Mumbai: In its second edition, the Times Network Digital India Summit garnered overwhelming response and support from all stakeholders, and to bolster the path-breaking endeavor further, the network presented the first ever Digital India Awards 2016 which recognized and honored the tenacious efforts by individuals and organizations in the social and corporate world that are harnessing the power of IT to transform business processes, improve delivery of public services and create a positive impact on society.
The day-long event also recognized and honored individuals, businesses and organizations that are harnessing the power of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and digital tools to do good work for the Nation and the organization.
Mr. R S Sharma, Chairman – TRAI, gave away the Digital India Awards 2016 to the winners at a glittering ceremony. These honored seven individuals in the ‘Good for India’ and four in the ‘Good for Organization’ categories.
Mr. Ravi SHankar Prasad delivered the keynote address at the Digital India Summit & Awards 2016, and addressed some of the most important architects of India’s digital revolution who had gathered to discuss India’s progress in the digital world. The experts were also addressed by Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, and Mr. R S Sharma, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. At the end of a day packed with five panel discussions with some of the most renowned and experienced leaders from across the industry, the curtains came down on the Digital India Summit and Awards 2016, organized by Times Network, the No. 1 English Network of the country, when Mr. R S Sharma gave away the Digital India Awards 2016 to a galaxy of truly deserving winners.
The Digital India Summit & Awards 2016 was aired on TIMES NOW and ET NOW, India’s most impactful News channels.
In his keynote address, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that over the past slightly under two years that it had been in power, the Union Government had been trying to bring in transformational programs of lasting significance and impact. “Digital India, Skill India and Make In India will transform the Nation,” Mr Prasad said, adding that the results had begun showing. He said that while earlier only a few major metros like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Gurgaon had IT hubs, “Now we have IT hubs even in mofussil towns.”
Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who addressed the power-packed gathering of digital and society influencers in the evening, said “Expansion of digital services and bringing digital literacy down to the grassroots level” were priorities because “when you do that, you will have all the people empowered to use the digital platforms to improve their lives.” He added that “Programs like these (The Digital India Summit & Awards 2016) are extremely critical for bringing the government and the private sector together.” He observed that regular feedback and advice from the private sector (to the government) would help “strengthen the program of digital India… making it a success.”
M K Anand, MD & CEO – Times Network, said, “We are honoured that both, the honorable Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, and the honorable Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, graced the Second Digital India Summit with their presence and addressed the gathering. Times Network is home to India’s most influential television audiences, and therefore it was only fitting that we host the summit to provide a platform for some of the most celebrated thought leaders and digital evangelists to ideate on the transformational area of India’s digital development which is critical to National growth.”
Arnab Goswami, President – News & Editor-in-Chief ET NOW & TIMES NOW, said, “The Digital India Summit is a reaffirmation of our commitment to creating a digitally powered economy. I truly believe the next two years can be transformational for India.”
The event was split into two parts – Digital India Summit (during the day) and Digital India Awards in the evening. The summit saw top industry experts, thought leaders and policy makers discussing important subjects like Building A Digital Economy, Delivering On The Digital India Dream – The Story So Far, Developing A Digital Workforce, Developing Digital Entrepreneurs and Making India An Electronics Manufacturing Hub.
The Digital India Awards were bestowed across two categories: ‘Good For India’, and ‘Good For Organizations’.
The winners in the ‘Good for India’ category:
- Kabadiwalla Connect (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for Smart City Solutions)
- Nextenders (India; Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for E-governance Solutions)
- CSC E-Governance Services India (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for E-education learning Solutions)
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Sub-category -Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for E-healthcare delivery Solutions)
- Sounds Of Silence Foundation (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for Skills & employment Solutions)
- Earthwatch Institute India (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for Digital Environment Solutions)
- Swasti Agro & Bioproducts (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Innovation’ for Agricultural Solutions)
In the ‘Good for Organization’ category, the winners were:
- Biocon (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Enterprise’ for Manufacturing)
- Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (Sub-Category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Enterprise’ for Services)
Spoors Technology Solutions India (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Start-up Innovators)
Shelter Associates (Sub-category – Outstanding Contribution in Digital Social Innovation).
The awards had received overwhelming participation from corporates and individuals, and the entries had been judged by an eminent jury comprising of Aruna Jayanthi (CEO, Capgemini), R Chandrasekhar (CEO, NASSCOM), Kiran Karnik (Chairman, CII, National Committee Telecom & Broadband), Shinjini Kumar (CEO, Payments Bank, Paytm), Joy Chakraborty (COO – P D Hinduja Hospital) and Ashutosh Jain (Chief Information Security Officer, Axis Bank).
