India stands at a juncture in tech domain when sometimes a daring act or remark may just be the catalyst for innovation so, unwanted changes to H-1B visa fees and duties slapped on India from the U.S. are threatening key industries in India and making to reevaluate tech strategies.
It is one such parameter called by Balaji Vishwanathan, whose bold outlook on India’s technological future has found resonance among since the U.S. based entrepreneur proposed ideas that are still in the process of materialization but could give a push to India in leading the charge of global technology leadership.
How can RBI lead the Charge?
The Vishwanathan’s vision draws a challenge in India of reinvent to take its technological destiny into her own hands among his most interesting ideas is one concerning the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which always transfers surplus funds to the central government. Jose suggested that the RBI’s Rs. 12 trillion surpluses be used to build India’s entire tech ecosystem.
The amount might seem exaggerated not far from a fairy tale given the Rs. 2.1 trillion transfers made in 2023-24 and anticipated Rs. 2.69 trillion for 2024-25. The central question raised by Vishwanathan is, Can India channel that surplus into building independent and self-sustaining technology infrastructure?
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BharatOS: India’s Own Operating System for All Devices
One of the central propositions contained in Vishwanathan’s vision is BharatOS, an indigenous operating system derived from AOSP. The gist of this vision is to develop a local OS for mobile phones, TVs and even laptops so that India could reduce its dependence on foreign operating systems such as Android and iOS.
The example of China’s HarmonyOS, Vishwanathan believes that India should build BharatOS as a public good instrument, just like UPI (Unified Payments Interface).
To facilitate this transition, device manufacturers developing devices powered by BharatOS may be subsidized while companies still making gadgets based on Android or iOS should be subjected to higher tariffs. This bold measure may change how Indian users culturally relate to technology and foster the Indian spirit of innovation.
What is Sovereign Source Repository of India?
Vishwanathan also envisions “Sovereign Source Repository of India” (SSRI) as an alternate for bypassing dependence on foreign software hosting services like GitHub. This would serve as a Centralized platform for open-source development tailor made for Indian needs and languages.
Along with this, Rs. 100 billion be set aside to assist developers to create applications that utilize Indian technologies such as UPI and Aadhaar. Vishwanathan highlights the importance of an ecosystem to support Indian nature and languages free from interference from Western intellectual property restrictions.
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What is Bharat Tube?
Building Indian centric social networks what Vishwanathan terms Bharat Connect and Bharat Tube would shape the future of social media. These would be aimed toward fulfilling the peculiar aspirations of Indian users and hence create a content space encapsulating India’s cultural diversity.
By mobilizing a Rs. 1.5 billion creator fund India could incentivize these influencers and content creators to migrate to the new platforms and liberate them from the foreign-funded social media dominion.
What is the Hindustani Flow?
Hindustani Flow is an AI model dedicated to generating and understanding Indian languages. This would solve the large deficit of local-language content, empowering the Indian tech ecosystem with culturally relevant AI solutions. This forms an important piece in the larger vision to develop a self-sustainable ecosystem that bears a strong Indian character.
What is a Vision for the Future by Technology?
Vishwanathan’s ideas depict an inspiring roadmap for India toward reclaiming her tech sovereignty from the clutches of foreign dependencies. The nation has capital, talent and a huge market to fuel its innovation. By pushing for BharatOS, sovereign software repositories and home-based social networks, India could become a tech hub that doesn’t look over its shoulders for validation to innovate.
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Disclaimer: The views and proposals presented in this article are based on Balaji Vishwanathan’s personal vision and are not yet implemented or official.
