The Iron is Hot

Political parties and politicians are at their receptive best. Lots of new things are being announced ranging from quota for religious groups, to more cooking gas for housewives, to new college campuses, to new laws for the disabled, and so on. The list is long.

Plus, many of those who were otherwise just not accessible, like prime ministerial aspirants, are now themselves reaching out to the common man. Everybody wants to be seen as the leader who will turn the country and its economy around. All thanks to the approaching general elections in India for choosing the next government.

This could be a good time for the Indian ICT industry to build pressure for building a digital India. An India where ICT industry will provide employment opportunities to citizens many times more than what it is today. An India where the ICT infrastructure will provide millions of the underprivileged to all possible resources like health, education, banking, etc. Of course, the common man will benefit significantly, but sales of ICT products and services will boom.

The big question is whether all the sectors of Indian ICT industry-hardware, domestic software and services, channel partners, software and services exports, communications services, telecom infrastructure and equipment vendors, ICT manufacturers, BPO, and so on-can come together on a single platform with a single voice. ICT industry in India directly employs about 3.5 mn people, and indirectly about 10 mn people.

This might be a small number, but these guys can be very vocal and can influence family and friends at the time of voting for a new government. Indian ICT industry leaders must convey to political parties that they also have a vote bank.

Last month Dataquest and VOICE&DATA magazines together got Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat and Bhartiya Janta Party's prime ministerial candidate to come and listen to the ICT industry leaders, the challenges they face, and the solutions they recommend. The interaction was good, and Narendra Modi has asked CyberMedia to work out the next steps so that some of the demands that have a national impact can be considered for inclusion in their plans and announcements.

This was a good beginning, and clearly shows the political parties openness to direct feedback. At a time when the electorate as well as the media is learning to put so much pressure on governments, in terms of promises made and delivered, engaging with aspiring political leaders could turn out to be a strategic move. As I said, this is not not just about nation building, but even about getting ICT industry its due.