HYDERABAD: Today, livelihoods are tech-driven, and developing skills may be the only way to keep up. In light of this, the Nudge Institute is hosting India’s premier tech-driven livelihood summit, Charcha’23, for the first time in Hyderabad. The two-day livelihoods conference in ISB Hyderabad promotes opportunities for all Indians by bringing together working stakeholders under the G20 Startup Banner by The Nudge. Charcha’23, in collaboration with India’s prominent market leaders in the development and technology sectors, hosts events on a variety of topics and themes such as agri-innovations and entrepreneurship, skills-first thinking for livelihood and so on.
“We intended to make a difference by engaging a larger community in discussions about development, poverty alleviation, and networking, which can help you learn from other people’s successes and failures. This is what Charcha is all about. Charcha will not solve problems on its own. These gatherings do not fix problems, but they do inspire. Being in a room with thousands of individuals who believe in solutions or overcoming problems is the motivation for many. This is a two-day event of inspiration, learning, and networking. I hope that in the future, charchas expands beyond the mainstream’s six or seven themes and creates content in other segments,” says Sudha Srinivasan, CEO, of The Nudge Centre for Social Innovation.
One such session is the Gates Foundation’s Women-Driven Development for India at 100, which discussed corporate initiatives for women’s employment and women’s entrepreneurship. Ruzbeh Irani, President, of Group Human Resources (Mahindra Group), says, “Corporations should have an inclusive culture, which involves breaking stereotypes in the workplace; there should be gender parity in the workplace. I believe that women should work at the leadership level rather than at the entry-level. Women perform dual roles of leadership and reproduction, and corporations must be helpful before, during, and after childbirth.”
Another speaker sharing her view was Lakshmi Puri, Former Assistant Secretary-General (UN), who discussed entrepreneurship. She said that if we organise the care services sector, there would be billions of excellent jobs, where men could work alongside women. “Our education system is academic and struggles with the basics; focusing on girl children right from primary school is critical to growing to the level of leadership,” says Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, of Pratham.
Future of Skilling for the Sports Sector in India — by Reliance Foundation Dialogues, saw speakers like Rahul Banerjee, Jwala Gutta, Dr Aashish Contractor and Aditi Chauhan in attendance. Our country has an increasing number of athletes, but with sufficient infrastructure and coaches, that number will not decline. Many girls participate in sports but leave out at a particular age due to safety concerns, which are a prominent worry in India.
According to Jwala Gutta (athlete and Arjuna awardee, two-time Olympian), it takes a lot of guts to pick sports in India, and when someone does, funding facilities and a lack of proper trainers have a big impact. She believes that corporations should support coaching centres and pay coaches well, which can result in significant change. According to Aditi Chauhan, Founder & CEO, of She Kicks Football Academy, there is not sufficient exposure for women on television, and as a result, there is little inspiration for young girls. “Lack of awareness is a key disadvantage that can be mitigated by keeping athletes involved in the system,” she concludes.