India - A Knowledge Power: Opportunities and Challenges

Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala

December 14, 2008, 11.30AM - 1PM

India has changed significantly over the last 15 years. It has become a land of opportunity and is growing rapidly. However, this change is largely confined to urban India, with rural India being further pushed behind. In a democratic set-up, such a situation is politically unviable.

The talk will examine whether ICT can be used to enable rural India move forward rapidly. Focusing on needs of rural India, it would examine what can be achieved, and what the success and failures of such efforts would mean for India and the rest of the world.

About the Speaker

Dr. Jhunjhunwala received his B.Tech degree from IIT, Kanpur, and his MS and Ph.D degrees from the University of Maine. From 1979 to 1981, he was with Washington State University as Assistant Professor. Since 1981, he has been teaching at IIT, Madras, where he leads the Telecommunications and Computer Networks group (TeNeT). This group is closely working with industry in the development of technologies relevant to India. TeNeT group has incubated secveral technology companies which work in partnership with TeNeT group to develop Telecom and Banking products for Indian Urban Rural Markets. He chairs Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI) at IIT Madras and Mobile Payment Forum of India (MPFI).

Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala has been awarded Padma Shri in the year 2002. He has been awarded Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1998, Dr.Vikram Sarabhai Research Award for the year 1997, Millennium Medal at Indian Science Congress in the year 2000 and H. K. Firodia for "Excellence in Science & Technology" for the year 2002, Shri Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation Award for Science & Technology for the year 2004, Awarded Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture Award by INSA for the year 2006, IBM Innovation and Leadership Forum Award by IBM for the year 2006 and awarded Honorary Doctorate by the Institute of Blekinge Institute of Technology Sweden. He is a Fellow of World Wireless Research forum and Indian academies including INAE, IAS, INSA and NAS.

Dr. Jhunjhunwala is a Director in the Board of State Bank of India, TTML, BEL, Polaris, 3i Infotech, Sasken, Tejas and IDRBT. He is member of Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Committee.