DIGITAL BHARAT SUMMIT 2015Powering Inclusive Growth

through ICTSome basic Observations

Dr. Gopi GhoshConsultant / Director

Asian Institute of Poverty AlleviationNew Delhi

Critical time in history

• Resurgent India – new energy /optimism• Favourable confluence- both int & ext• Expected High GDP growth• Clear vision e.g Make in India• Digital transformation• Knowledge economy• Strong pitch for Inclusive growth• Bharat vs India --- Rural vs urban • Poor vs Rich ---- unreached vs on-board

Certain Requisites

• Strong impetus to manufacturing• Small and medium enterprises• Conducive Business climate • Ease of doing business• All-comprehensive reforms • Infrastructure• Investment • Create jobs

Important challenges

• Huge unemployment/ under-employment• Rising youth – 12 m entering job market annually• Largely unemployable 450 m workforce– only 8-9%

in organized sector • Bereft of any marketable skills – India barely 2% skilled

- S Korea- 92%- most dev’d – btw 50-90%• Agriculture continues to employ 57% – sustains 70% of

rural people’s livelihood - but with only 14% GDP• Exacerbates Rich-poor ~ rural-urban divide• Persistent Agriculture crisis

Agriculture crisis

• Food security, demand for food, fibre, fodder• “Sustainability” …..“Asymmetry” …..”Efficiency”• Yield /growth stagnation, resource degradation • Climate change - looming food & livelihood insecurity• Small farmer’s distress – institution & investment** price

& market • “Fatigue” – production- technology - policy • persistent poverty, lack of health, education, comm. etc.

….overall hopelessness in rural areas• migration from agriculture/rural – feminization/ageing• Loss of HR - to no one’s advantage

Priority attention….

• Provide decent livelihoods • Jobs creation ( in jobless growth scenario)• Business climate-Ease-of-doing business• Labour intensive manufacturing /services• Proactive reforms – incl. Labour reform • Investment – Infrastructure- entrepreneurship• Create Quality workforce• Aggressive skill development • To reap Demographic dividend

Demographic dividendCountry Population (m)

2008 2020

Median age

2008 2020

China 1321 1383 37.6 42.0

Japan 128 123 44.2 48.6

USA 304 330 36.8 38.0

INDIA 1153 1334 24.4 28.1

Take away people from farm sector…..People Engaged in Agri 1991

(in mill.)2011

(in mill.)% change

Total population 846 1211 43

Cultivators 111 119 7

Agri Labourers 75 144 93

% Share of power in Indian farms

1971-72 1991-92 2012-13

Agri workers 15 9 5

Draught animals 44 17 5

Machines 39 79 90

Some Critical Questions..• How to provide employment to these large unskilled

workforce from agriculture to other sectors?• How to realize Make in India mission possible w/o quality

skilled workforce?• How to ensure Inclusive growth – economic, financial social,

digital, women…..?• What way to overhaul total Education: functional- higher-

vocational training- to create hard / soft skills?• How to increase current skill dev capacity to supply targeted

500 m skilled force by 2022?• In what way Digital Technology can make things possible?

Digitally yours…

E-governance

E- agriculture

E-health/ e-care

E-educationE-services

Ecommerce / e-tailing

E-finance & e-banking

ICT in agriculture • Knowledge, production, markets, price, weather, precision tech.,analytics, land

recorsd, water mgmt, waste mgmt, pest monitoring, survaillance, early warning • Mobile, farm-portal, call center, radio, social media, GIS/GPS, sensors, soil e-card • i-kisan, m-krishi, e-sewa, e-sagu, e-chaupal, RML, Digital Green, RFID, PDA

Inclusive growth• Financial inclusion, social schemes, PDS, MNREGA, subsidies, Insurance, Gender

analytics, inclusion of women, youth, disabled, weaker sections• JAM_ Jandhan yojana, ADHAR, mobile banking, social software & networking, RuPay

Kisan card, suraksha Bima yojana, sr citizen welfare

Smart cities• Smart traffic/transport, energy grid, smart lighting, smart building, water mgmt, waste

mgmt, wifi network, pollution monitoring, supply& logistics, security surveillance• Monitoring tools, sensors, Comm. Protocols, M2M, metering device, EWS, mobile

apps, wearable devise, smart cams, signal proc. tech, GIS/GPS, tracking & monitoring,

Digital interventions• Improves the speed, accuracy, efficiency, inclusivity and

cost -effectiveness of all social and dev interventions • Ensures Inclusion and involvement - as Digital exclusion

proved to deepen social and economic exclusion• Warrants people to be made a dominant partner in design

& choice of technology, interface arrangements, decision on service providers, assessment of costs and benefits.

• To converge unlimited potential of IT, ITES, mobile telephony, internet, broadcast network. M2M, etc. thru pragmatic policy app. to make Digital India a reality

Digital India would necessitate• Cooperation & commitment from both private and

public – spectacular mobile penetration - alter rural India • Aggressive Skill dev, training, exposure to engage people

in ICT and other technical areas• Improved basic infrastructure- power, telephony, road,

comm., health, education etc – to sustain e-intervention• Dynamic research and innovation in these fields• Durable partnerships btw public, private & others with

Govt to enforce enabling regulations + provide basic infra- private sec to provide ICT infra, know-how &services

THANKS