IT industry must look beyond tier-1 cities: Expert

HUBBALLI: The digital revolution can be called a success only when remote areas gain access to new trends in information technology, said Giridhara Madakashira, principal architect and head of solutions, Altimetrik Solutions.
At a seminar organized by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) here on Saturday, he asked IT players to look at rural areas to set up their units.He said India has become the nerve centre of the IT industry because of its large population, government initiatives and its legion of talent.
He said IT can be employed in rural areas through sensors gauging the development of crops and the quantity of pesticides. Environmental conditions and water content in soil could also be studied through IT.
Stressing on e-governance, Madakashira said citizens can get civic issues resolved through the initiative by send photographs of problem areas to the officials concerned. The initiative has been launched as pilot as Namma Sankalpa in Bengaluru, he added.
Shohib Ahmed, president of Tally Solutions, highlighted the adage of the customer being the king of any enterprise. He asked participants to question and contravene the rules of running a business.
Ashok Pamidi, regional head of Nasscom, pointed at the stead supply of talent to the IT sector from Hubballi. By developing IT firms in tier-2 cities, the brain drain to metropolitan areas can be prevented and local talent can be used for the development of the region, he added.