(AssignmentforIMPORTANCEOFINDIA)

16June2016

MrLeeHsienLoong
ThePrimeMinister
Singapore

DearMrLee,

LessonsfromIndianInnovations

Indiaoffersdifferentinnovationapproaches
thatSingaporecanlearnfrom.Hergrassroots
andinclusiveinnovationsareveryuniqueand
worthtoconsider.

AstheIndianinitiativeheavilyinvolvesIT,
letsbeginthediscussiononIndianStack.

[IndianStackandInternetAccess]

TomakeitsITnetworkmoresecure,the
Singaporegovernmenthasbegunaprogrammeto

restrictpublicservantsinternetaccesson
workstations.Itwasannouncedbythe
InfocommDevelopmentAuthority(IDA)of
Singaporeon8June2016.ByMay2017,public
serviceofficersacrossallSingapore
governmentagencies,ministriesandstatutory
boardswillhaveinternetaccessseparate
fromtheircomputers.(1)

Inthenameofinternetsecurity,weare
willingtosacrificeproductivity,perhaps,
innovationsandcreativitytoo.Isthisa
goodsolution?

LetslookatIndia.

IndiaStackisacompletesetofAPIfor
developersandincludestheAadhaarfor
Authentication(Aadhaaralreadycoversover
940millionpeopleandwillquicklycoverthe
populationoftheentirenation),eKYC
documents(safedepositlockerforissue,
storageanduseofdocuments),eSign
(digitalsignatureacceptableunderthe
laws),unifiedpaymentinterface(for
financialtransactions)andprivacyprotected
datasharingwithinthestackofAPI.
Together,theIndianStackenablesAppsthat

couldopenupmanyopportunitiesinfinancial
services,healthcareandeducationsectorsof
theIndianeconomy.Whatthisessentially
meansisthatdevelopersandtechstartups
cannowbuildsoftwareandcreatebusinesses
aroundthereadilyavailableinfrastructure
offeredthroughIndiaStack,thusopeninga
hugepotentialtotapintothebooming
smartphonemarketinthecountry.Sincethe
consumermarketinIndiaisverylarge,such
startupscouldalsohopeforinstitutional
fundingandgainfromtheearlymover
advantage.(2)

IamverysureyouknowabouttheIT
developmentinIndia,especially,youmaybe
theonlypoliticalleaderintheworldwho
canwriteC++programminglanguagetosolve
Sudokupuzzles.(3)

ComparingourInternetaccessrestriction
andIndianStack,Singaporeseemstoapproach
theITforthepeopleproblemdifferently.
WillsecurityaconcerntoIndianStackwhich
within5.5yearsgenerate1billionusers?
Certainly,yes.WhyareIndiansnotafraidof
internetsecurityissues?Infact,Indian
Stackisthefasterandcheaperwaytoreach

outtothepeople.ItisaBottomup
approach.However,inSingapore,weare
adoptingaTopdownapproach.Weareworry
aboutthetop,thegovernmentinformation,
butconsiderlessforthegrassrootsand
inclusiveness.

[Strongcooperation,lackofunderstanding]

Infact,youknowmorethantheIndianIT
capabilityasSingaporeandIndiahadsigned
aComprehensiveEconomicCooperation
Agreement(CECA)in2005.
TheCECAeliminated
tariffbarriers
,double
taxation,duplicateprocessesandregulations
andprovidedunhinderedaccessand
collaborationbetweenthefinancial
institutionsofSingaporeandIndia.TheCECA
alsoenhancedbilateralcollaborationrelated
toeducation,scienceandtechnology,
intellectualproperty
,
aviation
andrelaxed
visa
regulationsforIndianprofessionalsin
informationtechnology
,medicine,engineering
andfinancialfieldstoemigrateandworkin
Singapore.Singaporehasinvestedinprojects
toupgradeIndia'sports,airportsand
developing
informationtechnology
parksanda

SpecialEconomicZone
(SEZ).Indiahasbecome
Singapore's4thbiggesttouristdestination
andmorethan650,000Indiansvisited
Singaporein2006.Bothnationshaveworked
tocollaborateonaviation,aerospace
engineering,spaceprogrammes,information
technology,
biotechnology
andenergy.(4)

Singaporewantstohavemorecooperations
withIndia.OurDeputyPrimeMinisterTharman
Shanmugaratnamrecentlylistededucation,
connectivity,smartcitiesasareasof
furthercollaboration.

