Robotics, cloud application are the key areas in IT, says Tech Mahindra official

Talented software engineers have huge employment opportunities in robotics and cloud application, according to Anuj Bhalla. VIT founder-chancellor G. Viswanathan urged the Centre to increase fund allocation for higher education and research. Over 13,000 students will take part in 150 technical events at the 3-day graVITas programme with $20 lakh in cash prize.

Robotics and cloud application are the key growth areas where huge employment opportunities are available for talented and innovative software engineers, according to Anuj Bhalla, president and global head, integrated cloud and delivery excellence, Tech Mahindra.

He was speaking on Friday at the 14th edition of graVITas, an annual techno-management knowledge carnival, organised by Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) on its campus here.

Mr. Bhalla said robotics and cloud application would be used more in areas such as healthcare and entertainment in the coming years. This would provide more jobs to engineers specialised in these two fields.

“Students, especially those in the information technology stream, should utilise their time on the campus to sharpen their skills in these two areas because they are the future of software technology,” he said.

In his presidential address, VIT founder-chancellor G. Viswanathan urged the Centre to increase fund allocation for higher education, from the existing 3% of the GDP to 6%, to take higher education to more rural students. At least 25 countries provide free education up to the university level and certain European countries like Germany provide free education even to foreign students.

He said the fund allocation for research and development was also very low. For example, for every one million population, India has only 140 researchers, whereas the U.S. has 4,650. In terms of per capita expenditure on research, South Korea spends $1,900, the U.S. $1,860, Japan $1,300, China $368 and India $140.