Vinod Bhat
New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, convened an Industry Consultation on ‘Supporting AI Transformation of IT Services Industry’ in Kochi, Kerala. The consultation was chaired by Shri S Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, MeitY, and organised by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Kochi.
The meeting brought together senior officials from MeitY, the Government of Kerala, and industry representatives to discuss the current challenges, growth avenues, and Government support and interventions required to catalyse the AI transformation of India’s IT Services sector into an AI services industry.
India’s IT industry contributes about USD 246 billion in annual exports and employs around 6 million professionals, making it one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy. Generative AI is rapidly gaining traction across IT and BPM processes, with companies leveraging it for greater productivity and cost optimisation. Client expectations are also shifting from process management to end-to-end transformation solutions. This is driving demand for new skills and domain-centric job roles across verticals such as BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing and retail.
The consultation discussed the following key areas:
- How the IT Services industry is adapting to AI-led changes in service delivery and client expectations.
- The need for large-scale upskilling and reskilling of the Indian IT/BPM workforce in AI and digital technologies to maintain global competitiveness.
- Investments in AI, GenAI, Agentic AI, automation, analytics and cloud technologies, and the development of AI-powered products, co-pilots and automation platforms.
- Expansion of IT/BPM operations into new and emerging IT hubs to generate employment and ensure balanced regional growth.
The consultation focused on assessing industry efforts towards reskilling, talent development and technological upgradation, and on understanding how the Government can support the sector in its transformation journey.
During the consultation, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, said, “The development and deployment of AI applications will require a large number of trained human resources. That is what India has to offer to the world. The focus must shift from concerns about job loss to investing in reskilling, upskilling, talent development and technological upgradation.”
The consultation aligns with the IndiaAI Mission, approved by the Cabinet in March 2024, and complements the initiatives under IndiaAI Application Development and IndiaAI Futureskills Initiatives.
The consultation was attended by Shri K K Singh, Joint Secretary, MeitY; IT Secretary, Government of Kerala; Shri Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar, Director and Head of Division, SIPD Division, MeitY; Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI; Shri Ganesh Nayak, Director, STPI, Kochi; Shri Vishwas Shrivastava, Scientist E, MeitY; and senior representatives from the IT industry.
