Charting a path for a more prosperous and inclusive India by the 100th anniversary

Mumbai: Over 2,000 stakeholders from government, industry and civil society charted a path to a more prosperous and inclusive India by the 100th anniversary of Independence at The Nudge Institute’s Charcha 2024 Summit held in Delhi on August 20-22. Co-hosted by over 20 organisations, including tech giants like Google, LinkedIn and Meta, the Summit focused on leveraging technology and collaborative action to create resilient livelihood opportunities for all Indians. “Our median age is 29 years,” said Mr Amitabh Kant (IAS), G20 Sherpa for the Government of India. He emphasised the importance of focusing on social outcomes for India’s vast young population. “We have the next two decades to focus on our most populous states and transform learning, nutrition standards and health outcomes to transform India into a $30 trillion economy. The challenge is not money but governance capacity to enable social outcomes beyond physical infrastructure.” Aarti Ahuja (IAS), former Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, highlighted the important role of inclusiveness for economic growth.

“When we talk of growth and inclusiveness, sometimes, especially with inter-generational mobility, growth is not enough. The inclusiveness part of growth is very important. It is time to ensure that 50% of India is not left behind. To ensure this, we need agility in employment and accessible job markets,” he added. The summit saw discussions on a wide range of topics including urban livelihoods, women empowerment, tech for good, capital and philanthropy, rural livelihoods, sustainability, collaborative philanthropy, community-led initiatives, vocational education, data and impact, AI for good, AI in governance, inclusion and reviving arts and crafts. Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (IC), MSDE, Government of India, emphasised the need for integrated action in leveraging technologies such as AI for societal progress. He said, “AI is growing rapidly, but policy and government are not able to keep pace with it despite reshaping the global society. However, we can rapidly develop competencies and skills to keep pace with the change. Literacy about AI and skills for jobs in these new areas must be built. We need to understand what kind of social change is being introduced.” During the summit, The/Nudge Institute released two major reports: “The Future of Women at Work – A Distillation Report” and “Reading Glasses and Livelihoods – Challenges and Pathways to Increase Access in India.” These reports highlight critical issues affecting livelihoods, including the need for greater participation of women in the workforce and the impact of limited access to reading glasses. Summarizing the vision for Charcha 2024, Jerold Pereira, Managing Director, The/Nudge Forum, said, “Charcha serves as a collaborative platform where key stakeholders in India’s livelihood development ecosystem come together to share, learn, celebrate and discover scalable pathways to bring about meaningful change. Aligned with the government’s Developed India by 2047 agenda, we aim to create opportunities for joint dialogue and action that enhance resilient livelihoods for all Indians. When collective power is harnessed, significant impact is possible. At the Forum, we enable key stakeholders to find meaningful, cohesive efforts to support the livelihood sector in a sustainable, impactful, and scalable way.” The summit highlighted the need for a “grown-up” approach, focusing on building thriving villages as the foundation of a prosperous nation. Participants emphasized the importance of upskilling youth, scaling green entrepreneurship, and promoting regenerative agriculture. The goal is to foster social innovation and entrepreneurship while keeping pace with the evolving technological landscape.