Articles
Accelerating Digital Transformation In Challenging Times
Dt: 22/4/21
Accelerating Digital Transformation
In
Challenging Times
- Dr T H Chowdary*
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The title of this article is the subject, the ITU (International Telecommunications Union, a specialist body of the United Nations) has advised countries’ leaders and intellectuals to deliberate upon 17th May, the World Telecom and Information Society Day. The world is facing the challenge of the pandemic , COVID-19 which has already taken more than 3 mln lives world wide. It is still raising, especially in India ; economic distress among middle and lower classes, psychological depression and anxiety among many are discernible . There is however a silver lining, occasioned by forcing people to work and live in a different way . Ubiquitous and affordable telecommunications and internet and smart phones are enabling people to face the challenge of disability, distress and death COVID- 19 is occasioning. Let us asses the challenge and change.
2. The most impressive change is that over 5 mln Indian IT professionals have been working from home since a year. They save on travel time and expense. India’s IT companies have reported 7-10% increase in revenues and profits during the fiscal 2020-‘21. 93% professionals have said they like to work this way from home.
3. The second impressive response to the challenge is on education and learning. Children aged seven and above are receiving lessons from teachers on-line on the smart phones in their homes. Many homes have turned into work places – parents and children at different tables in the same home and at the same time.
On-line classes can be alright for post -metric education for children above the age 15 years. But learning by children is to be cultivated by Gurus , teachers. Inquisitiveness, exploration, discovery , values , morals , ethics and humanness and spirituality can only be implanted buy Guru- Sishya interaction. Children under 15 need guidance. Later they can themselves cultivate jignasa ( inquisitiveness) instilled by the Gurus.
4. The cell phone in the hands of over 90% of the 1300 mlns Indians is doing wonders. Most payments, receipts and remittances are done on-line. Even the less “educated” are having money transactions digitally . The average revenue per user (ARPU) per month is under a measly Rs.250, up from Rs. 125 before the pandemic and work from home. The pre-paid subscriptions and re-charging facilities from millions of shops have made transactions almost painless and instantaneous.
5. The conspicuous and deplorable exceptions to ease of work and life is electioneering and balloting which can be easily non-physical that is digital. Voting by shareholders of companies and members of scientific and engineering societies have been migrated to canvassing on social media and electoral voting, but not elections to parliament, state legislatures and local bodies. The current wave of elections in different States in the traditional manner; large public meetings, road shows , door to door visits, lining up before election booths have become super spreaders of COVID -19 striking presidents Chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs, cinema stars and the common folks - just as the death is the leveller , so has COVID-19 become the leveller.
Death, the Leveller:
The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things
There is no armour against fate
Death lays his icy hands on kings
Sceptre and crown
Must tumble down
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor, crooked scythe and spade…
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust
-James Shirely, the English poet (1599-1666)
6. While death cannot be avoided, COVID-19 can be avoided by among others digitalized elections. The process is described in the note#1
7. It is amazing why the Election Commission of India and tech-savvy BJP have not implemented canvassing on electronic media only and balloting only on-line from homes/work places.
8. Marriages in India especially among the affluent are socially and nationally costly and vulgar. These can go digital avoiding physical movement. The suggested migration to e-marriages is at note # 2.
9. National and international conferences, inaugurations , trials in judicial courts , memorial lectures, are all going over webinars; zoom has been having booming business - saving on travel and hotel expenses, reducing pollution and energy consumption – all welcome developments. War is also going into digital form - enemies’ control and command networks , logistics will all be disrupted by injecting viruses. Israel’s repeated devastating attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz are an example of such wars. Space is getting militarized and software is getting weaponized . Artificial Intelligence and Robotization will profoundly influence every aspect of human activity. Human memory becomes unnecessary; it is getting outsourced to the world wide webs (WWW) . All these developments in digitalization can be human friendly if wisely and ethically used.
10. ICTs can migrate the way we work and live and learn to new ways with economic and social benefits. People will communicate for work and commute only for pleasure. The migration is however, not without some pain. Inadequate bandwidth and falling signal strength; getting glued to inanimate devices, absence of emotionally elevating socializing ; rising home electricity and telecommunication and expenses; home loosing its “familyness “ by becoming a multi-functional work place.
11. Men learn to adapt. Evolution involves change. Those who cannot adapt will get distressed and decay. Long ago Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson wrote:
“The old order changeth yielding place to new
Lest one good custom should corrupt the entire world”.
As a French lesson says:
“Nous verrons bien d’autres choses
Encore ! On n’rrete pas le progress”
(We will well see yet other things . One cannot stop progress.)
Note1: IT & Elections Ref: See Para:6
Note 2: E-Marriages Ref: See Para:8
(926 words)
END
Aug'99
Telecoms: I.T and Elections
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
The Election Commission has ordered that the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh shall not have meetings with District officials using audio conference i.e ( tele-conferencing) on the telecom network. Tele-conferencing is far less expensive than if the District officials are called to Hyderabad or any other place. The Election Commission has not banned the Chief Minister holding conferences with District officials by calling them to any place. Is there any sense in ruling that a conference requiring physical bodies is permissible but not having them on a telecom network? It appears that either the Election Commission is ignorant as to what tele-conferencing is or is prejudiced or is simply appeasing some quarters .
