(Picture: Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurates Public Systems Lab at IIT Delhi)

New Delhi: Shri. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution inaugurated a Public Systems Lab (PSL) at IIT Delhi on Tuesday. 

The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have joined hands to establish the Public Systems Lab for developing scalable solutions for civic systems and services that impact millions.

“This wonderful initiative, I believe is going to be a game changer. What better day to launch the Public Systems Lab at IIT Delhi than the first day when the nation enters the Amrit Kal. Operations research, artificial intelligence, automation, and other techniques can be key pillars for a transformative change to make India a developed country. This 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. The PSL can play a vital role in multiple ways. The public food procurement and distribution are crucial programmes in which this innovation can contribute immensely. Today, India is talked of in the world as an emerging superpower, as a nation of startups, a nation of innovators, a nation meeting its SDGs in advance. This Public Systems Lab is a perfect example of innovation that will contribute towards the development of our nation and rid the country of corruption by bringing in efficiency in the Public Distribution System. Thanks to the WFP and IIT Delhi who have partnered in this very important and pathbreaking initiative”, said Union Minister, Shri. Piyush Goyal.

“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 modelling, operations research and AI tools and techniques to improving 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, the PSL will work closely with the 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 the 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 optimisation.

Prof. Nomesh Bolia, Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi would lead the Public Systems Lab.

Public Systems Lab

The lab (www.publicsystemslab.in) aims to work on public systems to enhance their performance thus ensuring fundamental levels of wellbeing to a broad cluster of communities using Operations Research, Data Science, Smart Manufacturing, Economics and research in all relevant branches of knowledge. With the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), India as the founding partner, the lab will be a multi stakeholder engaging entity collaborating with government(s), private sector and multilateral organizations in order to develop sustainable solutions in the domains such as Food, Public Transportation, Health and Decision Support Systems for a variety of stakeholders.

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(Press Release Issued on: 16-08-2022)