Indian Industry Plus A Pratisrutiplus Suppliment
Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), a premier S&T organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE), IIT BHU, organised a Tech Conclave on “AI for Health & Assistive Technologies” at IIT BHU, Varanasi. The programme brought together government representatives, academic experts, healthcare professionals and startups to explore how artificial intelligence can advance healthcare, improve accessibility and support inclusion and citizen well-being through practical, scalable solutions.
The inaugural session commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, followed by welcome remarks by Prof. Manoj Kumar Meshram, Faculty In-Charge, CIIE, IIT BHU. The session featured a keynote address by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, Government of India, followed by special addresses from Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI, and Prof. Amit Patra, Director, IIT BHU. Special addresses were also delivered by Shri Sumit Mahajan, CEO, Uttar Pradesh Startup Mission, IT & Electronics Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Dr. Mallika Tiwari, Professor, Department of Oncology, Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU.
Delivering the keynote address, Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, Government of India, said, “Artificial Intelligence can play an important role in making healthcare more accessible, strengthening clinical decision-making and improving service delivery, particularly for communities with limited access to healthcare services. He emphasised the need to integrate AI education across disciplines and leverage the convergence of technology, medical sciences and research to develop practical solutions. He underscored AI’s transformative potential in improving healthcare accessibility, affordability and quality through applications such as disease screening, medical diagnostics, remote ICU monitoring and AI-assisted surgical planning. He encouraged stronger collaboration among IIT (BHU), STPI, industry and startups to develop scalable healthcare and assistive technology solutions. He also highlighted the support available through the IndiaAI Mission and other MeitY initiatives, while emphasising STPI’s role in connecting startups with investors, venture capital networks and market opportunities to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI, reflected on the transformation of India’s technology ecosystem over the past three decades. Highlighting STPI’s pivotal role in facilitating the growth of India’s IT/ITeS industry since 1991, he emphasised the opportunity to replicate this success in Artificial Intelligence through indigenous innovation and entrepreneurship. Recalling how students earlier primarily aspired to secure campus placements, he noted that today’s startup ecosystem enables young innovators to become job creators. Highlighting STPI’s industry linkages and 27 Centres of Entrepreneurship, he underscored the importance of translational research, intellectual property creation and market access. He further emphasised the need to strengthen startup ecosystems beyond established technology hubs, particularly in emerging regions, through closer collaboration among academic institutions such as IIT (BHU), industry and government.
Prof. Amit Patra, Director, IIT BHU, addressing the STPI Tech Conclave on AI for Health & Assistive Technologies, highlighted IIT (BHU)’s efforts to strengthen its startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem through the establishment of the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE). He emphasised the importance of creating a structured institutional framework to nurture entrepreneurial thinking among students, faculty and aspiring innovators, enabling them to transform innovative ideas into viable startups. He underscored the need to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with multiple funding sources and build a sustainable pipeline of startups, reaffirming IIT (BHU)’s commitment to fostering innovation and technology-driven entrepreneurship.
The conclave also featured two panel discussions— “Empowering Citizens Through AI: Health, Inclusion & Well-being” and “From Innovation to Impact: Translating AI Research into Scalable Healthcare & Assistive Solutions” bringing together experts from government, academia, healthcare and startups to discuss AI’s potential and its translation into practical, scalable solutions. Vote of Thanks was given by Shri Praveen Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Director and OIC, STPI Lucknow
The first panel discussion, “Empowering Citizens Through AI: Health, Inclusion & Well-being,” featured Prof. Manoj Kumar Meshram, Coordinator, CIIE-IIT BHU; Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT BHU; Prof. Avanish Singh Parmar, Professor, Department of Physics, IIT (BHU); Dr. Shiru Sharma, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT BHU; Dr. Ruchi Chawla, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, IIT BHU; Shri Shahbaz Ahmad, Founder, Arkision AI Pvt. Ltd.; and Shri Amit Kumar Verma, Additional Director, STPI. The discussion focused on the potential of AI to support more accessible and inclusive healthcare and improve citizen well-being. The multidisciplinary participation highlighted the importance of bringing together technological expertise, healthcare-related research and entrepreneurial perspectives to explore solutions that respond to people’s needs.
The second panel discussion, “From Innovation to Impact: Translating AI Research into Scalable Healthcare & Assistive Solutions,” featured Shri Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar, Director, MeitY; Dr. Akash Mishra, Assistant Professor, Centre of Biostatistics, IMS-BHU; Dr. Durgesh Narayan Singh, Scientific Officer, BioNest BHU; Ms. Tripti Verma, Founder, LeminAi; and Shri Shyam Kumar, COO, STPI MedTech Centre of Entrepreneurship at SGPGIMS, Lucknow. The session centred on the journey from research and innovation to practical, scalable solutions in healthcare and assistive technology. The mix of institutional, scientific and startup perspectives underscored the value of collaboration in helping promising ideas move towards real-world application.
The conclave reinforced the importance of collaboration among government, academia, healthcare institutions and startups to harness AI for accessible healthcare, assistive technologies and inclusive well-being. Through continued engagement, research translation and entrepreneurship support, STPI and CIIE, IIT BHU, aim to contribute to an innovation ecosystem that develops practical, responsible and scalable technology solutions for societal needs.
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