Covid reinforced global dependence on Indian IT sector: Kris Gopalakrishnan

Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021 unveiled by Gopalakrishnan, Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, to be held during November 17-19

The country’s IT sector responded very well to the Covid pandemic which has led to an increased dependence and trust of global corporations in it, Infosys co-founder and former CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan said at the curtain-raiser of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021 (BTS 2021) on Tuesday.

The summit will be held from November 17 to November 19 in the city and will see thought leaders of information technology, biotechnology and the startup sector deliberate on the future of these sectors.

“India will of course become a $5 trillion and it is just a question of when. Karnataka has a very important role to play in this as it is the technology and innovation centre of the country,” added Gopalakrishnan.

Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, Bookmyshow founder and CEO Ashish Hemrajani, and top executives from Intel, Tesco, Kyndryll, among others will speak at the hybrid event.

Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said “We are at a stage when the worst of the Covid pandemic is behind us and what the pandemic has done is that it has unleashed innovation. This year's theme of driving the next is very relevant and points to what we need to do as an economy. Over the years we have showcased the best of what Bengaluru and Karnataka at the summit”.

BTS 2021, organised by the Karnataka government, is in its 24th year currently. One of the aims of the summit is to highlight Mysuru, Hubli and Mangalore as upcoming centres for technology startups. BV Naidu, chairman of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, said: “We need to bridge the gap between Bengaluru and other areas in the state in terms of tech innovation. I have been telling businesses that you have already established a hub in the capital city and now it is time to build the spokes.”

Ganesh Krishnan, founder and managing director of healthtech start-up Portea Medical, said that startups have the responsibility now to emulate what the likes of Biocon and Infosys did for the country 2-3 decades back in terms of employment generation. “We have to seize the opportunity,” he said.