Flowchart For Tomorrow

First, I would like to see at least three Indian IT services companies among the top 10 ranked companies globally. Companies like Wipro are already among the top 10 in terms of market capitalisation and employee numbers, but not there yet by sales revenue. Given the quality and price competitiveness of Indian IT services companies, and the economic logic of worldwide sourcing, I have no doubt that this will be true before the year 2010. It is important to achieve this milestone as it would establish that Indian IT services companies could operate on a global scale and on global benchmarks.

Second, I believe that IT usage in households is waiting to explode in the country. Some studies show that an average per capita income of US$3,000, and thereabouts, is the level beyond which the purchase of consumer durables starts growing dramatically.With the current per capita income, on purchase power parity basis, hovering around $2,500, we should be breaching the $3,000 level in another three to five years. This would mean a significant increase in purchase of IT gadgets, be it PCs, handheld devices or cellphones.

Third, I would like to see a dramatic increase in IT usage by the governments at the Centre and the states, especially in areas of citizen interface. Some areas where IT usage can make significant improvements are legal records, property records, tax payment, etc. Imagine the benefits that would accrue from computerisation of land and property records, ranging from reduction in litigation and corruption to increase in public revenue. The usage of IT in government work would also considerably improve the quality of governance.

Fourth, I would like to see the IT services industry creating four million jobs every year. In the current year, the industry would have added two lakh jobs directly and six lakh jobs indirectly. If we stay on course, by 2015 these numbers should read one million jobs directly and another three million jobs indirectly, bringing the total to four million. This would solve 40 per cent of the unemployment problem, if you consider that our planners would like to generate 10 million jobs every year to absorb people joining the labour pool.

Would the future unfold as I would like it to be? I am not sure of that. What I am sure about is that it is up to us to make it happen.