India and the U.S.: Partners in a Tech-Driven World

India and the U.S.: Partners in a Tech-Driven World

featuring

Mr. Sachin Pilot, Member of Indian Parliament
Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Technology 

Monday, March 29, 2010
3:00pm-4:30pm

Center for Strategic and International Studies
B-1 Conference Level
1800 K Street NW, Washington DC 20006

The information technology and communications boom in India has been integral to the nation’s rise. It has powered India’s growth and its future course will have a profound impact on India’s economic future. The government wants to use IT as a tool to promote inclusive development yet a meager 7% of the nation has broadband coverage and access is uneven across Indian states. The Indian “digital divide” thus presents both an opportunity and a challenge.

As one of India’s youngest political leaders, Mr. Sachin Pilot, the Minister of State for the Technology and Communication Ministry, is a strong advocate for unifying India through improved IT connectivity. He will discuss his vision for a technologically driven Indian society and the potential for a strategic US-India partnership in this realm. Mr. Pilot was elected to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) in 2004, and at age 26 he became the youngest Member of the Indian Parliament. He was recently selected as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum, Davos. Mr. Pilot has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.