YOJANA February 2023
Note: Please note that some inputs have been given by our team in order to make the topic more relevant to UPSC.
INITIATIVES FOR NEW INDIA
- India has one of the youngest populations in the world with 27.2 per cent of the nation’s population belonging to 15-29 years age-group.
- The youth of the nation will be a critical asset for the development; key for social & societal change; and driving force for economic development and technological innovation.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
- It is a citizen’s movement addressing the genuine concerns of commoners and their pledge to address a societal issue head-on.
- Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has always asserted ‘Jan Bhagidari se Jan Andolan’ and any campaign is incomplete without the active participation of the youth.
- As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahatosav, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the guidance of Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) organised various activities of “Swachh Bharat 2.0” programme.
Youth Volunteers
- The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has had a large focus to engage youth volunteers for the twin objective of personality building and nation building.
- The Ministry has launched a Capacity Building Training Programme for 14,000 Youth Volunteers of NYKS to enhance their life skills. These trained youth volunteers will play pivotal role in realising the Panch Pran (five resolve) about which Hon’ble Prime Minister spoke during his Independence Day Speech.
FIT India
- Fit India Movement is a nation-wide movement in India to encourage people to remain healthy and fit by including physical activities and sports in their daily lives.
- Fit India Movement was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on 29 August 2019.
- The Inaugural edition of the FIT India Freedom Run was organised to celebrate our 74th Independence Day from 14 August to 2 October 2020 (151st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi). This virtual run, where people could run at a place and pace of their choice, witnessed
- over 7 crore people participating. The second edition was organised as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav from 13 August to 2 October 2021 and saw a mass participation of over 9 crore people.
Sports, Education and Youth Development
- The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation.
- More than 23 lakh school going children in the age group of 5-18 years have been assessed using the Khelo India Mobile App. More than 82,000 physical education teachers have been trained to assess the sporting prowess of children.
- Our Ministry and Sports Authority of India are in a mission mode, supporting athletes and other stakeholders in the sporting ecosystem through various initiatives under the Khelo India scheme.
- It includes establishment of district level Khelo India Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence, organising annual Khelo India Games (Youth Games, University Games, Winter Games, etc.), community coaching development programmes (e-Khelpathshala), promotion of women’s participation in sports through women sporting leagues in various sporting disciplines, large-scale sports & fitness promotion events through the FIT India programme.
- This scheme also has a robust earlystage talent identification and development mechanism through which talented sportspersons in various sports disciplines are identified and supported through out of pocket allowance and training support through Khelo India Accredited Academies.
- To ensure inclusivity in the nation’s sports development programme, persons with disabilities are supported through the Khelo India scheme in addition to promoting rural and indigenous games to re-energise the nation’s centuries long culture and heritage.
- Integration of sport in curriculum as in NEP, is a cross-curricular pedagogical approach to leverage sports and physical activities for skill development including collaboration, teamwork, discipline, etc.
- The key objective of sports-integrated learning is to enable students to integrate fitness to their lifestyle and to promote physical and psychological well-being and to gain the related life skills along with the levels of fitness as envisaged in the FIT India movement.
- The FIT India Quiz, India’s biggest quiz on sports and fitness for school going children with a prize money of Rs 3.25 crore, was launched on 1 September 2021 as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- One State, One Sport” is started by states where they are encouraged to prioritise one game (while not ignoring others) based on the available talent pool, natural interest, available infrastructure, etc. This will bring a focused approach and also allow for optimum utilisation of existing resources in the state.
26th National Youth Festival, Hubbali, Karnataka
- The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 26th National Youth Festival in Hubbali, Karnataka on 12 January 2023.
- The theme of the festival was ‘Viksit Yuva - Viksit Bharat’. It brings diverse cultures from all parts of the country on a common platform and unites the participants in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
- The mascot for this festival was baby elephant named Champi Chikka.
- This five-day festival witnessed the Youth Summit, which had plenary discussions on five themes stemming from G20 and Y20 events such as Future of Work, Industry, Innovation and 21st Century Skills; Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction; Peace Building and Reconciliation; Shared Future-youth in Democracy and Governance; and Health & Well-being.
NURTURING EXELLLENCE OF OUR YUVA SHAKTI
Era of the ‘Techade’
- India is the 3rd largest startup ecosystem with one in every 10 global unicorns claimed by India.
- From almost 4,000 globally filed patents by India in 2014 to more than 15,000 in 2022, India has maxed out the innovation charts with scale and speed.
- India’s rapidly advancing stand on ‘Global Innovation Index’ is a witness to this transformation from 81st spot in 2015 to 40th spot in 2022.
