After many years from now when the history of Information Technology in India will be discussed, November 5, 2020 will always be remembered as a red-letter day. With the release of new guidelines last Thursday by the Central government, the IT industry which hitherto had no escape from a host of regulations, always viewed sarcastically as red-tapism, will now be able to do business in a much hassle-free manner with the biggest beneficiary being the employee in particular and the IT job market in general. The major takeaway of this liberalized policy that deserves a special mention is that from now onwards, the concepts of ‘Work from Home( WFH)’ and ‘Work from Anywhere’ which have emerged due to the exigencies of the Covid-19 pandemic and remained as ad hoc in nature can now be implemented permanently without any government permission. No doubt, with these new WFH regulations, talents that went unnoticed and untapped, especially those from the remotest parts of the country will get their due share, paving the way for a boom in the IT industry.
Analysing the implications of these path-breaking alterations for many of the youths of Arunachal Pradesh who dream to make it big in the ever-expanding IT landscape of the country but only have a limited realisation of the same as opportunities in the state are limited and it has also not been smooth in most of the times to relocate physically to the hubs located either in Bengaluru, Pune, Noida, Kolkata or elsewhere, the change will be hailed. According to the new rules, the Other Service Providers (OSPs), better known in the IT industry terminology as BPOs, KPOs, ITES and call centre among various similar others, will now have to shoulder a lesser burden that was a part of their routine through frequent reporting to government department(s) and other obligations. The IT industry experts have called the step “progressive’, which would give way to a more amicable environment for both companies and employees. Those knowledgeable about the Indian IT industry must have been aware that countless number of restrictions such as hefty bank guarantees and others such existed till now which not only caused unnecessary barriers on the way to greater commercial benefits for the firms, but also deprived lakhs of prospective employees. But for the pandemic, this ‘freedom’ wouldn’t have arrived so easily and the WFH model that has been a great success during this troubled time will now be given the permanent status it truly deserves.
A great opportunity has arrived and the state government must take an urgent note of it. The state’s boys and girls can only participate in this ‘new normal’ of the IT world if  steady internet connection is ensured. No reiteration required on what needs to be done.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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