WHEELS Global Foundation - Leveraging Technological Innovations for Rural Transformation at PIWOT 2025

WHEELS Global Foundation made a remarkable impact at the PanIIT World of Technology Summit (PIWOT) 2025. / Courtesy Photo

WHEELS Global Foundation made a remarkable impact at the PanIIT World of Technology Summit (PIWOT) 2025, held in Mumbai from January 17-19. As a global impact platform powered by the Pan IIT alumni community, the foundation showcased how technology can be a powerful tool for addressing critical societal challenges.

WHEELS’ 20-booth Rural Transformation Pavilion was a highlight of the event, presenting  innovative solutions across its six core priorities (Water, Health, Energy, Education, Livelihood, and Sustainability). Some of featured solutions were Integrated Smart Village booth by IEEE ISV; Sustainable Agriculture for Ten-fold Income Enhancement & KrishiKul University by Global Vikas Trust; Solar-energy enabled Rural Enterprises by CES; E-Kiosks to bring digital services to villages by E-Hands; Nationwide Restoration of Waterbodies by BJS; Lighthouse Communities’ program for million rural jobs; SEVL model for mental resilience in Schools by Hema Foundation.

These booths demonstrated commitment of WHEELS and its partner ecosystem for leveraging technology & innovation for rural transformation, attracting attention from thought leaders, industry professionals, researchers, and academia.

Key leadership from WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) drove critical discussions across multiple tracks. Suresh V. Shenoy (Vice Chairman and Board Member WGF) led the Sustainability Track, exploring how technology can be nature-friendly, with Dr. Ram Ramanan ( Cofounder Impact Edge and Chair, Sustainability Council, WGF) serving as a star speaker. Ashank Desai (Founder and Chairman of Mastek & Chairman WHEELS India) spearheaded discussions on digital solutions for rural and agricultural development, while Ambassador Pradeep Kapur (Chair, Livelihood Council, WGF) headed the Social Impact Track.

The healthcare track, led by Dr. Raj Shah ( Chairman of the Health Council, WGF) was particularly notable. It featured prominent speakers including Gautam Khanna from Hinduja Hospital, Maneesh Goyal of Mayo Clinic, and Dr Rahul Gupta from the National Drug Control Policy in Biden Administration. The session highlighted innovative approaches to addressing healthcare challenges through technological integration.

PIWOT 2025 attracted over 3,000 participants and featured keynote addresses from prominent government figures, including Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Gururaj Desh Deshpande; R.A. Mashelkar, Sunil Wadhwani and Mr. Partha Ghosh and a special address by Shri Devendra Fadnavis Chief Minister, Maharashtra State.

The event also marked the launch of Impact Collaboration Platform (ICP), built by WHEELS in collaboration with Societal Impact Action Group (an IITMAA initiative), to bring together 300+ Social Impact entities for rapid mutual replications of their proven solutions so that these benefits millions of people beyond limited geography.

Another key highlight was announcement of WHEELS-led ThinkTank Initiative to tap into powerful virtual network of NRI CXOs (who also are often IIT alumni) for advising Government of India on technology investments to uplift greater India, grow exports, and import substitutions, and thus freeing more capital for acceleration of infrastructure investments.

Further, in collaboration with CII (Confederation of Indian Industries), WHEELS took the main PIWOT experience to Satellite Conferences at campuses of relatively newer six IITs across the country – Ropar, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Tirupati and Gandhinagar. These satellite events showcased cutting-edge research & innovation programs at these institutions, startup incubators, and featured very productive dialogue between industry, academia and  WHEELS for the broader mission of leveraging technology for improving the lives in greater India.

WHEELS Global Foundation demonstrated its unique ability to bridge technology, innovation, and social impact, showcasing how collaborative efforts can drive material change across multiple sectors and communities. 

WHEELS , by deploying such programs, aims to achieve the shared objectives of Technology Driven Transformation of India’s 20% of “Rurban” population that is 180m+ people, by 2030 in support of India’s vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047.

We urge all of you with interest in supporting the large underserved segment of India’s future to join WHEELS’ efforts by visiting WHEELS WEBSITE and Getting Involved section which provides numerous ways for you to be part of our journey. Visit www.wheelsglobal.org

 

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)