Indian IT: Creating better lives the world over
dubai — The setup of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) in the late-1980s, was when software export was unknown, when IT export volume was a few millions of dollars and was limited to the US. Now, India exports over $111 billion IT and ITeS to several destinations, be they developed, developing, emerging or least-developed. Ever since we have started exporting software products and solutions, strategies and thrust have changed.
From low-end products and solutions, we have moved to high-end products and complex solutions. Those changes are gradual and enduring, creating better lives world over. The ESC hand holds the concerns of India’s electronics industry as well. Today there are over 2,500 electronics SME units in India. The government of India is taking all necessary steps to ensure conversion of India into a manufacturing hub for electronics production, said Kamal Vachani, regional director of the ESC for the Middle East. Today, India’s electronics hardware export is around $6 billion.
The ESC has been playing a pivotal role in scripting those changes Vachani says: “Let me flag mark some of the changes that we have effected in a sustainable manner. Foremost is the widening the base of export units in the country. Bereft of a focused policy to create groundswell of small and medium export units, Indian software exports would have remained with a few handful of large software behemoth. Now we have over 5,000 export units in the country of various hues and sizes — one man-operated units to establishments employing thousands of people.”
“Secondly, in broadening the export destinations, the ESC has been playing an important role. We identify potential markets much in advance. For instance, we have identified Africa, the CIS, Latin America, the Middle East, etc, as potential markets long back. For our signature annual event — Indiasoft exhibition and conferences, which is entering the 18th edition by next year — we invite hundreds of potential software buyers from these regions to participate in the two day event by underwriting a part of their expenditure to be incurred for travel,” says D.K. Sareen, executive director of the ESC.
Driven by the success of this experiment in software, and in line with the government’s initiative of reducing import burden especially in the electronics sector by boosting domestic manufacturing on the lines of “Make In India” programme, the ESC created India Electronics Expo wherein Indian electronics manufacturing/EMS/ product/components companies showcase their products and electronics buyers from various countries of the world are invited to meet the Indian exhibiting firms.
The ESC will again be repeating it’s participation at Gitex Dubai with around 50 Indian ICT companies displaying innovative IT products and solutions in various verticals of IT. “We hope that the ESC’s participation at Gitex Dubai will further business between India and the countries in the Middle East and the UAE in particular,” says Vachani.