- Digital India is a mission to connect India to its most remote location by not limiting the potential to partake and contribute in the market by way of physical distance.
- Job Creators
- India’s multi-dimensional growth is mirrored in its becoming the 5th largest economy, from 2 trillion-dollar economy in 2014 to 3 trillion-dollar economy in 2019; and with the goal to become the 3rd largest economy of the world by 2030/2031.
- To prioritise skill development and employability of youth, the Government has launched various schemes such as Skill India Mission, MUDRA scheme, Digital India, and PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana to lay a strong foundation of knowledge, proficiency and market-centric skills for upcoming workforce.
- The second largest employable sector of manufacturing industries, both at large and medium scales, are benefitting largely from cyclical benefits of Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
- Access to Holistic Education
- India has been a global centre of knowledge from ancient times, and there is an implicit understanding in the society that an effective education system is essential to fulfil the aspirations of youth.
- Introduction of the new National Education Policy (NEP) is changing India’s education system. It focuses on new age skills and provides room for students to learn at their own pace.
- The new policy has prioritised efforts to boost literacy and numeracy achievements in primary schools while lowering dropout rates in middle and secondary schools.
- The adoption of a multi-disciplinary approach, academic bank of credits, and multiple entry-exit options make higher education more responsive and flexible. Additionally, the policy focuses on early childhood care, education in one’s mother tongue, assessment and exam reform, teacher training, and broad-based evaluation.
- In 2014, there were 387 medical colleges in the country. This number has increased to more than 600 medical colleges in 2022, showing a rise of over 50 per cent. The Government has also tripled the number of operational or established All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
- Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) have been set up in tribal areas for talented Scheduled Tribe children to have high quality education.
- Number of Navodaya Vidyalaya have also increased. A concerted effort is being made to ensure that quality education is within the reach of every child.
- Cheaper education loans and expansion of the scholarship programmes, particularly for the SC and ST students at school level, have also made access to education easy.
- Ease of Living – A New Reality
- Modern infrastructure and seamless services have a positive impact on enhancing quality of life. It has boosted academical, vocational and entrepreneurial integration of new generations even in the remotest parts of India.
- Under Swachh Bharat Mission launched in 2014, more than 11 crore household toilets have been built, while under Ujjwala Yojana, provision of cooking gas to make the home smoke-free, has been given to over 10 crore families.
- Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and SAUBHAGYA scheme ensured that over 99 per cent of Indian households today have electricity, bringing huge change in the lives of the youth.
- After the success of Swachh Bharat Mission 1.0, to make India open-defection free, more than 1.34 lakh villages have became ‘Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus’, which means solid and liquid waste collection, treatment and reuse has started in these villages. It is not only improving the environment in rural India and helping achieve the public health goals, but also bringing dignity to our youth.
- When Jal Jeevan Mission was launched, only 3.23 crore (17%) of the country’s rural households had tap water connections. Today, more than 10.75 crore (56%) rural households have assured clean tap water supply.
- Through PM Awas Yojana, over 3 crore houses have been constructed and these are not only providing shelter but the construction itself has skilled several communities and provided employment to youth.
- With schemes like UDAN, which has made flying not only accessible and affordable but has also provided much needed exposure and opportunities to youth.
FIT INDIA: TOWARDS A HEALTHY FUTURE
Launching FIT India
- The launch of FIT India movement on 29 August 2019 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister with a goal to make fitness an integral part of our daily lives, has been a symbol of paradigm shift in our approach towards sports.
- The goals and objectives of this movement are:
- To promote fitness as easy, fun and free.
- To spread awareness on fitness and various physical activities that promote fitness through focused campaigns.
- To encourage indigenous sports.
- To make fitness reach every school, college/university, panchayat/village, etc.
- To create a platform for citizens of India to share information, drive awareness and encourage sharing of personal fitness stories.
Initiatives
- Samagra Shiksha Scheme: It is Centrally Sponsored Scheme Under which; sports grant on an annual basis has been provided to all government schools. Sports are now considered an integral part of education rather than an extracurricular activity.
- FIT India School Movement: It encourages schools to organise a FIT India School Week in month of November/December. It has also prepared a set of FIT India School Certification with simple and easy parameters.
- FIT India School Week: To raise fitness awareness among children and also their parents, teachers, and school personnel, FIT India School Week was launched in 2019.
- FIT India Quiz: It was introduced in 2021 as a celebration of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” with the goal of strengthening its presence in schools and spreading the FIT India message to school children.
- FIT India Freedom Run 3.0: Announced by The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Freedom Run began on 2 October 2022 and ended on 31 October 2022.
