On its 32nd Foundation Day, the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) organized a seminar focused on exploring growth avenues for the Indian IT industry and emerging tech ecosystem. The event was graced by notable guests such as Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY); Ms. Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder of IAN; Dr. Ganesh Natrajan, Chairman of 5F World & Honeywell India; Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder of Persistent Systems; and Shri Ajai Chowdhry, Founder of HCL.
During the seminar, three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed to strengthen the startup ecosystem. The MoUs were between STPI Next Initiatives & BRC, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and STPI Next Initiatives & India Angels Network, as well as the Center for Entrepreneurship Development and STPINEXT initiatives and Incubation (CEDI) of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy. Additionally, a report titled “Innovations through Agritech: A study on the adoption and impact of technology on agri and agri-allied sectors” was released, aiming to provide insights into the current state of Agritech in India, the challenges faced, and opportunities for growth and innovation.
Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary of MeitY, who was the chief guest, extended his greetings to STPI on its 32nd anniversary and outlined six pillars of IT development. These pillars include connectivity, low-cost data, affordable devices, people-friendly policies, future-ready talent, and cybersecurity, which collectively contribute to making India an IT superpower.
Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General of STPI, delivered the welcome address, expressing pride in serving the IT/ITES industry for the past 32 years. He highlighted STPI’s achievements in addressing the industry’s concerns regarding ease of doing business, high-speed internet, and computing devices.
Shri Ajai Chowdhry, Founder of HCL & Chairman of EPIC Foundation, emphasized the need for India and STPI to focus on high-value addition and products. He acknowledged STPI’s role in providing essential support and enabling the software industry to start and scale, and encouraged moving towards higher value-addition.
Distinguished panelists, including Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, Additional Secretary of MeitY; Shri Suresh Raman, Vice President and Regional Head Chennai of TCS; Ms. Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO of SHEROES & Mahila Money; Shri Sridhar Muppidi, Co-Founder of PurpleTalk India Private Limited; Dr. Shakti Goel, Chief Architect and Data Scientist at Yatra Online Limited; and Shri Suryansh Jalan, President of FarEye Technologies, engaged in discussions on “IndiaAhead: TechAde of opportunities and STPI’s role in promoting the emerging technologies ecosystem.”
