Technology transfers economic power to the common people, says Nasscom president R. Chandrashekhar

Nasscom president R. Chandrashekhar. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

New Delhi: Technological empowerment enables not only the wide use of devices, but also transfers economic power to the common people, Nasscom president R. Chandrashekhar said on 8 March.

Use of technology should have an impact on areas like agriculture, healthcare, education and skilling, which have impact on future economic growth of individuals and the country, said Chandrashekhar. He was speaking at EmTech India 2018, the third edition of the conference on emerging technology and innovations in Gurgaon, organized by Mint and MIT Technology Review. “That is the crucial differentiator as to how India would use technology,” he said. Reiterating the need for the benefits from technology to reach the country as a whole—and not only to people at the higher levels of economic power—Chandrasekhar insisted that technology should empower the masses.

Supporting increased public-private partnership (PPP), Chandrashekhar said the government’s role is critical in the development of key areas of the economy, and that it should also create space to let the private sector operate smoothly.

“The question is not what policy framework should be put in place by the government but what are the initiatives that the government and the industry should implement together,” he said.

According to Chandrashekhar, India has great innovative potential and it should be used to solve the problems of the economy by coming up with complete solutions-based on the PPP model.

The combination of technology with different sectors such as healthcare and agriculture can lead to effective and optimal results. The Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture, for instance, can enable farmers to practice precision agriculture, he said.

“The ability to absorb, assimilate and integrate technology...and to be able to do so in the most optimal manner is a big challenge,” he added.