Nasscom awards: Technology for social good

But how is the recognition going to help these innovators? Soni says the winners will be awarded during the NLIF (Nasscom Foundation's Indian Leadership Forum), which will take place in Mumbai later this month, and is considered the biggest event in the IT sector. "They will get to present their concepts to the who's who of IT world. This is naturally going to help them take their innovations to the next level," she points out.

The winners understand this. Most of them are enthused by the award not only because it's an award per se, but also because it will give them a "certification" that their technology actually works for the greater social good.

For instance, 23-year-old Devesh Kumar from Birla Institute of Technology-Mesra, who is the winner in the "Student Concept of the Year" category, along with his three friends, for developing a diagnostic tool for dyslexic students, says, "We want The D Labs to be available to all parents and institutions who have to deal with children with learning disabilities. Once it gets recognition, it can be very handy with identifying dyslexic kids early in their lives, and also developing programmes to aid their learning." At the moment, the gadget is being used by a few NGOs and some families at an annual subscription of Rs 8,000.

Desai says, "At the moment, Stipator can only be used by those girls who own a smartphone. But our ultimate aim is to develop a lipstick-sized gadget, costing no more than Rs 4,000, which will be in the purse of every woman who travels late at night so that cases like the horrible Delhi gangrape could be averted."

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