India International Science Festival 2020 Witnesses Innovative Interventions of Self-reliant India

Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 6th edition of India International Science Festival 2020 (IISF 2020) on 22nd December 2020. The theme of the event is Science for Self-Reliant India and Global Welfare. The objective of the event was to provide a platform to participants to contribute towards nation-building by coming up with novel solutions to societal problems, that would, in turn, result in reciprocation of knowledge & emergence of ideas for the national interest. The identified Plenary Sessions "Igniting Young Minds for Solution centric STI Interventions". The India International Science Festival (IISF) will provide the spark of innovativeness and a strong belief in science and scientists among the countrys citizens that will catapult the country into becoming a world leader.

India International Science Festival 2020 Witnesses Innovative Interventions to Contribute Towards the Building of a Self-reliant India

As a part of the IISF 2020, a special event titled "New Age Technology Show" is being organized by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). The event shall witness various sessions spread across three days, and aims to encourage innovation in the field of emerging technologies such as AI-ML & Data Analytics, AR/VR/MR/XR and many others, cutting edge technologies like IoT, Electronic system Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), Blockchain, 5G, Cyber Security, etc. across the country for making India a Product Nation.

Kickstarting the New Age Technology Show inaugural session, Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI, underlined, "IISF 2020 is going to be the largest science & technology show in the world to celebrate innovations. Young innovators and startups can leverage emerging tech to build disruptive products & solutions to address the challenges of society."

He further added, "Industry 4.0 technologies can revolutionize the landscape of research, innovation & product development while boosting the economy of India."

"New age technologies like AI & Data Analytics will revolutionize the manufacturing and supply chain sectors. The next decade is crucial for India to take a lead globally in emerging technologies innovation," cited Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur at New Age Technology Show at IISF 2020.

On this occasion, Shri Subodh Sachan, Director, STPI INDIA & MD & CEO, STPINEXT in his welcome address emphasized, "AI systems are touching our lives in a more integrated way across various mundane and industrial tasks and accomplishing them with greater accuracy, precision, and efficiency."

New Age Technology Show was followed by a session on Technology Deliberation & Innovation Showcase on AI-ML & Data Analytics. Brilliant thought leaders from Government, industry and academia deliberated on the cutting-edge technologies. Dr. B. K. Panigrahi, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi, Dr. Mausam, Professor & Head, CSE and School of AI, IIT, New Delhi, Shri Umakant Soni, Co-founder AIfoundry at Chapter AI Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Dr. Kalyan Netti, Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Shri. Ajinkya Malasane, Co-Founder at Playment.

During Startups Video Showcase, 6 promising startups, such as Liger Mobility, Raptee, Kshemin Labs, Grainpad Pvt. Ltd. Sumitra Singh and Xenon Digilabs Pvt. Ltd showcased their AI & Data Analytics based innovative products. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Pooja Ghosh, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi, Dr. Dhirendra Kumar, BLD Institute of Research & Learning and Shri Sanjay Burde, Senior Principal Scientist CSIR-NISCAIR.