• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

If one were to step back and consider the challenges before the IT industry in India over a 5 year or longer time frame, the single aspect that comes to mind is shortage of talent. Demand scenario may fluctuate in the near term given the state of the US economy, but the offshoring trend is here to stay and grow rapidly. A stronger rupee will have to be dealt with by the industry through pricing, productivity increases etc. and government sops in this regard would help litt le. Phasing out of tax incentives is a reality in the longer term, and one can only wish for postponement of the pain, not complete avoidance.

However, the single most worrisome aspect is where will companies find the manpower to execute the kind of projects that are expected to come India’s way. In such a scenario, policy makers could provide the possible thrust to IT services by boosting the education sector. Incentivising increased private sector participation would help set up massive institutions across the nation.

Vikram Beniwal,

Head – Information Technology,

Baring Private Equity Partners India

Stories in this Section
‘Job guarantee scheme for all rural districts soon’

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line