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30 Minute Interview
Making India a knowledge leader
Ashok Soota, CMD, Mindtree Consulting, shared his
views with Neeraj Gandhi at the sidelines of KM India - the Knowledge
Summit that was recently held in New Delhi.
Ashok Soota |
Factors that make a country a knowledge leader
In order to emerge as a knowledge leader, it is of paramount
importance that information that is generated within a country gets circulated
and shared between its people. What is needed to attain this objective is a
grassroots movement to help people realize the importance of information sharing
and the opportunity that awaits them. A full-fledged network infrastructure
is next on the agenda. This includes tools such as computers, mobile phones
etc. In addition it is important that an ecosystem is created where people realize
the importance of knowledge, where knowledge is maintained and stored, and knowledge
repositories are created.
Where does India fit?
India fits pretty well into this equation. What can be said is that we are heading
in the right direction. However, there is still a long way to go. Although we
have the required infrastructure, it is concentrated only in the IT and biotech
sector. It should ideally span across all the sectors. This infrastructure should
then be leveraged to attain specific goals. We have the intellectual capital,
but stress should be given on methods to maximize this capital. India is also
far behind in terms of R&D. There is a growing need that the budget allocated
to the R&D activities should increase. The private sector has a greater
role to play here.
On being a KPO hub
KPO has its presence in every sector. In my opinion KPO is a verticalized industry.
For instance, KPOs manage legal processes, insurance, medical, financial processes
etc. However, the emergence of India as a KPO hub presents a huge opportunity
for India in terms of being a knowledge superpower. The more India becomes a
KPO hub, the more knowledge will flow into the country and this would eventually
lead to India becoming a knowledge repository of the world.
The challenges
The biggest challenge is in creating a grassroots movement. The idea here is
to get to the rural areas, mobilize the people, and take technology to the rural
areas instead of moving the rural population to the cities. Another important
aspect is securing the network. Once the desired infrastructure is built and
exchange of information starts, securing the network will become the key.
The way ahead
The idea of knowledge management should spread beyond the IT industry. Information
that is being generated should be shared on a larger scale. There is a need
for greater collaboration between the government and the private sector. It
is important here to create a knowledge portal at a national level. We need
to work with thinkers across the globe, and bring knowledge management to the
mainstream.
neeraj.gandhi@expressindia.com
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