TheStraitsTimesmadethefollowingreport:
{"ItfranklygivesmeconfidenceinIndia,
notjustbasedonwhathasbeenhappeningin
thelastfewyearsofGDPgrowthabove7per
cent,butconfidencethatthisisnowanew
journeythatweinSingaporewanttobepart
of,contributetoandwanttobenefitfromat
thesametime,"hesaid,listingfinancial
connectivity,airconnectivity,educationand
skillsandsmartcitiesasareasoffurther
collaboration.}(5)

WearefamiliarwithIndiasinceindependence
in1965.Indiaisoneofthethreemajor
raceshereandTamilisoneofourfour
officiallanguages.(6)

Havewecapitalisedonthishistorical
relationship?Yes.Perhaps,itonlytakes
placeintheGtoGlevelandtheSingapore
governmentlinkedcompanies.Ourprivate
sectorandsmallbusinesseshavenot
benefitedfromCECA.Again,thisisdueto
theTopdownconsideration,quitedifferent
fromtheBottomupapproachofdoingbusiness
inIndia.

[IndianInnovations]

Singaporeansaretoofamiliarwiththe
governmentTopdownapproachinsolving
problems.WearecalledaSingaporeInc.We
dothingsinaveryformalandcorporateway.
Weignorethegrassrootsandinclusive
problems.

Itisgoodtounderstandtherearefivetypes
ofIndianinnovations:
Grassroots,Inclusive,
Frugal,ReverseandInvisible.
ForSingapore,

weonlylookatwhocanaffordtobuy.But
Indiaisamarketthatneedslowcost
solutionstomeetthepoormandemands.

HerearethevideolinksofthefiveIndian
innovations:

1 GrassrootsInnovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHk9YVjhk7c

2 InclusiveInnovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XchYY3bnU

3 FrugalInnovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHRZ6OrSvvI

4 ReverseInnovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztna1lt_LZE

5 I
nvisibleInnovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zodVSlOuShc

[Topdownapproach]

BeforewetouchontheIndianinnovations,
letslookatournationalinnovation
program.In2006,Singaporegovernment

establishedtheNationalResearchFoundation
(NRF)andhervisionistodevelopSingapore
asavibrantscience&technologyhub,with
R&Dcontributingsignificantlytoa
knowledgeintensive,innovativeand
entrepreneurialeconomy.(7)

TheNRFboardofdirectorsarekeyministers,
internationalacademicsandcorporate
leaders.Thishighlevelcouncilunderscores
thepoliticalcommitmenttoandimportance
placedonthenationalR&Dagenda.

ItisclearlyatopdownapproachinR&Dand
innovations.Andofcourse,NRFislooking
forsolutionsandbreakthroughsfortherich
andmiddleclassconsumers.

WhileinIndia,theyareusingdifferent
approaches,bothinvolvingtopdownand
bottomupR&Dapproaches,academicand
nonacademicpersonnel,inclusiveratherthan
exclusivemarketsandaudiences.

IfweareseriousabouttheIndianmarket,we
needamindsetchange.Indiaisa
disorganisedmarket,emergingmarketwitha
lotofpoorconsumers.OurNRFisfocusing

onlyonrichmarketandneglectsthe
unaffordablepoormarket.Thiswilllimitour
innovationdevelopmentandpotential.Andour
businesses,ifadoptingthesameattitude,
mayfindnomarketinIndia.

WeknowIndiaandwehavemanyIndians,
eithercitizensorresidences,livinghere.
Butyet,wehavenotdiscoveredIndiaina
deepersense.Weonlylookattherich
Indiansandforgetthepotentialofpoor
Indians.

Iurgethegovernmenttoconsiderthe
bottomup,grassrootsandinclusivewayof
approachinginnovations.Wecanlearnfrom
India.

Yourssincerely,

LHChang

Notes:

(1)
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singaporegovernmentbeginsrestrictingpu
blic060434627.html

(2)
http://pn.ispirt.in/indiastacktakesthedigitalindiacampaignto
awholenewlevel/
http://www.slideshare.net/CGAP/whatistheindiastack

(3)
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology32591984

(4)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%E2%80%93Singapore_relations
http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg/TradeFromSingapore/InternationalAgr
eements/freetradeagreements/CECA

(5)
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/southasia/singaporewantsmorecoo
perationwithindia

(6)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Singapore

(7)
http://www.nrf.gov.sg/aboutnrf/nationalresearchfoundationsingapo
re/corporateprofile#sthash.NZleP23T.dpuf