- Football for Schools Programme: It aims to increase access to football for both boys and girls around the world by integrating football-related activities into the educational system, in collaboration with the necessary authorities and stakeholders.
- An MoU was signed by the All India Football Federation, the Ministry of Education, and FIFA in order to implement the Football for Schools programme, which seeks to reach 25 million students in India.
YOUTH AND HEALTH
- In India, the youth constitute nearly half of the country’s population.
- Youth largely contribute to the economic growth of the country as it is the most productive age group being employed in various sectors.
Health issues faced by youth
- Mental Health: The mental health is a major challenge in this age group. The reasons include poor scholastic or workplace performance, violence, poverty and unemployment, stigma, marginalization and discrimination, humanitarian crises and the COVID-19 situation.
- Alcohol and Drug Use: especially intravenous drug use is largely associated with various high risk behaviors that can cause communicable and non-communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and liver diseases, etc.
- Tobacco Use: It cause cancer of oral cavity, throat, oesophagus and lungs and many other health issues.
- Physical Inactivity: It causes increase in risk factors and diseases including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart diseases and other chronic diseases. Physical inactivity can impact mental health adversely.
- Diabetes and Hypertension: The major reasons for this is reduced physical activity, unhealthy diet, genetics and so on. These two risk factors increase the chance of heart disease in India.
- Other Health Problems: These include injuries in the form of accidents, self-harm, workplace accidents and so on.
Improving Health
- There are three secrets of healthy life: balanced diet, regular physical activity and sufficient sleep.
- The Ayushman Bharat programme with health and wellness centre component has focus on nirogi- or preventing illness by adoption of healthier lifestyle.
- ‘FIT India’ initiative is aimed at increasing exercise habits of people including. All these initiatives have to find a place in a daily routine of youth and everyone else.
- According to WHO and many other health agencies, people should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity per week or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
Government Initiatives which aim at Healthier Youth
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) |
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Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHC) |
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Peer Education Programme |
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Menstrual Hygiene Scheme |
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Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Programme |
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FIT India |
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Other Health Programmes |
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Healthy Lifestyle
- Regular physical activity is a zero-cost effort, which one can do for good health.
- According to WHO and many other health agencies, people should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity per week or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
- A study showed that barriers to low physical activity are personal attributes, perceived negative consequences, sociocultural environment, lack of time and so on.
- Regular and at least six to eight hours of sleep boosts our immunity, reduces stress and keeps us away from many health issues.
ENABLERS FOR EMPLOYMENT
- The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MoYAS) released a Draft National Youth Policy (NYP) in April 2022 with a 10-year vision for youth development, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Education; employment & entrepreneurship; youth leadership & development; health, fitness & sports; and social justice are the five focus areas.
Boosting career opportunities for Youth
- To boost career opportunities for youth, the Hon’ble Prime Minister launched a recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel through the ‘Rozgar Mela’ in a mission mode. 75,000 appointment letters were distributed in October 2022 and 71,000 in November 2022.
- Karmayogi Bharat technology platform was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in the same event and ‘Karmayogi Prarambh’ was highlighted.
- Karamyogi Bharat is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the administrative control of the department and personnel and training (DoPT) for capacity building of all government employees.
- As a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, India provides numerous opportunities for its young population to explore and grow. In the 2020 World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking, India ranked 63 out of 190 economies.
- To “Cultivate One Million Children in India as Neoteric Innovators,” more than 75 million students are actively participating in almost 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) spread across 722 districts with 5800 plus Mentors of Change.
- India was placed 40th out of 132 nations in the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) 2022 Global Innovation Index (GI1) rankings because of its robust exports of ICT services and other factors.
- The ‘Make in India’ initiative launched in 2014 is helping foster innovation, build world-class and make India a hub for manufacturing and design.
- The youth of India is a major driving force in the country’s civil service, which plays a crucial role in delivering government services effectively and efficiently to all citizens.
- The Government of India’s Capacity Building Commission (CBC) was set up on I April 2021 to “radically improve the Human Resource Management practices in the Government through state-of-the-art infrastructure to augment the capacity of Civil Servants.” The initiative is named as National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) - Mission Karmayogi.
Way Forward
- The challenges faced by the youth of India are being addressed by the Government on a mission mode. But the Government alone cannot solve all the issues; equal participation of the private and non-profit sectors is of paramount importance.
- The recent outbreak of COV1D-19 in China, the Russia-Ukraine war, and ongoing geopolitical challenges, are major concerns for the world.
