comprehensive national power (CNP) status. CNP would mean enabling every
Indian citizen to have access to education, healthcare and basic financial
services, securing the countrys borders against the multiple threats that lurk
all around us. And building on the status and reputation that we have already
acquired as a nation in the international community. For all of us in IT and BPO
sector, it is a chance to dream new dreams for our country, our industry, and
our firms. May the next few years see all these dreams come true!
The author is Vice Chairman & MD of Zensar Technologies. He can be reached at
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in Page(s) 1
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