'India should contribute more to the software market'

CHENNAI: Right now India constitutes only 1.6 per cent of the world software

market. It should try and contribute at least 8-10 per cent it in the next few

years.

But to achieve the same, India needs to focus on developing more complex

software that requires knowledge of system engineering and system dynamics.

Software should grow from a programming discipline to an engineering discipline,

according to Tata Consultancy Services chairman F C Kohli.

Regarded by many as the Father of IT in India, Kohli spoke on the future of

IT in India at the conference held at Connect 2001.

India has not come up with software products, as it did not have resources to

build domain knowledge. But now it is well equipped to develop products such as

software engineering tools that increase productivity, system-engineering tools,

components, knowledge based products etc., he said.

However, this alone is insufficient as it also needs to enhance reuse of

components to increase productivity and reliability. On the other hand it also

has to focus on the domestic requirements and increase PC penetration and IT

penetration, he added.

Currently, about two thirds of its domestic software revenue come from the

sale of Windows software and not from software produced indigenously for use in

India.

Extensive computerization in India would see demand for new varieties of

software in the domestic industry in the next five years which will in turn

drive its software exports, a situation different from today, said Dr Kohli.

Speaking on the IT enabled services sector, Kohli said that within two years

medical transcription would lose all its scope with the wide spread use of voice

recognition. But call centers presented immense opportunities for India.

The domestic hardware industry also needed to grow to a stature where it

could manufacture 5 million-10 million PCs a year. For that, India would have to

market its talent to major PC manufacturers and invite them to set up

manufacturing units in India.

Another drawback is that it does not produce enough micro electronic

engineers. We need to focus on having engineers at least in the first two

digital components such as design software and embedded software.