Nasscom aims to turn India into a product nation: Sindhu Gangadharan

Tariffs are not impacting our industry directly in the sense that they impact goods and services, says Gangadharan

Nasscom chairperson Sindhu Gangadharan has said that the IT body had a seat on most tables where tariff structures and visa policies of countries across the globe were being discussed. In an interview with Aashish Aryan in Noida, Gangadharan added that despite tariff uncertainties, global companies are still looking to invest in India, which is evident from the exceptional growth seen in global capability centres (GCCs) being set up in the country. Edited excerpts:

     

There is so much uncertainty concerning visas and tariffs. And, now war. How is Nasscom tackling these issues for the software industry?

   

We are talking about a $280 billion tech industry. The top conversation is indeed about all the geopolitical changes happening around the world. The conversation with every chief executive officer (CEO) or chief information officer (CIO) is around technology, laced with the undercurrents of politics, tariffs, and trade wars. Tariffs are not affecting our industry directly in the sense that they impact goods and services. There is an indirect impact. When it comes to technology, everybody is looking at India as a neutral, reliable and resilient tech provider. The visa conversations are bilateral when it comes to countries. But as Nasscom, what we try to do is create those opportunities and platforms. We bring the bigwigs of the industry and make sure the lawmakers and senators listen to these experts. 

   

What can the tech services industry do when it comes to intellectual property creation and holding more patents?

   

We come from the legacy of being the back office of the world. There is still some truth to it, which we are trying to change. A lot of it is also about clear education on what is patentable, the process involved in patent disclosure, and how to create high-quality patents. The Nasscom Engineering R&D Council is looking at all these issues. The key question is getting young people to understand why we are doing what we do. It is also a mindset shift. Mindset change takes longer in a country like ours, but we are on it. At Nasscom, one of our biggest aspirations is to turn India into a product nation, bring the best practices from services, product companies, and make it available to all.

   

There needs to be a reimaging of the services industry due to artificial intelligence (AI). How prepared is Nasscom and the IT industry for these over the next five years?

   

For some entry-level jobs, there is a displacement, and there are no questions about it. We have dedicated electives on the future prime platform, which is focused on AI. This is not just theoretical AI content. I am talking about really going into core skills, which can be applied even for practitioners coming from a non-tech background. We are also bringing in concrete use cases from the industry because that is what is going to be the differentiator, moving forward. At Nasscom, we are bringing the players together, be it Microsoft, Google, AWS (Amazon Web Services), Fractal, or SAP. We are saying let's build the content in such a way that our young talent can use it, not just as electives so that when they are out, they are equipped with skills that can help. 

   

Women constitute a major part of the technology landscape in India. However, automation, especially due to AI, would likely impact women more, say studies. What is your take?

   

When you look at AI impacting women more than men, it could be a case in more highly developed nations because of the nature of work they do. It might not be a like-for-like comparison for India. There, however, is truth to that. Women in more clerical roles are getting displaced; there is no doubt. In tech, I feel AI is more of an equaliser. But we are trying to bring forward role models and mentorship programmes for more women in tech.