The Digital India initiative, launched by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday, could potentially translate into a business opportunity of $3-4 billion annually for the Indian IT industry, which already has the experience of implementing large scale and complex government projects in the country.
PP Thimmaya
The Digital India initiative, launched by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday, could potentially translate into a business opportunity of $3-4 billion annually for the Indian IT industry, which already has the experience of implementing large scale and complex government projects in the country.
The Digital India vision opens up countless opportunities for the $146 billion Indian IT industry which till now was predominantly focused on the overseas market. As a first step, a Centre of Excellence for internet of things has been launched in Bengaluru to be run on the public-private partnership model with seed funding from the government. The project will be managed by Nasscom, a statement from the IT body said on Wednesday.
Talking to FE, T V Mohandas Pai, former Infosys board member and chairman, Manipal Education Group, said Indian IT companies under this project will look to build applications for e-governance, delivering public services and most importantly generating content in local languages. He pegged the annual business opportunity for the IT industry at $3-4 billion.
Wipro chairman Azim Premji, who spoke at inaugural function, said, “The vision of the Prime Minister is powerful as it aims to digitally empower every citizen through technology and breakdown the digital divide.” He felt that it is a very transformative idea for Indian talent that along with IT will lead to an India of tomorrow.
Digital India also found its resonance abroad with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, in his message stating, “We believe that technology can uniquely support the government’s initiatives in key areas including: rural internet connectivity, digital cloud services for all its citizens, and communications and productivity services for the government.” He reiterated the firm’s commitment to India by bringing in its cloud services technologies to India.
PP Thimmaya