The/Nudge Foundation today announced the launch of The/Nudge Institute, a Development action institute with a long-term commitment to poverty alleviation work. The Institute will work closely with the government, markets, and civil society towards a shared vision of a “poverty-free India, within our lifetime”, it said in a press statement.
Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, launched the Institute at a function today in Bengaluru. He said, “The Govt. of Karnataka is already associated with The/Nudge on the Indian Administrative Fellowship program, and we look forward to more innovative initiatives from them.”
A diverse group of 30+ founding organizations and philanthropists have come together to enable this vision, including Mphasis, KPMG, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Omidyar Network India, Binny Bansal (ex-Flipkart), Prashanth Prakash (Accel Partners), Vidit Aatrey (Meesho), Hari Menon (Big Basket) and Govind Iyer (Chairperson, SVP India, Board Member - GiveIndia). Renana Jhabwala (SEWA Bharat) and Samit Ghosh (Ujjivan) will serve on the The/Nudge Institute Advisory Board providing guidance on the direction of the Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, Atul Satija, Founder and CEO, The/Nudge Institute, said, “As we step into the 75th year of India’s independence and reflect on the decades of progress we’ve made, we renew our commitment to work towards a poverty-free India, within our lifetime, and ensure every Indian lives a life of dignity and fulfillment. The/Nudge Institute is an expression of this pledge.”
The focus of the institute will be on building resilient livelihoods for all, including skill development, job connect, job creation and fostering micro entrepreneurship in urban areas, doubling farmers’ incomes and supporting ultra poor families through the graduation approach in rural areas. Enabling social entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation in the development sector will play a fundamental role in approaching the complex, multi-dimensional challenge of poverty alleviation, from various angles. The/Nudge Institute will partner with government, markets and civil society organizations to scale proven and effective programs and will work to remove ecosystem barriers to scale their impact.
