Today, there’s a new digital divide, says Amar Babu, president, Asia Pacific, Lenovo. “It is the gap between what India is now, and what it has the potential to become.” With extra superior know-how options and providers, India’s largest companies can remodel themselves and entry new markets, whereas small companies can flip new concepts into actuality, he tells Sudhir Chowdhary. Excerpts:
What are your ideas on the digital divide in India? What is Lenovo doing to bridge this hole?
The stark digital divide that existed previously is beginning to be addressed, partially because of strategic initiatives like Digital India. From enhancing connectivity proper by the system to boosting the digital economic system, India is already a digital powerhouse in some ways.
But a brand new digital divide has arisen of late: it’s the hole between what India is now and what it has the potential to grow to be. Businesses all through India are already utilizing core computing applied sciences, and have achieved huge success. But with extra superior know-how options and providers, the biggest companies can remodel themselves and entry new markets, whereas small companies can flip new concepts into actuality.
Likewise, whereas the previous two years have seen know-how performing as a lifeline for college students and educators, far more is feasible: right this moment, solely a small fraction of colleges in India are profiting from options like video convention apps, cloud-based doc sharing, distant entry to recordsdata, and on-line studying administration techniques. Furthermore, constructing accessibility options into know-how can unlock the potential of hundreds of thousands of under-served Indians. These embrace ladies and ladies, folks from distant areas, these utilizing minority languages, and other people with disabilities.
We intend supporting India with this subsequent degree of options – from hybrid cloud to edge options to synthetic intelligence – in order that it may grow to be a development engine for Asia and the remainder of the world.
Are there every other commitments/initiatives you’ve gotten undertaken in India?
India is a key marketplace for us. We not too long ago expanded our native manufacturing portfolio – our PC manufacturing facility in Puducherry has rolled out a 3rd manufacturing line and been doubled in capability – to supply the proper PCs, notebooks, tablets, smartphones and different units to our clients. This is opening doorways to extra skill-building alternatives and new partnerships that may push the native know-how and manufacturing trade in India.
Lenovo additionally supplies know-how for the underserved and entry to schooling in India. To date, our initiatives have impacted greater than 210,000 college students and seven,000 lecturers throughout India. We are working with organisations like Meghshala to help trainer coaching in 2,300 colleges in Karnataka and Manipur, benefitting over 5,000 lecturers. Our tie-up with Agastya International Foundation helps STEM schooling in authorities colleges in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai, serving to greater than 8,400 college students.
Besides our clients, we’re dedicated to supporting the world we dwell in and the communities we function in. We are establishing provider sustainability programmes all through the worldwide provide chain together with in India. At our manufacturing websites, we’re working in the direction of growing energy provide from renewable sources to 90% within the subsequent 4 years.
How has the pandemic impacted know-how adoption? How has it pushed Lenovo to innovate?
Users in all sectors are extra intimate with know-how right this moment than ever earlier than. We predict extra from our units, knowledge and the cloud. At the identical time, we face new challenges. This in flip creates catalysts for innovation. For instance, in healthcare we’re working with tech start-up AgVa Healthcare to make life-saving units extra accessible and inexpensive for hospitals. We have helped them change outdated respirators with 15,000 Lenovo tablets, offering a extra moveable and cost-effective choice.
In schooling, we partnered with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) to assist college students transition to distant studying in the course of the nationwide lockdown. We deployed 5,500 ready-to-use units, coupled with providers help and upkeep for gadget administration.
I’m actually excited to see what India can accomplish!
Source: www.financialexpress.com”