The foundation’s Women Entrepreneurship Program (WEP) is designed to enable women entrepreneurs — particularly those involved in agriculture, artistry and running micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in rural areas — access technology and digital skills for their business growth, says Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, nasscom foundation. In 2022, the foundation impacted over 6.4 lakh lives through 15 skilling projects, offering courses in foundational, emerging and advanced technologies.
In an interaction with ET digital, Bhasin explains how the foundation is creating access to technology at the grassroots level via the (government’s) Aspirational Districts Programme. Edited excerpts:
Economic Times (ET): How is the nasscom foundation nurturing the TechForGood ecosystem — which strives to unleash the power of technology by providing access and opportunity to those in need — in India through its various programmes and initiatives?Nidhi Bhasin (NB): Established in 2001, we have witnessed how technology has brought about a transformative impact on people’s lives, particularly those in the marginalised segments of society. As a non-profit organisation representing the Indian IT industry, our unwavering commitment lies in our core philosophy of TechForGood. Transformation of communities through technology form the very cornerstones of all the nasscom foundation’s programmes.
To create access to technology at the grassroots level, we launched our aspirational districts programme (nasscom’s programme focuses on inclusive growth and meeting SDG commitments) dedicated to empower marginalised communities in the aspirational districts of India by promoting digital literacy and enhanced access to government schemes. We have already established digital resource centres in 47 districts across 20 states to promote digital literacy. By the end of 2023, we aim to impact 1.8 million lives.
Other key intervention areas include enabling women entrepreneurship in rural regions where we offer them with digital, financial and entrepreneurship skills to foster a more inclusive and diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem. Another key focus area is skilling and employability. Our skilling programmes ensure that all of India — including the youth, women, individuals from the LGBTQAI+ communities and PwDs (persons with disabilities) — has the new-age technological and contemporary skills crucial to meeting the demands of the booming sector and enhancing workplace productivity.
Scalability and sustainability are crucial for the success of our initiatives. We understand the diverse nature of our country and, therefore, integrate social innovation into business practices, ensuring that inclusion remains at the forefront of decision-making processes within public and private platforms. Collaboration is pivotal in designing and implementing programmes with significant social impact, enabling us to reach a broader audience and drive meaningful change.
Empowering the NGO ecosystem in India is also one of our key priorities. Through our BigTech programme, we extend vital support to over a thousand NGOs, offering tech solutions, volunteering opportunities, product donations and tech capacity building. By harnessing the potential of technology, we aim to maximise our impact and actively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
ET: What kind of initiatives nasscom foundation is taking in terms of skilling, reskilling and upskilling at ground level?
NB: Last year alone, the foundation has positively impacted over 6.4 lakh lives through 15 skilling projects offering courses in foundational, emerging, and advanced technologies. Ten of these projects specifically focused on providing placement opportunities for the youth, with over 400 employers offering opportunities to our trained candidates.
Inclusivity lies at the core of the skilling and employability programme, as we strive to ensure that every individual in India possesses the relevant digital skills and enhanced employability necessary to access job opportunities in today’s demanding work environment. With the support of renowned tech organisations collaborating with the foundation on various projects, we work with diverse groups.
Through the programme, these beneficiaries from marginalised communities receive comprehensive technical knowledge from our implementation partners. They are provided with non-technical courses in communication skills and holistic personality development, equipping them to thrive in the evolving digital economy.
The results have been remarkable as 67% of our beneficiaries are women proficient in emerging technologies. Additionally, we had also partnered with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation to train over 100 PwDs in tech-enabled skills. To enhance learning and skilling milestones, we have established 20 digital labs equipped with essentials, including computers, webcams and headphones, across the country. Our skilling programmes have reached more than 26 states, touching diverse communities and by the end of 2023, we would have skilled, reskilled or upskilled over 100,000 people.
ET: How is nasscom foundation providing solutions to the existing socioeconomic challenges? How are you using technology to drive social change?
NB: TechForGood is what we live by: Creating access to technology to address the socio-economic challenges faced by the most underserved populations. That is the core philosophy of all programmes run by the nasscom foundation. These could be enabling the NGO ecosystem, social enterprises, the tech industry, the government, or other for-profit enterprises. We strive to bring the tech ecosystem together to engineer social impact. In line with our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we design each programme with a focus on quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation, infrastructure, reduced inequality, and partnerships for goals. We firmly believe that technology can catalyse the achievement of the SDG mission by 2030.
We are dedicated to extending digital literacy to rural areas, recognising the importance of reaching the last mile to achieve widespread inclusive growth. Our journey began last year as we expanded our programmes from urban areas to tier-2 and -3 cities and rural regions.
Through our TechForGood initiative, we work in enabling the NGO ecosystem with the necessary tools and resources they need to thrive in the digital age. We understand that technology can be a game-changer for these organisations, enabling them to streamline operations, scale up their initiatives, and drive meaningful change at a larger scale. Through our BigTech programme, we bring together global tech companies to offer subsidised tech products (software) and services specifically tailored for non-profits. By partnering with leading tech providers and being the exclusive partner in India, we ensure that NGOs have access to authentic software solutions at affordable prices. Furthermore, we actively engage with NGOs through webinars to listen attentively to their unique challenges, aspirations and requirements. By understanding their specific needs, we can provide customised solutions, making technology accessible and applicable to their work.
Recognising the significance of social innovation and entrepreneurship, we actively encourage young individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit to pursue social entrepreneurship. By addressing critical challenges in areas like education, healthcare and sustainability, they can create a positive impact on society.
ET: What kind of initiatives are you taking in terms of fostering entrepreneurial values amongst women in rural India?
NB: We are deeply committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women to become successful independent entrepreneurs. In rural India, we recognise the immense potential and talent that exists among women, and we believe that creating an environment that supports their entrepreneurial aspirations is crucial for economic growth and social development.
The WEP is designed to help women entrepreneurs get technology and digital skills. The programme provides upskilling training on digital and financial literacy, and entrepreneurial skills to equip women entrepreneurs with essential abilities for their success.
We have empowered over 1,00,000 rural women beneficiaries through various projects that train them to leverage social media platforms like YouTube, Pinterest and WhatsApp Business to promote their products, access relevant government schemes and reach a wider audience. The programme has also trained them to use digital payments and formal banking services to enhance their enterprise.
ET: Can you take us through your Aspirational Districts Programme?
NB: Launched in December last year, nasscom foundation’s Aspirational Districts Programme is a step forward in making India a digitally empowered nation and transforming India’s inclusive growth story. Through this initiative, we aim to digitally enable and skill more than 3.5 million lives by March 2024. The goal is to achieve a digitally empowered society and economy by addressing digital literacy and bridging the skilling gap at the last mile.
Currently, 55 districts across 23 states have been identified. We have established and operationalised 47 digital resource centers in 20 states, promoting digital literacy and skilling initiatives and we have successfully empowered one million lives.
These centers act as change agents and engines of development, providing essential information, resources, and government services to positively impact citizens’ lives and livelihoods. We have trained and empowered 1,000 community members as digital ambassadors, with 46% of them being women.
The programme prioritises technology and digital knowledge, empowering youth, and aspiring women entrepreneurs to improve the community and society’s quality of life. It also generates awareness of government schemes and e-governance services, alongside imparting quality training in digital skills.
Beneficiaries have availed benefits from around 35 schemes and services, with 65% using services like the Pradhan Mantri Sukanya Samridhi Yojana, Labour Card, Digital Health card, PAN card and Aadhar Card. Over 72% have applied for loans. The programme has led to a significant increase in smartphone usage, particularly among females, improving access to information and knowledge on welfare schemes. 94% of community members are aware of the benefits of digital technology, and 98% of men and 94% of women have recognised the importance of savings for future planned and unplanned expenditures.
ET: What are your plans?
NB: Our vision is to foster digital transformation, paving the way for an inclusive, sustainable, and progressive India by harnessing the power of technology to tackle pressing social challenges. With a positive impact already on over 5 million lives, our ambitious goal is to impact over 100 million individuals by 2026.
We eagerly seek collaboration with organisations and partners who share our vision of using TechForGood. While we have established 47 aspirational districts, our aim is to extend our reach to even more districts, making a meaningful impact on diverse communities.
Our ultimate long-term objective aligns with the nation’s goal of nurturing a digital economy that promotes inclusive growth. We are determined to expand our footprint, benefiting more individuals and communities, and above all, championing digital freedom for all.
