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We do need an IT hub in Goa... but can we get there?
By Alan Andrews
Last week I read in the online edition of The Navhind Times
(http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=050726) that a
firm in Goa allegedly duped Goans to the tune of crores of rupees. Scandals
of similar nature abound in many countries, so when I first read about the
scandal I was not surprised. And it will not be surprising if history
repeats itself.
Goa has been late in exploiting the IT boom taking place in India whether it
be BPO (business process outsourcing) or KPO (Knowledge process
outsourcing). We has a big pool of English speaking IT educated youngsters
but not much has been done to harness this pool of talent to make Goa into a
strong Science and Technology hub.
There is a huge revenue share that can be garnered, but Goa needs to first
set a strong business and technological fundamentals in place. If it does
not initiate and implement the two fundamentals in place soon, many
fly-by-night BPO or KPO businesses will come here to exploit our susegad
Goans.
There is a big revenue share for IT related business at companies around the
world are outsourcing their work and even operations to India, and this
market is poised to get bigger in the coming years.
Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore have a technology roadmap to address the
boon. These three state-capitals have exceeded expectations in being
successful in creating jobs and attracting multinational and local companies
to start IT businesses and operations.
Can Goa be an IT hub?
The answer is Yes. But In order for Goa to anchor itself as a Science and
Technology hub with a robust foundation it has to have an IT roadmap and a
proper infrastructure in place.
There are three basic fundamentals that have to be in place. A
determined elected government minister with a vision, the right
people to help execute the vision, and money. Many Goans have carved
a niche for themselves in multinational companies, and Goa has one
of the highest capita income which means that Goa has the right
people and the money. But we do not have a Chandra Babu Naidu
equivalent as yet in Goa, perhaps one will evolve.
Embarking on the process to make Goa an IT hub is easier said than done.
First and foremost, mature and hard decisions would need to be made to make
Goa a vibrant IT hub. We need to get our bureaucrats to initiate dialogue
with local and foreign companies to invest in Goa. A decision that is tough
to implement.
Goa has witnessed too many changes in the local government. Needless to say
that with each change previous decisions by past government give way to new
ones. Political instability is a factor that keeps external companies from
wanting to do business.
There are other factors too. The crime rate in Goa is not something we can
be proud of; there have been few cases where the tourist has reported
negatively in media about their bad treatment here by local officials or
rowdy youth.
Electricity and water supply in Goa is not regular and reliable and our
phone lines and Internet access go on the blink too often. Red tapism,
bureaucracy and corruption needs to be seriously addressed. It can be done
but it there has to the will to do so.
Goa would need to redesign the curriculum to build local capabilities and
boost local content-creation players into the global scene. Our IT students
should have at least three to six months of project related work at leading
computer companies which must translate to cost savings or revenue
generation.
The grading should be higher for those that have been successful in their
projects outside Goa or India. When we encourage our talent to participate
in external IT locations with differing cultures and infrastructures, we
bring in more riches to Goa by way of ideas, networking, partnerships and
talent recognition and visibility.
I personally see abundant opportunities in the area of shared IT
services which include data centre operations, disaster
recovery/business continuity services, network services, application
development, implementation and maintenance, and call centres.
Microsoft, IBM, Nokia, Sun, Oracle and other major multinational
companies are investing in India and they have helped Indian
companies increase revenue exponentially.
Goans are very enterprising people; if Goa does not have the opportunities
to offer they will relocate to other states and other countries. Goa's loss
would be another countries gain.
Many Goans have built computer companies with very little help and direction
from state bodies. I have spoken to people running IT companies in Goa and
it is difficult but yet the susegad Goan works hard and succeeds.
If these companies had a little help from the State, their results would
show up grow globally and financially. Goa needs an IT hub soon to enjoy the
benefits of the IT boon. The cost of delaying the decision will be more
costly than deciding and implementing an IT hub
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alan Andrews is the pen name of an IT professional who has
been working in the IT industry since the early 'eighties, first in Goa and
then in Singapore where he is currently based. This article was earlier
published in The Navhind Times. Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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