New Delhi: Shri. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution inaugurated the Public Systems Lab at the IIT Delhi on Tuesday.
The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), have joined hands to establish the Public Systems Lab (PSL) for developing scalable solutions for civic systems and services that impact millions.
“AI and automation can help us transform the public delivery system and I hope this Public Systems Lab which we have started today will be the harbinger of what PM Modi has articulated as the big vision of India, a developed nation and I am so happy that we have started this project today itself because this is the kind of initiative which will make India a developed nation. Thanks to Bishow Parajuli from WFP and IIT Delhi who have partnered in this very important and pathbreaking initiative.” Shri. Piyush Goyal said
“Public Systems or social welfare systems deliver basic entitlements to citizens. WFP works closely with the government towards making these efficient and effective through innovation, research, incubation models, or processes. The launch of Public Systems Lab will augment and strengthen the impact of public systems at scale, especially when it comes to ensuring inclusion,” Mr. Bishow Parajuli, Representative and Country Director, WFP India, said.
“With major application domains ranging from Food and Health Systems to Public Transportation, the partnership between IIT Delhi and WFP India will develop innovative solutions, test them in the live environment, and support their scale-up across India and globally,” Mr. Parajuli added.
“Our faculty and researchers have been applying cutting-edge modeling, operations research, and AI tools and techniques to improve the operations, control, and efficiency of public systems. We are delighted that the Public Systems Laboratory will facilitate and enable our contribution to public systems and help us create a greater impact in society” Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi.
Under the three-year agreement, as a founding partner, PSL will work closely with WFP to identify projects around food systems and management and innovations, particularly those that involve Operations Research, Product development, data-based innovations & analysis, and other areas. One of the proposed initiatives includes a Public System Fellowship program under which WFP and IIT Delhi will second experts to the Ministry of Food at the national level to support them in making the food-based safety nets effective and efficient using operations research and optimization.