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Ashwini Phadnis

The CII initiative is the outcome of interactions a high-ranking delegation led by Mr N. R. Narayana Murthy, had with the officials of both the German industry and the Government recently.

NEW DELHI, March 5

IN an effort to achieve the potential of $ 5 billion worth of IT exports from India to Germany by 2008, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is undertaking a series of initiatives.

A German CIO delegation is to come calling in August-September this year. This is to be followed by a visit by an IT CEO mission to Germany towards the end of the year to further cement ties.

Besides, to overcome the language barrier, there is also a plan to initiate a programme under which 30,000 IT professionals will be taught German over the next few years. This is proposed as a private-public partnership between the Governments of India, Germany and the industry in both countries.

Furthermore, with an eye on the future, an internship programme is to be evolved which could annually see between 30-40 German students being given an internship in Indian software companies.

The CII initiative is the outcome of interactions that a high-ranking delegation led by the Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Limited, Mr N. R. Narayana Murthy, had with the officials of both the German industry and the Government recently. During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the advantages of outsourcing IT work to India.

The need for easing visa procedures for Indian software professionals was also raised at the various meetings.

The delegation stressed the need for continuation of the Green Card scheme, which is scheduled to finish in July this year and also suggested several improvements to the scheme.

The delegation suggested that the German Ministry of Labour should retain the Green Card scheme which would ensure growth of international trade, competitiveness and knowledge base. However, by maintaining the minimum salary levels and qualification (bachelor's degree/BS degree) linked to processing of the Green Cards, the Ministry of Labour could ensure that only genuine skilled labour was only allowed to enter the country, the delegation members felt.

At present, the German IT industry is estimated at about Euro 67 billion while India's current exports to Germany is a miniscule Euro 200 million.

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