Accelerating India's SDG goals demands tech intervention

Mediawire
New Delhi [India], January 23: Leaders meet at nasscom foundation TechForGood India Conclave 2024 to prioritize the need for social innovation and collaboration.
As the year unfolds, so does the urgency to achieve the UN's ambitious SDGs by 2030. In a move aimed at building collaborative efforts in accelerating India's sustainable goals, nasscom foundation's TechForGood India Conclave 2024 brought together government representatives, civil society, social innovators, entrepreneurs, and tech leaders for a day of discussions, deliberations and knowledge sharing. Underlining the need to leverage technology for accelerating the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the conclave extensively explored serious topics that require immediate action ranging from sustainable living, climate action, healthcare, education, to empowering women entrepreneurs through engaging masterclasses, fireside chats, and dynamic panel discussions.
"If we don't take action today, there won't be a future. The essence of the SDG goals lies in connecting the unconnected, a gap that technology can effectively fill. The pyramid of the unconnected, illustrates the fundamental necessities - access to basic education, digital literacy, sanitation, clean drinking water, nutrition, and healthcare. Let's join forces to address these critical issues and build a more inclusive world.," said Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, nasscom foundation.
The conclave underscored the pivotal role of technology as a force multiplier in overcoming the significant challenges linked to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Diverse stakeholders, including government entities, organizations, civil society, last-mile enablers, social innovators, and the social investment community, converged at the conclave to deliberate on the imperative of employing digital innovation and data-driven solutions for advancing towards the SDG goals.
Emphasizing on the need to leverage technology, Abhishek Singh of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in a keynote address said, "Initiatives like the TechForGood India Conclave offers an opportunity on how we can work together leveraging technology for the larger social good. Such initiatives help in addressing how technology can help in achieving the SDGs, empower people, spread education to the remotest corners of the country, and ensure access to healthcare and basic rights for all. The exchange of ideas and thoughts during the conclave will go a long way in helping us start our journey as we work with this big challenge together" he further added.
Srividya Nataraj, Vice-President, Corporate Services, CGI said, "Initiatives like TechForGood India Conclave have created an open forum for dialogue, learning, and action among diverse stakeholders with shared goals. This conclave helped stimulate collaboration and innovation towards achieving the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. We are proud of our association with nasscom foundation."
To understand opportunities and shortcomings in leveraging technology for market linkages by rural women entrepreneurs in India, a report titled "Digital Dividends: Understanding the Use of Social Commerce by Women Entrepreneurs in Rural India," was launched in collaboration with LEAD at Krea University in the presence of Sharon Buteau, Executive Director, LEAD at Krea University; T Koshy, MD & CEO, ONDC; Anna Roy Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog and Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, nasscom foundation. The study explores the current trends, adoption of digital solutions, and the role of stakeholders to empower rural women entrepreneurs through enhanced availability, accessibility, and awareness of social commerce and its business utility.
The event concluded with the signing of a MoU between nasscom foundation and Bhashini, India's AI-based language translation platform to translate digital literacy and AI content into regional languages, thereby enhancing accessibility, bolstering educational outreach, addressing language barriers, promoting inclusivity and reinforcing the network of partner organizations. "Our collaboration with Bhashini is a step towards creating an inclusive educational ecosystem where language is no longer a barrier," Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, nasscom foundation.
Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India Bhashini expressed, "The MoU in collaboration with nasscom foundation signifies a commitment to advancing digital literacy and AI education by bridging language barriers and promoting digital inclusion. Bhashini, with its innovative platform, will serve as a cornerstone for translating digital literacy content into regional languages, extending the reach of educational programs to the last mile. The collaboration will accelerate the SDG agenda and execute many of the service delivery challenges. He further added, "Through initiatives like the TechForGood India Conclave, we have the potential to create a larger impact, ensure knowledge building and foster collaboration."
The event witnessed the participation of more than 80 distinguished speakers and delegates including Sundari Nanda, Special Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs; Urvashi Prasad, Director, NITI Aayog; Sanjay Dawar, Managing Director, Global Strategy & Consulting, Accenture India; Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD at SAP Labs India; Jayant Rastogi, Global CEO & Board, Magic Bus; Anjali Bansal, Founding Partner, Avaana Climate and Sustainability Fund; Nachiket Sukhtankar, Managing Director, DXC Technology; Dhimant Parekh, Founder & CEO, The Better India amongst others.
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