Over the past couple of years, the world has seen accelerated adoption of virtual learn and work. As the situation unfolds, we are heading towards a hybrid future for learning and working. This has given rise to the need for digital infrastructure that can sustain hybrid learning and working.
For a nation such as India and its vast expanse, a long-term road map with a focus on enabling technological infrastructure for government schools will offer the much-needed boost to primary education. Since students from higher and upper-middle-income groups have transitioned to online/hybrid learning modes, underprivileged and lower-income families have had to bear the brunt of frequent lockdowns and school closures.
Besides students, teachers have also been impacted by the disruption. In addition to providing digital tools to ensure uninterrupted learning, the government must support training programmes to upskill the teachers of government schools and prepare them for online teaching needs in the future.
Similarly, access to technology among the government staff is very limited during health emergencies. We have seen government departments being forced to call their staff to ensure smooth functioning of the machinery and citizen services.
We expect the finance minister to prioritise the safety of millions of government employees and provide them with the adequate technological infrastructure to discharge their duties remotely, in case of any emergencies. This will not only ensure their safety but also improve efficiencies across government departments.
The government has announced incentive schemes to promote the manufacturing of electronics and IT hardware in India. To further promote IT products manufacturing, the government needs to expand incentives to build a robust electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India. We firmly believe that the government in the upcoming budget will focus on expanding incentives for other IT products that are critical for efficient manufacturing of products like laptops, desktops and other computing products.
(The author is Managing Director, HP India.)
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