IT czar Azim Premji said a permanent hybrid work model would give flexibility to women working from home in great numbers and drive inclusive growth.
“The IT industry and the government have appreciated the value of a permanent hybrid model where people would work partly from office and the home even after the end of the pandemic.
This model will have a huge comparative advantage and drive inclusive growth, better participation from all parts of the country, and a greater number of women who would have the flexibility to work from home,” Premji said addressing an interactive session hosted by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce here yesterday.
He also said over 90 percent of people in the technology industry are continuing to work from home as they worked during the Covid lockdown.
“Within the first few weeks of the (COVID-19-induced) lockdown, over 90 percent of the technology industry was working from home, and even today over 90 percent of people
continue to work from home,” he said.
Premji said the year 2020 showed that technology was people’s lifeline and played a vital role in ensuring that the government’s social schemes reached the beneficiaries.
Availability of digital infrastructure in tier-2 cities has helped a great many businesses to thrive, he stated.
On IT sector growth amid the pandemic, Premji said India’s IT sector is expected to grow at 2.3 percent and add $4 billion in revenue to its exports at the end of March 31, 2021.
However, the country’s growth will decline by 7 percent in the same period, he stated.
He also said continued progressive policies of the government will help the sector grow.
Premji stepped down as Wipro chairman and managing director in 2019, handing over the company’s reins to his son Rishad. The IT czar now holds the position of Wipro founder-chairman and non-executive director.
