Reform-1

Once everyone had settled, the Prime Minister spoke again, his tone warm yet authoritative.

"I believe I am already familiar with most of you," he said, glancing around the table. "However, for the sake of smoother communication, I'd like to hear you introduce yourselves. Please, feel free to begin eating as well—I'm sure everyone must be hungry."

A quiet murmur of agreement rippled through the room as the introductions began. One by one, each person introduced themselves—CEOs, chairmen, and business magnates from various industries, not just technology. The Prime Minister listened attentively, occasionally asking thoughtful questions, showing his deep understanding of their fields.

Then, it was Sanjay's turn. He set down his fork, straightened slightly, and spoke clearly.

"Hello, Prime Minister. My name is Sanjay Sharma. I am the founder of Future Technologies. Currently, we have developed a software named CompresX, which has been adopted by five million users worldwide in just one month."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Several CEOs of major tech companies exchanged glances, their surprise evident. Five million users in such a short span? That was an astronomical number, especially in a time when internet access in many regions was still a challenge.

The Prime Minister, however, merely smiled. He wasn't surprised. He had already been briefed on Sanjay by the intelligence chief. He knew that multiple foreign countries had shown interest in his software. He also knew they had failed to breach it—and when they couldn't break through technological means, they had tried legal attacks instead.

Vikram Sethi leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady.

"So, Sanjay," he said, "as a young entrepreneur in the technology sector, what do you think needs to be done to accelerate India's growth in this field?"

The attention in the room immediately shifted. Every pair of eyes was now on Sanjay, waiting for his response.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. The question was broad, but the answer—at least to him—was clear.

"Sir," he began, "for years, India's role in the global tech industry has remained the same. We provide services to other countries at low costs."

A heavy silence settled over the table.

Sanjay could see the subtle reactions on the faces of those seated across from him. Some stiffened. A few exchanged glances. Among them were top executives from India's biggest IT firms—the very people who had built their empires on outsourcing.

Yet, no one interrupted. Because deep down, they all knew he was telling the truth.

---

Sanjay leaned forward slightly, his voice steady but calm. "What I believe is that relying on low-cost outsourcing won't benefit our country in the long run, especially with how fast technology is advancing."

The businessmen at the table grew quiet, their interest piqued. Some leaned in, while others folded their arms, waiting to hear more.

"For example," Sanjay continued, "a few months ago, I developed a software that could extract text from images. Oracle bought it to integrate as a feature into their own system."

A few businessmen exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. Oracle was one of the largest software giants in the world. Selling a product to them was no small achievement.

Sanjay let the information settle before continuing. "Right now, in the USA, they are working on digitizing paper documents. To process 1,000 documents in a week, they need to hire ten people. If they outsource this work to India and pay each worker 10,000 rupees a month, the cost per document comes out to around 25 rupees—assuming they work full time."

There were nods around the table. This was the standard outsourcing model. Foreign companies saved money by hiring Indian workers for tasks like data entry and digitization.

Sanjay took a sip of water before dropping the real bombshell. "But my software could do the same job. It originally charged just ten dollars per month. Even if I raised the price to a hundred dollars per month—which is around 4,658 rupees—it could process over 100,000 documents in a single week, using just a simple server."

He paused, letting the numbers sink in before delivering the final blow.

"This means the cost per document drops to just 0.01165 rupees."

A stunned silence fell over the table.

Some businessmen blinked in disbelief. Others immediately grabbed their phones, likely doing the math or searching for any mention of such a software.

It wasn't just a cost reduction. It was an extinction-level event for the thousands of data entry workers whose jobs depended on these outsourcing contracts.

A low murmur rippled through the room, growing louder as the weight of the revelation sank in.

Then—

"Ahem."

The Prime Minister cleared his throat, his expression unreadable. The room fell silent once more, all eyes shifting toward him.

He glanced at Sanjay, his gaze sharp with curiosity, as if expecting him to continue.

Sanjay offered a small smile and leaned back in his chair. "The point is, automation is not a distant threat—it's already here. Data entry jobs, which are growing now because of digitization, will soon disappear completely. And it won't stop there. Over the next few years, the demand for cheap IT labor will decline as well."

He let his words settle before adding, "It's the same pattern we've seen throughout history. Just like machines replaced labor-intensive jobs in manufacturing, automation is going to replace low-skill IT jobs."

A chair scraped against the floor.

An older businessman stood up, his face red with anger. His neatly combed silver hair and sharp suit gave him an air of authority.

It was Mr. Iyer, a well-respected chairman in the IT sector.

"We have been running the IT industry for 25 years—long before you were even born!" he said, his voice booming across the room. "And now a newcomer, with just a little success, is telling us that we will be replaced in a few years?"

His words carried weight.

A few other businessmen nodded, their expressions grim. While they might not have spoken yet, their support for Iyer's frustration was clear.

Prime Minister Vikram Sethi's brows furrowed slightly as he turned to Mr. Iyer. "Mr. Iyer, we are having a discussion. There's no need to get emotional."

A tense silence followed.

Mr. Iyer's face stiffened, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his features. He sat down, adjusting his blazer with deliberate calmness. Though the Prime Minister's words had put him in his place, the nods of agreement from his peers helped him regain some of his pride.

Sanjay, on the other hand, remained unfazed. He hadn't meant to offend anyone—he was simply stating facts. The future wouldn't wait for their approval.

In his past life, these very IT giants had weathered multiple recessions and the rise of AI, yet they had struggled to evolve. Now, with his knowledge, he was accelerating that evolution, setting off a butterfly effect no one could predict.

He had already published multiple research papers on deep learning and neural networks, technology that was supposed to become mainstream around 2013. But now, with his earlier contributions, AI-driven automation would arrive at least a decade sooner.

The Prime Minister tapped his fingers against the table in quiet contemplation. Then, after a long pause, he looked at Sanjay with interest.

"Then tell me, what do you think should be done?"

Sanjay's gaze sharpened. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Prime Minister, the most important step for India right now is to focus on the 'Make in India' initiative," he said with quiet confidence.

A flicker of recognition passed through Vikram Sethi's eyes, followed by a knowing smile. He was already familiar with the concept, but he wanted to hear Sanjay's take on it.

"Interesting," the Prime Minister mused. "And what kind of 'Make in India' are you talking about?"

Sanjay noted the genuine curiosity in his voice and leaned in slightly.

"Prime Minister, we are in 2003 now, but the future is already knocking at our door. For India to thrive in the coming decades, we must move beyond being an outsourcing hub. 'Make in India' isn't just a slogan—it's a strategy that can transform our economy and turn us into a global manufacturing powerhouse."

A shift passed through the room. The businessmen, many of whom had built their empires on outsourcing, sat up straighter, their interest piqued.

Sanjay continued, his voice measured yet firm.

"In the next decade, industries worldwide will rely more and more on automation. Many of the jobs that have been outsourced to low-cost labor in India will soon disappear. If we don't start focusing on developing our own technology and manufacturing capacity, we'll be left behind while other nations take the lead."

He let that sink in before pressing forward.

"What we need is not just to expand IT services but to bring back manufacturing. We should be producing our own software, our own electronics, our own machinery, our own essential goods. We need to move from being the world's back office to becoming the world's innovation hub."