Embracing future-ready digital strategies for a greener, equitable world - Hindustan Times
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Embracing future-ready digital strategies for a greener, equitable world

ByHindustan Times
May 31, 2022 03:03 PM IST

The article has been authored by CP Gurnani, managing director & CEO, Tech Mahindra

As I pause to reflect on the unanticipated challenges that the world has been through in the past few years due to the pandemic, I am reminded of the famous saying by Charles Darwin, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Technology is an integral part of our everyday lives, and it needs to be leveraged further to unlock its full potential to create a sustainable future.
Technology is an integral part of our everyday lives, and it needs to be leveraged further to unlock its full potential to create a sustainable future.

The pandemic has changed our lives in multiple ways and has unleashed a wave of transformation within the society for the better. Let us look at how it has changed our priorities as we gear up to build a world that’s greener, and more equitable and progressive.

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Digital transformation initiatives across industries have enabled businesses and society to reinvent themselves during the adverse circumstances caused by the pandemic. It didn’t only prompt the organisations to strengthen their focus on resilience and agility, but also made them seriously think over strategies that would serve them good in the long-run – ensuring sustainable profits with minimal resources.

For instance, glaring realities witnessed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic taught us to re-strategise the approach towards health care. In 2020, within three months of the pandemic, 50 million Indians had access to telehealth services. With at least 80% of users having adopted the technology for the first time, healthcare providers should now consider how they can boost engagement by making the experience more user-friendly. The pandemic also propelled us to look deeper into issues such as the inequalities and imbalances in our operating environments and firmed up the need for a green and inclusive ecosystem with equitable and sustainable growth opportunities for all.

Technology is an integral part of our everyday lives, and it needs to be leveraged further to unlock its full potential to create a sustainable future. Niche digital skills such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Metaverse, Web 3.0, NFT, and Blockchain can play a great role in bringing people together. By empowering all end users with the ability to do things easily and effectively, technology has proved to be a great leveler in bridging the digital divide and transforming the world into a global village.

According to recent reports, India is home to 100 unicorns with a total valuation of $ 332.7 billion and interestingly, the pandemic years – i.e., years 2021 and 2020 witnessed a substantial increase in the number of Indian unicorns. To continue this growth momentum, the only way forward is to reskill, upskill, learn, unlearn, and relearn, to stay relevant at all times and rise to any challenge that life throws at us.

Social entrepreneurs who are the social innovators of a nation, can be the agents of change and lead to significant improvements by using innovative ideas. As per a recent report, 20,000 social enterprises in Australia employ more than 300,000 people and contribute 2-3% to their Gross Domestic Product. In India, agritech start-ups are a ray of hope for agriculture. They can develop innovative solutions to provide information and knowledge about various agronomic practices, perform organic farming, and automate farming procedures, by leveraging technologies such as big data analytics, IoT, and machine learning.

There is no Planet B and so we must undertake action to make the earth a haven for our future generations. Post the pandemic, it is important for all of us to shape a circular economy together and align our strategies to improve the triple bottomline of people, planet, and profits.

The issue of climate change, challenges of hazardous waste management, and environmental sustainability hit us hard during the pandemic. However, it has also painted a promising picture of how environmental sustainability can be a winning proposition for new-age businesses. Visible implications could be seen in business profitability due to the travel restrictions. Less traffic on roads and in the air led to a reduction in carbon emissions and drop in oil demand which led to a reduced oil price. It further translated into decreased pollution in urban areas. Procurement and technology teams across organisations and industries have thus stepped up the profitability game through initiatives like process automation and increased technology investment and adoption.

The inherent indomitable human spirit to survive is in itself a huge force that has helped us time and again to tide over crises – this time by riding high on the back of the digitalisation wave. It is truly the gateway to the future we have always imagined.

(The article has been authored by CP Gurnani, managing director & CEO, Tech Mahindra)

 

 

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