NASSCOM inks two MoUs on sidelines of Hyderabad summit

22nd February 2018
NASSCOM inks two MoUs on sidelines of Hyderabad summit
A view of the NASSCOM-WCIT exhibition area

From Leela Rani Dondapati
Hyderabad,February  22 20128: A MoU was signed between Government of Telangana  and National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)  on the sidelines of the e NASSCOM India Leadership Forum - World Congress of Information Technology combined event,  which ended here yesterday.  
The two will jointly set up a  Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CoE – DS & AI) in the State, on a public-private partnership model.  With an initial joint investment of Rs. 400 million, the CoE will  provide the stimulus for innovation and in-depth research in the areas of data science and artificial intelligence.
Said KT Rama Rao,  Telengana Minister for IT, Industries,  Municipal Administration and Urban Developmen: " Hyderabad is emerging as an attractive location to global technology companies. State government had introduced special IT policy and taken up T- Hub for encouraging start-ups. Government of Telangana realizes the opportunities the newer technologies present and laid the foundation of a Data Analytics Park to tap the innovation and employment opportunities in this rising sector.Telangana will be the first state in India to.bring Artificial Intelligence in Public Health Screening and we are excited about how technology has the potential to make a social impact ."
Added R. Chandrasekhar, President, NASSCOM: "India is now on its next growth curve led by 'disruptive technologies like Data Science and AI. Vision behind this CoE is to consolidate and streamline efforts in this space by building state- of- the-art infrastructure to amplify the impact that India can indigenously create. With the opportunities that social technologies present this CoE of DS& AI is strategically placed to provide data- backed solution to critical and complex problems across the country and globe."
MoU with Blockchain Research Institute
NASSCOM signed another  MoU in Hyderabad  with  the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), Canada to boost the activities and develop skill sets for blockchain adoption and deployment in India. As part of the MoU, the two entities will collaborate for various activities including joint webinars, and knowledge sharing in terms of case studies by BRI for like-minded Indian organizations and Government departments wanting to deploy Blockchain as a technology.
The Blockchain Research Institute is a thinktank, established in partnership with Government of Canada, other government bodies and private sector companies to bring together the top minds in public and private sector research to build blockchain-based economies around the world.
The two entities plan to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in India that will provide high-end technology capabilities, expertise, thought leadership, and curated programmes to explore the adoption of blockchain across academia, enterprises, government, innovators and advanced start-ups.
Said Raman Roy, Chairman, NASSCOM said, “India and Canada share a great bond, both in terms of people, culture and business. Our collaboration with BRI will foster greater collaboration between the two countries, focused on the creation of a world-class sustainable blockchain ecosystem in India that will help enhance our vision for a digital economy. We believe blockchain is a transformative technology for businesses. It is imperative that we identify and explain key application opportunities, issues, strategies and approaches that enable companies and governments to capitalize on this emerging technology.”
 Added Don Tapscott, Founder and Executive Chairman at Blockchain Research Institute, said, “We see our coalition with NASSCOM as a delightful opportunity to nurture the Blockchain community in India. We strongly believe that India has the potential to lead the Blockchain revolution. I want to thank Sanjay Tugnait, Chair of the Blockchain Research Institute Advisory Board who was instrumental in creating this collaboration between the two entities.”
Social Innovation
 NASSCOM also observed the 10th anniversary of its  Social Innovation Forum  at Hyderabad.  
Jayesh Ranjan, Telengana's  Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology  suggested that Telangana can be a fertile test bed for  incubators of social innovators.  IT Minister KT Rama Rao  said "In partnership with Microsoft we have started screening children in schools to detect early Health problems related to eyes with AI, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics."