Sam Pitroda to interact with 'social innovators'

New Delhi -  Tech czar Sam Pitroda will lead nearly 100 young 'social innovators' at a daylong session here Jan 21 to discuss how technology can make social enterprises more effective.

"Through technology we begin to think about things differently. How do we bring about generational change? How do you expedite the process of modernisation and development?" said Pitroda, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on public information infrastructure and innovations.

"To unleash the innovation potential in the country, we need to tap into the creative energy of our young entrepreneurs," added Pitroda who guides Action For India (AFI) as the honorary chairman, according to an AFI statement.

AFI believes that social entrepreneurs can make a real difference to the lives of people and are India's best hope for long-term, large-scale social change.

Said Sanjay Kadaveru, AFI founder and president and a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE): "India is full of creative, driven, young people who have innovative solutions to the problems around them."

"Some are already actively using technology; others may not yet realise how technology can help. By pairing these youth with technology experts, mentors and resources, we shall use technology to make things happen faster and better," he added.

Action For India cited examples of projects like the Rashritya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) that enabled social good within a short span of time and achieved scale by leveraging technology.

Sushmita Ghosh, president emeritus, Ashoka, the world's working community of nearly 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs, will moderate a special session by inviting successful social innovators to share experiences using technology to achieve a larger impact.

The panel will include Anil Swarup, director general for Labour Welfare and the man behind the RSBY; C.P. Das from Akshaya Patra, a foundation that serves nearly 1.3 million mid-day meals to children every day; and William Bissell from Fabindia that made over 15,000 mini entrepreneurs out of weavers and artisans.