Pune, February 1 (IANS). Deepak Shikarpur, Director, Kinetic Communications described the Union Budget 2026 as a turning point for India’s technological future. He claimed that this budget is going to take the country rapidly towards self-reliance and digital leadership.
Deepak Shikarpur said that he has been working in the IT industry for the last 41 years. He told that when he joined the IT industry in 1985, IT used to mean Income Tax, but today we have completely entered the era of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Digital World, where digitization is being discussed everywhere. A big and positive news came in the first five minutes of Union Budget 2026, the announcement of the launch of Semiconductor Mission 2.0. Along with this, focus will be on exploration of rare earth (rare minerals) in four states. This will give a big boost to hardware and electronic manufacturing in India in the coming times.
Shikarpur said that currently about 90 percent of India’s electronic component sector is dependent on China and Taiwan. If this manufacturing starts happening in India itself, then the Self-reliant India mission will get tremendous strength. He also described the provisions made in the budget regarding Artificial Intelligence as very important. According to him, the basic foundation of AI rests on data science and this is where the role of data centers and Global Capability Centers (GCC) becomes extremely important.
Deepak Shikarpur told that if multinational companies set up data centers in India, they will be given a tax holiday of 20 years, which in itself is a big relief and attractive initiative. Apart from this, a provision has also been made to give up to 40 percent grant to make data centers green. He said that there is a general perception that data centers consume a lot of water and electricity, but if they are encouraged towards green technology, it will help in environmental protection and will also prove beneficial for the earth.
Deepak Shikarpur appealed to the students, educational institutions and the audience saying that the jobs of the future are in data centers and GCC. He suggested that educational institutions should make changes in their curriculum before May 2026, so that the coming generation is not only proficient in AI but also fully prepared to work in data centers and global capability centres. He warned that if India is not able to prepare a skilled workforce in time, the pace of development may slow down. But if MNCs are confident that India is fully prepared to operate their data centers and the GCC, then even more investment will come into the country.
Shikarpur said that a new high-speed rail project is being planned in Pune, which will strengthen the transportation and logistics needs. He further said that unfortunately the academic system remains a bit slow in understanding and adopting technological changes, especially in the IT sector. Therefore IT institutes and universities should review their syllabus every year. Taking inspiration from the Union Budget 2026, it is the need of the hour to include topics related to Data Center and GCC in the curriculum, so that India can create work-ready human resources and move strongly towards global technology leadership.
–IANS
PSK
