PSU, technology are pivotal to India’s growth story: Experts -Governance Now

PSU, technology are pivotal to India’s growth story: Experts

Governance Now fourth PSU Awards: A panel discussion stressed upon the need and usefulness of technology in developing India

GN Bureau | December 24, 2016

#Governance Now #Awards #Ram Vilas Paswan #Babul Supriyo #technology #Thinkthrough Consulting #M76 consulting #PSU

Technology can play a crucial role in helping PSUs perform better and strengthen India, said a panel of experts on public policy and business at a panel discussion during Governance Now fourth PSU Awards ceremony held on Friday in Delhi.

Parul Soni, global managing partner, Thinkthrough Consulting (TTC), started off the discussion on ‘Unlocking the potential of PSUs’ by saying that when industrialisation was taking place, PSUs contributed a lot in the making of India.

Sanjeev Gupta, general manager, Microsoft India, said that about four years ago, prime minister Narendra Modi had said that IT is equal to IT. “What he meant was that India today is equal to India tomorrow. PSUs (in that respect are) a very strong pillar for the growth of India.”

READ: PSUs are a great tool for economic development: Babul Supriyo

Jai Mrug, founder of M76 Analytics, talked about the whole aspect of analytics and how it can be used for the public sector and the masses. Mrug emphasised the need to first define analytics. “Analytics is about finding a cause and effect relationship. It is about demystifying information.” Mrug added that governments today across the globe are using a lot of analytics, say for, where they should go to locate and develop a hospital.

Harbhajan Singh, former director general, National Productivity Council, said that PSUs are the backbone for creating infrastructure in the country. “Our core industry needs a technological base. It is very important to provide leadership for that industry.”

READ: Despite privatisation, fantastic growth in PSU sector: Vinit Goenka

Giving an example of how Microsoft has used technology to help people, Gupta said that their firm researched agriculture, and picked up the socio-economic patterns to predict on which particular day farmers should sow their seeds. He said that the results had been fantastic. “Secondly, can you predict whether a 9th standard student is going to drop out of school, and then bring it to the government’s notice so that it can make correct interventions? We have done that in multiple states successfully,” said Gupta.

Highlighting the use and need of analytics, Mrug said that access to information and data must lead to a decision-making process. “You should be able to build a strategy, and then proper action should be built upon that.”

Singh talked about the importance of technology and said that it can make the lives of people more productive, but added that the required infrastructure today is not available. “It (infrastructure) should reach the villages,” he said.

READ: PSUs are in direct competition with private sector: Ram Vilas Paswan

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