The/Nudge Institute's charcha 2024 Summit ignites collaborative action for a 'viksit & inclusive India @ 100"

The/Nudge Institute's charcha 2024 summit, held in Delhi from August 20-22, brought together over 2,000 stakeholders from government, industry, and civil society to chart a course for a more prosperous and inclusive India by its 100th anniversary of independence. The summit, co-hosted by over 20 organisations, including tech giants like Google, LinkedIn, and Meta, focused on leveraging technology and collaborative action to create resilient livelihood opportunities for all Indians.

"Our average age is 29," remarked Shri Amitabh Kant (IAS), G20 Sherpa, Government of India, emphasising the importance of focusing on social outcomes for India's vast youth population. "We have another two decades to focus on our most populous states and transform learning, nutritional standards, and health outcomes to transform India into a 30 trillion economy. The challenge is not money but of the capacity of governance to move away from physical infrastructure to enabling social outcomes.”

Arti Ahuja (IAS), Former Secretary of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, highlighted the critical role of inclusivity for economic growth. "When we talk about Viksit and Inclusive, sometimes, specifically with intergenerational mobility, development is not enough. The inclusivity part is very critical for growth. It’s time to make sure 50% of India is not left behind. To ensure that, we need agility in employment and accessible job markets," she stated.

The summit featured discussions on a wide range of topics, including urban livelihoods, women's 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 revitalising arts and crafts.

Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon'ble MoS (IC) – MSDE, Government of India, stressed the need for unified action in leveraging technologies like AI for societal progress. “AI is exploding but policy & government is not able to keep pace with it even when it’s reshaping global society. However, we can rapidly generate the competency and skillset to keep pace with the change. The literacy around AI & skillset for jobs in these new spaces should be built. We do need to understand what kind of social transformation is on offer," he remarked.

During the summit, The/Nudge Institute released two key reports: "Future of Women in Work - A Distillation Report" and "Reading Glasses and Livelihood – Challenges and Pathways to Scale Access in India." These reports shed light on critical issues impacting livelihoods, including the need for greater participation of women in the workforce and the impact of limited access to reading glasses.

Jerold Pereira, Managing Director of The/Nudge Forum, summed up the vision for charcha 2024, stating, "charcha serves as a collaborative platform where key stakeholders across India’s livelihoods development ecosystem come together to share, learn, celebrate, and discover scaleable pathways to drive meaningful change. Aligned with the government's Viksit Bharat by 2047 agenda, we aim to create opportunities for joint dialogues and actions 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, reinforcing efforts to support the livelihood sector in a sustainable, impactful, and scalable manner.”

The summit highlighted the need for a "Viksit" approach, focusing on building thriving villages as the foundation for a prosperous nation. Participants stressed the importance of upskilling youth, scaling green entrepreneurship, and promoting regenerative agriculture. The goal is to foster social innovation and entrepreneurship while aligning with the evolving technological landscape.