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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline APRIL 11, 2025 | The Indian Eye 20

The Nudge events show how a poverty-free

India is possible in our lifetime

OUR BUREAU ing a unique perspective on how cut-
ting-edge advancements in AI, capital
New York, NY
deployment, and entrepreneurship
ndia’s poverty reduction journey can contribute to solving India’s most
stands as a testament to effec- pressing development challenges.
Itive policy-making and robust Following this, ‘New York Gets
economic growth. The percentage of The/Nudge’ at the Harvard Club of
population living below the poverty New York saw a powerful gathering of
line declined from 22.5% in 2011 to impact-driven investors, policymakers,
below 5% in 2024, lifting over 200 mil- and philanthropists who explored the
lion people out of poverty. This trans- role of capital in enabling large-scale,
formation has been enabled by signif- sustainable social transformation. Es-
icant infrastructure development and teemed leaders like Nitin Jindal (Part-
sustainable livelihood creation across ner & Co-Head, Global Commodities,
multiple dimensions. Digital infra- Goldman Sachs), Deepak Raj (Found-
structure, anchored by IndiaStack, has er, Raj Associates), and Jaideep
revolutionized service delivery and fi- Khanna (Founder, Ananta-OM
nancial inclusion. Physical infrastruc- Field workers from The/Nudge Institute conducting a community meeting with the ‘didi’s’ Management) emphasized the role
ture development has enhanced rural of catalytic funding, patient capital,
connectivity and basic amenities. punishing heat of brick kilns. While one that requires a strong collective and outcome-based financing in scal-
The remaining pockets of poverty she did grueling work, her children showcase – with governments, busi- ing solutions for poverty eradication.
however require more nuanced ap- often had to drop out of school – per- nesses, social enterprises, and individ- The discussions underscored the
proaches to sustainable livelihood cre- petuating a cycle of intergenerational uals coming together. Recognizing the importance of investing in models
ation. The country still has large, deep poverty. After graduating from the importance of global partnerships to that prioritize long-term, sustain-
pockets of multidimensional pover- Economic Inclusion Program, what scale this change and sustain its mo- able change over short-term gains.
ty i.e. the absence of access to basic truly changed for her – apart from an mentum to supercharge India’s inclu- Dev Joneja (Chief Risk Officer, Ex-
needs like education, healthcare, and increase in income, assets, and savings sive development story, The/Nudge odusPoint Capital Management, LP)
decent living conditions, beyond a lack – was her agency: she was able to man- (North America) has been organizing wrapped up the evening with reflec-
of income or resources, and roughly age her household and her children’s events in the United States, bringing tions on the collective responsibility of
230 million people remain vulnerable. education, and even learned how to together entrepreneurs, thought lead- leaders across sectors to create mean-
This leaves the most excluded living negotiate prices at the market. ers, and changemakers for dialogue ingful change. The event also saw the
on less than 2 meals a day, tied to un- Reena didi’s story is one of thou- on India’s journey towards poverty participation of notable attendees like
predictable wage labour, owning no sands of women – tending to kitch- alleviation, and for showcasing The/ Gourav and Saloni Varma (Manag-
or little land or productive assets, and en gardens, growing tomatoes and Nudge Institute’s impact along with ing Director, TD Securities | CFO at
holding little to no savings. gourd, rearing goats, running thriving our various partners and supporters. FreshRealm), Rahul Saxena (Adjunct
Addressing this multidimensional businesses, and no longer living with They recently wrapped up ‘Bay Professor, Business and Economics,
poverty is key to India’s journey to- constant worry and guilt. The benefits Area Gets The/Nudge’ and ‘New Kean University), etc. who engaged in
wards Viksit Bharat. With the goal of don’t stop at the women, either – they York Gets The/Nudge’—two pow- insightful conversations on how global
catalyzing such inclusive development often reinvest them into their families er-packed convenings that brought capital and expertise can contribute to
and creating resilient livelihoods, The/ and communities, scaling change. together some of the most influential India’s poverty alleviation efforts.
Nudge is an action Institute working Through consumption grants, minds in technology, philanthropy, Both events reinforced the impor-
towards a poverty-free India, within livelihood assets, and financial lit- and business to discuss India’s poverty tance of collective action, with attend-
our lifetime, in collaboration with gov- eracy training, The/Nudge, through alleviation journey and the role of in- ees reflecting on their own roles in shap-
ernment, markets and civil society. public-private partnerships, is helping novation, capital, and partnerships in ing India’s development trajectory.
Adopting an evidence-rich grad- families escape economic exclusion accelerating this mission. These convenings are part of The/
uation approach to poverty allevia- and secure sustainable incomes. At Stanford, ‘Bay Area Gets Nudge’s growing movement to bring
tion, The/Nudge Institute’s Econom- Beyond direct economic inclu- The/Nudge’ witnessed a room full of global stakeholders into India’s pov-
ic Inclusion program – formulates sion, The/Nudge is also nurturing changemakers, including leading en- erty alleviation efforts—leveraging
an answer to important questions: India’s brightest minds – problem trepreneurs, investors, and technolo- cross-border knowledge, capital, and
What does it truly mean to escape solvers and social entrepreneurs – to gists from Silicon Valley, who engaged networks to drive lasting change.
poverty? How can one earn more tackle the country’s most pressing, in thought-provoking discussions on Both events reinforced a critical
money, own more assets, and be wicked problems and increase access the intersection of technology, innova- truth: poverty alleviation is not just
able to pursue a life with more agen- to livelihood solutions for the coun- tion, and social entrepreneurship and about economic mobility but about
cy? Our economic inclusion journey try’s marginalized communities. The how to leverage it to drive large-scale ensuring dignity, resilience, and op-
for 25 million Indians, has reached incubator, accelerator and grand chal- impact. The event featured insights portunity for all. As these conversa-
10 states with $250M of govern- lenges have supported 200+ social from industry stalwarts like Vinod tions translate into actionables, the
ment funding to cover 1.25M people. entrepreneurs including 17 Forbes Khosla (Founder, Sun Microsystems focus remains on what matters most:
Take the story of Reena Didi, for 30U30, 3 EarthShot Prize winners, 1 & Khosla Ventures), Anu Bharadwaj creating pathways out of poverty for
instance: for years, she migrated from Time Magazine cover and more. (President, Atlassian), and Srinivas millions of Indians, not just for today,
Jharkhand to Varanasi to work in the The path to a Viksit Bharat is Narayanan (VP, OpenAI), each bring- but for generations to come.

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