2. Election Commission has also banned advertising on the electronic media - various TV Channels and presumably Radio also by political parties. This is again senseless. The essense of democracy is public information and debate. Electors must have information so that they can weigh the relevant merits of contending candidates. Going to a meeting, transported in trucks like cattle is far more expensive, inconvenient and is just a thamasha organised by political parties. On the other hand, listeners of Radio and viewers of TV can be in their own places and without any special preparation or any expense, listen to what the politicians and political parties are saying.
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This is the best use that electronic media and information technology can be put. Indeed we must look forward to a situation where all political meetings and rallies in the open are banned as they are expensive and a nuisance to the public and are the cause of mounting election expenses. Meetings should be only under a roof which would mean that only the interested and understanding would gather there. Radio and TV media can be assigned for about 10 hours a day say, ten days in advance of the elections, to the candidates and political parties for putting forth their views and engaging in discussions and debates. Citizens can query them by calling them on telephone from anywhere and such calls may be paid for by the State. If this type of electioneering using information technology and the electronic media is adopted, much of the need for election expenses will decline and therewith the black money, that is in a variety of ways accumulated and spent for elections . Elections have become expensive because of the fashionable practice of political parties staging huge rallies to which the least informed persons are collected by paying them for a trip to the place of the rallies. The payment includes food and drink and entertainment and pleasures.
3. The Election Commission is unfortunately conducting itself not in a very enlightened way but in a prejudiced and reactionary manner. We should hope that after the elections, the intelligent among politicians and parties will prevail to see that information technology is used to the largest extent to cut down on election expenses including the preparatory time for elections .
4. Even for voting and counting and for the declaration of results, Information Technology can be used most effectively and efficiently. Every eligible voter should be required to register himself on proof of his residence, age, citizenship and identity . Enumeration should be given up . Registration should be by using computers. The elector should be photographed and his photo stored in the digital memory of a computer . A computer- generated identity card giving his photo, the constituency number, his address, his date of birth, parents etc, details could be given then and there. If at the place of registration there are representatives of political parties they could challenge the bonafides of the person wanting to register such objections that may be disclosed of in a judicial manner. This procedure prevents enumeration of bogus voters. This can also prevent multiple registrations if the computers at various places used for registration are inter-linked and verification for duplication catered to in the software. On election day electors should be required to go to the booths where PCs are kept . The voter can show his identity and he can be instructed as to how to register his vote. When once his vote is cast, the computers should reject a second time voting by him. It shall be sufficient if computers in about half a dozen adjacent constituencies are linked together to avoid multiple voting by the same voter. When once voting is closed in the next few hours the result could be declared. To try out this technology elections for a Zilla Parishad or a by -election for an Assembly seat may be taken up . The Election Commission should take up this responsibility and not look to the government . It would then be doing a great service to cleanse the Indian election system of many corruptions.
5. In further improvement it should be possible for a bonafide voter to vote from any place in India. He should be able putting the constituency number and the name of the candidate he is voting for when he keys in his registered voter number he should be in front of a camera . The computer may compare the photo already recorded against the voter registration number and the voter on view before the camera. If they match the green light can come and the voter can press the button for the candidate he wants to be elected.
(900 words).
END
Dt: 20 May 2011
E- Marriages
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
Vulgar and ostentatious spending on marriage celebrations and feasts is on the increase. The amount spent is running into crores of rupees. This induces immorality, greed, envy and hence instability in society. Besides, there is wasteful consumption of petrol for cars and other modes of travel to attend these marriage celebrations and feasts. Information technology can be used to cut down all these and save a lot for the nation.
2. Along with the invitation, food coupons for 2 or 3 people authorizing as many meals in designated hotels can be sent to be used on the day of the marriage. The invitees can then have the marriage feast in their own towns and cities nearest to their homes. This will save lot on travel and associate expenses and congestion around the marriage sites.
3. The actual ceremony can be viewed by people in their homes if the marriage ceremony could be web -cast and the website address is printed on the invitation. Some of the TV channels can be asked to uplink also and the channel details maybe printed in the invitation. Alternately or in addition, people can log on to the website and see the marriage as it is performed.
4. With the above two arrangements, the marriage crowds will be manageable. Only the near and dear relatives can have a meaningful witness of the marriage. (228 words)
Director : Center for Telecom Management & Studies
Chairman : Pragna Bharati, Andhra Pradesh
Convenor: Bharatiya Dharma rakshana Samakhya
Fellow: Tata Consultancy Services
Former: Information Technology Advisor: Government of Andhra Pradesh
Chairman & Managing Director, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd
Advisor: Satyam Computer Services
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