Slow and Steady wins the Race ?

India Today ( 03 Oct 2016 ) carries a news report titled :

"  IT Min approves 9,000 seats for call centres in small towns  "

Following are the details :

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" IT Ministry today said it has given its in-principal approval for around 9,000 seats in business process outsourcing (BPO) units across several small cities of the country

"I remember during my visit to Bengaluru, people from North-East, Bihar and other places asked me to do something so that they can work in their hometowns. I am happy that with BPOs in small towns, people will be able to work without any need to leave their native place," IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while inaugurating a BPO workshop.

The Centre under its BPO promotion scheme will provide financial support for total of 48,300 seats to be set up across country with total outlay of Rs 493 crore.

The scheme has provision to provide 50 per cent of actual expenditure with cap of Rs 1 lakh per seat.

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Dear Shri Prasad :

While congratulating you on this initiative , I would request you to relook my following blog (sent as email to you ):

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Sunday, 26 July 2015

If Mohamed cannot go to Mountain

There is an old saying:

" If Mohamed cannot go to Mountain , let Mountain go to Mohamed "

In today's internet era , an equivalent would be :

" If people cannot go to where jobs are , let jobs go to where people live "

Remember , in 2015 , it is much easier / cheaper to import " digital service " based jobs into India , then to export people to foreign countries , where they will face a lot of resistance / animosity from local citizens

Examples :

Call Canters  /  BPO  /  RPO  / LPO  /  KPO ....any PO ( Process Outsourcing )

May be this is what was in the mind of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ( Minister for Communication and Information Technology ) , when he proposed setting up of 480 Call Centers ( @ 100 seats each )

As per Minister ,

*    These will be set up in smaller towns

*    These will be distributed State-Population wise

*    Union Government will give Rs 1 lakh subsidy per seat

*    Established Company will hand-hold a local entrepreneur for setting up

      the Call Center

*    Local entity can be an agency ,society ,individual ,partnership ,Company

*    State Governments will need to provide electricity / security

*    Center will soon issue call for expression of interest

But with 100 persons working in each shift , that would generate employment for only ,

480*100*3 = 1,44,000  youth 

And we have 12 million  people joining our work force every year  !

Can we find ways to generate in small towns , millions of jobs for 3.5 million students graduating from our colleges , each year ?

It is possible , with following  " OUT OF THE BOX " thinking :

#   SPACE

India boasts of over 1.3 million schools . These school buildings are occupied for only 8/10 hours per day

Let Government frame rules which encourage these school-buildings to turn into Call Centers after 5 pm

For a 100 seat Center , Government is planning to give a subsidy of Rs 100 lakhs

If 25 % of this subsidy is passed on to a school , it will be happy to lease out its premises to a Call Center

#   BROAD-BAND

Under " Digital India " program , let Union Government provide a 100 Mb broadband connection to each such " School-cum- Call Center " , free of cost

That will also help the students to freely access digital education content throughout the day

#   BLACK  MONEY

Launch an Amnesty Scheme under which black money is permitted to be invested into setting up such Call Centers

No questions asked as to the source . No penalty to be paid . No income tax on earnings for 10 years

There can be no better way to put these money to a mainstream and productive use !

All that debate of " Rewarding " the tax-evaders while " Penalizing " the honest tax payers , is merely academic

India's problems are unlikely to be solved by academicians !

These can be solved , only by pragmatists  !

Luck happens when " preparedness " meets " opportunity "

My suggestions will prepare us to make 21st Century , an Indian Century !

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04  Oct  2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs