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At a time when India's information technology industry is engaging with the government like never before, its oldest industry body, Nasscom, has appointed former telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar as its next chief. Soon after the announcement, Chandrashekhar shared some of his thoughts on the decision and the future of the industry with Surabhi Agarwal. Edited excerpts:
From being a sunrise sector a few years ago, the IT industry has matured. How do you look at its various challenges and the future growth path?
You are right that the industry is at a crossroads right now. There are huge challenges as well as opportunities internationally and within the country. There are certainly opportunities that have come due to the global crisis as companies are looking at cutting costs and increasing efficiencies. At the same time, there is a rush of protectionist activities from several countries. At the end of the day, the industry cannot grow at the cost of the economy which it is serving; it will have to grow along with them. We will have to work out a mechanism to make sure that these measures do not hinder the opportunities that exist for the industry as well as the opportunity for their own economies.
It's not just the IT services industry; even Nasscom is at a crossroads. In which direction would you like to steer the industry body? Should it focus on one vertical or try to be as inclusive as possible?
If you look at the industry itself, it is no longer possible to talk just about IT, as communications, electronics, etc are so closely related in any technology intervention. Does it mean that one organisation should become an all-embracing kind of a place? Obviously not. Each has its own characteristics. The key is to ensure that rather than work in silos, they are working in collaboration according to an agreed game plan. Because by working together, you could have achieved much more than you could have done individually, no matter how hard you tried or how well you did your job. I think the effort in Nasscom has to be to collaborate with institutions which exist, try and help to foster institutions that don't exist, and wherever necessary try to bridge the gap if any.
When do you come on board?
There is a process of governmental approvals, which is required. For any employment that is taken up within one year of retirement from the government, it requires approval. Nasscom is a not-for-profit organisation, so approval in this case is more of a procedural thing. After that, the formal coming on board will happen.
The current chief's tenure only ends next year...
That is something that we will work out as we need to also evolve suitable transitional arrangements. Many of the issues facing the industry are quite complex and a lot of things have happened. While I am broadly aware of most of the things, I need to familiarise myself with the details. I will need to update myself, which would not take much time. But, this is something that I would like to do while he is still there, to make for an orderly kind of a transition.
Why did you pick the offer to head Nasscom, when there were so many other plum positions within the government that were offered to you?
Yes. I have been with the government for almost four decades. I have always believed in the power of ICT and its relevance to India in particular and its ability to drive a transformation agenda within the country across sectors. That agenda requires government and industry to work together. It has never been government versus industry. The opportunities are very vast at the particular juncture at which the industry and the country is in, and it is very exciting. So, my decision is based on where my interest lies and where there would be an impact and satisfaction from what one does.
