Bridgital Nation :  A Book That I Read

Suman K Sharma

s2m2nr@gmail.com

BRIDGITAL NATION can well be a roadmap for our country's planners. It can also serve as a source of inspiration for seekers of gainful employment. Published in 2019, the book has won high praise from cognizant circles. Ratan N. Tata, former chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons, says this in his Foreword: 'BRIDGITAL NATION tackles the strategic options available for a country to truly develop in a world driven and shaped by technological change.' Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft, opines that the book 'offers a penetrating look at today's India and suggests a novel approach for reimagining automation as a human aid, and not a replacement.'

Author N. Chandrasekaran is the chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group. Besides, he has been on the Board of the Reserve Bank of India. Co-author Roopa Purushothaman held the appointment of chief economist at the Tata Group and was the head of policy advocacy there. She also co-authored the 2003 Goldman Sachs Report, Dreaming with BRICS: The Path to 2050.

'It is 2030. India is among the world's top three economies. All Indians use advanced technologies to either do their job or get their job done. All Indians have access to quality jobs, better healthcare and skill-based education. Technology and human beings coexist in a mutually beneficial ecosystem.'

That is the vision the book brings to us on its front flap. '2030' is likely a typo, '2050' would be more in order. During his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi also reminded the audience that our country is set to be VIKSIT BHARAT by the time we complete 100 years of freedom. The goal seems achievable. Authors Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushothaman propose that the country should join a little more spiritedly in the Industrial Revolution 5.0. Rather than worrying about smart systems taking away jobs from us, their advice is that we should focus on the need to synergize with automation. The title of the book, 'Bridgital Nation', aptly sums up its intent: 'For a country that cannot wait' to 'bridge' the gap with the 'digital'.

The gap that they allude to exists between the country's pressing needs and their fulfilment. On the one hand 'India's ranks will swell to 1.5 billion (150 crore).' The burgeoning population has to be given easy access to vital services such as health and education. And on the other hand, there are 700 million (70 crore) Indians below the age of thirty, and 'every month on average, a million (10 lakh) more Indians become of working age.' This calls for a massive expansion in the job-market, both for the employers and all those who can be employed; with the attendant necessity to envisage new jobs and prepare the workforce to handle them. It is here that the country requires a digital technology most suited to its ecosystem.

The book offers a three-pronged strategy for that. The first, of course, is the BRIDGITAL - 'deliberate use of digital technology': Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT). (IoT are a network of physical devices - sensors used in cars, for instance - that can by themselves share data and connect to networks.) These assets prove a great help in accessing vital services, and at the same time create jobs. The second strategy involves THE XX FACTOR - 'bringing women to workforce'. We have 120 million (12 crore) women, educated at secondary level. It has been estimated that if 'even half of this group of women entered the workforce, in one stroke…(it) could add rupees 31 trillion (31 lakh crore) to the country's GDP.' And the third is EVERYWHERE ENTREPRENEURSHIP - Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) such as local hotels, health clinics and salons et cetera which can 'potentially shift 45 million (4.5 crore) workers to more productive employment'. The authors opine that such 'entrepreneurship can flourish through the development of Bridgital clusters that integrate and extend a range of digital services.'

Proper education is an essential complement to these efforts. The consequences of poor education in India are everywhere to see. In village schools, barely half of the fifth-graders are able to read a second-grade text; and only one in three of the third-graders are able to do basic arithmetic sums of addition and subtraction. 'The gap in grade-appropriate skills persists through school and college, and as they make their way into the workforce.' More seriously, there is a basic flaw in our education system. A nineteenth-century education system cannot prepare a twenty-first century workforce. The authors recommend instead an education system that 'nurtures agile and digitally native problem solvers.'

Such sore points notwithstanding, there are heart-warming stories of people who, thanks to their determination, inherent talent and a little push from Bridgital, have achieved great success in their chosen fields. Nikhil Burman, a driver, 'with no medical training at all', now helps gravely sick people of Assam to access the best medical treatment available in the region. Jasleen Kaur of Bathinda broke the barriers of gender, caste and poverty to become a police officer, earning respect of her community.

Then there is the story of Accredited Social Health Associate (ASHA) drive of the government of Karnataka which has enabled the likes of a middle-aged homemaker, Aminah Sheikh, to contribute significantly to the healthcare of the locals. Initially, ASHA workers 'accompanied women for delivery, ensured that babies were immunized, checked up on antenatal and prenatal cases, and distributed medicines to tuberculosis patients.' Their skills have since been upgraded with training. They now screen people with non-communicable diseases that included diabetes, heart disease and cancer.' Provided with tablets, they register people with healthcare system. Their collective efforts have yielded an app named Clinicograph, which keeps health records of the people. The locals don't have to travel long distances anymore for medical advice. And what is more, Clinicograph makes it possible for their doctors to consult distant specialists in complicated cases.

India is seeing transformation. Only well-versed statisticians can say precisely to what extent. But certain things are right before our eyes. We have achieved great success with our Aadhar number and UPI money-transfers. I live in Delhi and move about in remote places during my treks. UPI transfers are accepted everywhere. Connectivity through mobile is amazing. Employment is also on the upswing. The rate of unemployment in India during 2019 was around 6.5 percent, and as of June 2026, it has come down to 5.5 percent. The PM's resolves to train 1 crore youths in AI in a year, as also to encourage startups and MSMEs are well timed.

The first quarter of the century has already passed. We cannot afford to be tardy in our efforts.