- However, I am hopeful that India’s G20 presidency in 2023, with the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” will bring together world leaders and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous future for all. And the contribution of Youth in that will be remarkable.
YOUTH FOR ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY
Youth: Torch Bearer of Future Generations
- The most valuable and dynamic human resource in society is the youth, who is the ‘torch bearer’ for future generations.
- There are currently 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24, the largest generation of youth in history; nearly 90 per cent of them reside in developing nations, where they account for a sizable share of the population.
- As we rapidly approach 2030, we should consider youths perspectives while creating and implementing sustainable development projects.
Roles for Youth and the SDGs
- Critical thinkers- Youth can see and confront current power systems, obstacles to change, and inconsistencies and biases.
- Change-makers- Youth can mobilise others and take action. Globally, youth activism is increasing due to improved connectivity and access to social media.
- Innovators- Youth can provide fresh perspectives and unique solutions since they are most familiar with the issues they confront.
- Communicators- Young people can collaborate to spread the development agenda among their peers and communities locally as well as internationally.
- Leaders- Young people may influence change in their communities and nations when they are empowered with awareness of their rights and leadership abilities.
- Youth also play a crucial role in promoting the SDGs, particularly SDG 15, “Life on Land,” which calls for the conservation and restoration of the planet’s terrestrial ecosystems, forests, and biodiversity.
Policy Actions
- Young people can actively contribute to preserving and enhancing the environment, by sustainably altering their lifestyle and positively impact the environment.
- Government strategies are required to address youth unemployment directly and to maximise the potential of cities to achieve full and decent employment.
- Youth have recently shown that they could bring social ideals and ideas of justice into discourse by taking part in the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
- A sustainable lifestyle that respects the environment must be promoted.
- During the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), held in Glasgow last year, the Hon’ble Prime Minister first proposed the concept of LiFE.
- The LiFE Movement seeks to encourage people to take little, everyday steps toward a more sustainable future by harnessing the strength of coordinated effort.
- The mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3), who will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environment friendly lifestyles.
Advocacy, Awareness-Raising, and Capacity-Building
- Youth-led organisations are at the forefront in the planning and delivery of workshops and campaigns.
- Participants accomplish this through peer-to-peer education, training, and capacity-building.
- Awareness of and capacity for development activities could be greatly enhanced through increased financial and regulatory support for youth-led structures.
Way Forward
- Environmental and socially sustainable development information and skills should be included in all majors so that students can become educated employees or employers, customers, community members, and investors. In order to promote green entrepreneurship, one must strengthen the connections between SDG practitioners, green economy employers, and educational institutions.
SHAPING DIGITAL ECONOMY
- Millennials, who are born between 1980 to 2000 have lived their lives surrounded by electronic gadgets.
- The lives of these millennials are dependent on digital technologies.
- Their digital awareness makes them perfect to shape the digit economy of India.
Success of the Indian Youth
- The ambitions, habits, work patterns, skills, dreams and abilities of the youth are all making a profound impact on the world of technology today.
- Given the change in the mindset of the youth, it is not surprising that India currently boasts of 81 unicorn startups with a combined valuation of $274 billion.
- Further, 90 individuals among the founders of 500 US unicorns were born in India.
- Unicorns are startups with a valuation of one billion US dollars which is roughly Rs 8,000 crore.
- In India too, we have many individuals who had founded some of the greatest Indian startups in their 20s or early 30s. Some of these ventures are Zomato, Flipkart, InMobi, RedBus, Zerodha, Upstox, Oyo Rooms, Lenskart, YourStory, Ola Cabs, Physicswallah and Mamaearth, which are household names today.
- India’s startup boom can be easily recognised by looking at the ‘Forbes 30 Under 30’ list of 2022 which has representation from 22 countries and territories. India tops the list with 61 entries.
Leaders of Content Creation
- Content creation is another important area where you can see a large number of young people playing an important role.
- YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are popular platforms which are being leveraged by today’s youth to express themselves, deliver quality content and earn money.
- There are at least 8 crore creators and knowledge professionals in India.
- The 8 crore creators in India include a diverse group of people such as video streamers, content creators, influencers, creators on OTT platforms, bloggers, and those who create physical products, who are all building communities around their unique niche.
- Opportunities are available not only in the metropolitan and large cities but also in the Tier-2 cities such as Pune and Indore.
The Gig Jobs
- Gig economy is important for the country as interest among the youngsters between the age group of 16 to 18 in the gig jobs has gone up by 750 per cent, as suggested by research.
- The N1TI Aayog says that in the year 2020-2021, an estimated 77 lakh (7.7 million) individuals were working in the gig economy.
