2021 Budget must solve current issues while still thinking long-term

Varun Babbar, Managing Director, Qlik

“FY 2020 was a difficult year for everyone and this budget will be a vital one as the country needs to balance investing for the future while dealing with the immediate after effects of an economic slowdown. While some industries were hit harder than others, there have been some bright spots in the overall tech front - we have seen both the private and public sector accelerate digital transformation and invest much more into analytics and AI to solve real problems, quickly.

The Government’s twin vision of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy and building an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ will depend on how we invest today. There is a clear need for upskilling in areas like critical thinking and data literacy together with further creating infrastructure not just in terms of technology, but also the legal framework around data, data privacy and AI. We look forward to a budget that clearly balances solving today’s issues while still thinking long-term so we can build a strong and resilient economy that will propel India to newer heights this decade.”