Union Budget 2025: CP Gurnani calls for more allocation on skilling, computing infrastructure

As the countdown to the Union Budget 2025 begins, former Tech Mahindra CEO and industry veteran CP Gurnani has emphasised the need for a focus on upskilling initiatives and computing infrastructure.

Talking with PTI, Gurnani highlighted that India's technology exports are approximately $250 billion and enhanced government support in skilling and upskilling initiatives is needed to be successful.

"India's exports are approximately $250 billion in the technology sector. And for us to be successful, I think we need to allocate a lot more to skilling and upskilling.

We need to involve the academia. We need to involve the schools...We would need the government's support there," he said.

He also highlighted the need for a more distributed and cost-effective computing infrastructure.

Gurnani, who recently started an AI venture, AIonOS, noted that enhancements are crucial to support growth in the tech sector.

He expressed confidence in the Modi government's responsiveness to suggestions."The compute infrastructure, it has to be a lot more distributed, a lot more cost-effective.

We need to anticipate how we leverage the future of technology, whether it is on compute or the new developments that are taking place. And I'm quite excited. I know that Prime Minister Modi's administration is very open.

"In the past, whenever nasscom and us have gone and met the Prime Minister's office or the Minister of IT Mr Ashwini Vaishnav, they are open to being responsive. So, budget is an enabler," he said.

Addressing domestic manufacturing, he acknowledged improvements in basic infrastructure, such as roads and digital connectivity.

He referred to India's digital infrastructure as "world-class" and emphasised that the country must aim for "ambitions to disrupt."