- It is predicted that this gig workforce will grow to 2.35 crore (23.5 million) by 2029-2030. Currently, 47 per cent of gig work is classified as medium skilled, 22 per cent as high skilled, and 31 per cent as low skilled.
- Gig jobs are finding increasing acceptance among the youth as they are more open to exploring opportunities of different kinds.
Demand Generation and Science Education
- A country with a huge young population can boast of a homegrown market for digital products and services.
- For the growth of the country and its youth, education is a crucial factor and it is heartening to see that Indian students are increasingly getting attracted to science and engineering streams.
- The engineering colleges churn out over 15 lakh technology graduates every year.
LEADING INDIA TOWARDS TECHADE
- India, being the world’s largest democracy, is embedded with the values of Sarvodaya and Antyodaya.
- Sarvodaya is a compound word comprised of sarva (all) and udaya (rise/uplift) which means rise/upliftment of every citizen. Antyodaya signifies the rise of the last person standing in the line. These values can be accomplished when every stakeholder in our country joins hands to work for the greater good.
- India has one of the largest youth populations in the world; around 66 per cent of the total population is below the age of 35.
My Gov App
- To place people at the centre of development, the Hon’ble Prime Minister launched MyGov on 26 July 2014.
- MyGov is Government of India’s citizen engagement platform. It works with numerous government organisations and ministries to involve citizens in the policy-making process and solicit their opinions on matters and subjects that are important to the welfare of the general public.
- MyGov has adopted multiple engagement methods like discussions, tasks, polls, surveys, blogs, talks, pledges, quizzes and on-ground activities by innovatively using the internet, mobile apps, IVRS, SMS and Outbound Dialling (OBD) technologies for reaching out to the citizens.
- The youth is the backbone of MyGov’s outreach platform. MyGov facilitates participatory governance or Jan Bhagidari by:
- Information Dissemination: MyGov helps to reach out to the beneficiaries and acts like a one-stop platform for citizens. In addition to ensuring the efficient transfer of new knowledge, effective dissemination also increases awareness and fosters cooperation.
- Two-Way Communication: MyGov facilitates two-way through social media engagement and innovative platforms. Suggestions from citizens for Union Budget, Draft National Youth Policy, Draft Education Policy and so on have been obtained for formulating inclusive and rooted policies. It acts as a feedback loop for policy initiatives and numerous government initiatives.
- Transparency: MyGov acts like a one-stop platform for filing nominations quickly and digitally; this increases trust and confidence amongst citizens. Transparency fosters accountability and provides information for citizens about what the Government is doing.
- Fact Check: MyGov helps citizens to know about facts and government announcements.
- Infusing Collaborations: MyGov enables citizen-citizen and government-citizen collaborations. Like-minded citizens can work together on ‘ideas. MyGov also acts as a great networking platform for individuals who want to bring a positive change.
- The youth of our country has played and is playing a critical role in promoting participatory governance.
- Paying attention to young people’s aspirations and utilising their energies and ideas in serving local communities through youth participation is vital.
- MyGov calls upon all youngsters to unleash their talents and contribute their bit to participatory governance and nation building.
LAUNCH OF ‘STAY SAFE ONLINE’ CAMPAIGN AND ‘G20 DIGITAL INNOVATION ALLIANCE’
- As a part of India’s G20 presidency, MeitY has launched ‘Stay Safe Online’ and ‘G20 Digital Innovation Alliance’ (G20-DIA) on 28 December 2022.
- During India’s G20 presidency, MeitY will focus on three priority areas, namely, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Cyber Security, and Digital Skill Development, together with the Stay Safe Online campaign and DIA programme under the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG).
Stay Safe Online Campaign
- The objective of the ‘Stay Safe Online Campaign’ is to raise awareness among citizens to stay safe in the online world due to the widespread use of social media platforms and the rapid adoption of digital payments.
- The campaign involves the dissemination of multilingual awareness content in the form of infographics, cartoon stories, puzzles, short videos, etc. and amplifying the same through extensive use of the MyGov website and prominent social media platforms.
G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA)
- It aims to identify, recognise, and enable the adoption of innovative and impactful digital technologies developed by startups, from G20 nations as well as the invited nonmember nations, which can address the needs of humanity in the critically important sectors of Agri-tech, Healthtech, Ed-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy.
- The G20- DIA Summit will bring together the key players in the innovation ecosystem from both G20 member countries and the invited non-member countries in order to recognise and support startups creating cutting-edge digital solutions in the six themes that bridge the digital divide between different segments of humanity and advance the world economy.