Decoding Impact

Globally, universal health coverage (UHC) has been highlighted as an important goal, because of its close links to poverty reduction and potential to enhance the economic growth of countries. From public to private health care, across primary, secondary, and tertiary care, and whether we look at the challenges and opportunities for physicians or community health workers, the promise of UHC is heady and exciting. Through this two-part discussion with Dr. Nachiket Mor, not only an expert in health, but someone who is deeply passionate about health and health systems, host Rathish Balakrishnan explores the plethora of trade-offs and barriers to realising UHC in India. In part one of this discussion Dr. Mor helps us understand what universal health coverage is, highlights existing bright spots, looks at the role of primary care, and discusses how we can talilor an approach to UHC that leverages India’s strengths. Dr. Nachiket Mor is trained as an economist. His current work is principally focused on the design of national and regional health systems. He is a Visiting Scientist at The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health and a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Information Technology and Public Policy at IIIT Bangalore. He is also a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Reimagining India's Health System. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our ⁠Website⁠, ⁠Linkedin⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, and ⁠Twitter⁠. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Dr. Nachiket Mor | Linkedin | Twitter Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Content Sections 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction 0:47 - Introduction to topic and guest 02:47 - Where is India in relation to Universal Health Coverage today? 09:58 - The People vs. Politics of UHC 13:14 - Building things for the greater good rather than to feel good 15:55 - Key levers to think about UHC 20:45 - Understanding the Indian context 21:57 - What is working well & opportunites in India 24: 57 - More examples in India of what is working well 26:52 - Building a multidisciplinary approach top down 29:52 - The missing tissue between ideas and intent 32:05 - Finding solutions and how to think about financing UHC 36:44 - Evolving the role of community health aids for UHC 43:21 - Learnability of community health aids 44:42 - The effect of localising community workers 46:11 - Avoiding the pitfalls of isomorphic mimicry 50:52 - Reflection and opportunities 52:41 - Understanding the true cost of UHC for India 01:00:08 - We need a high trust system to realise UHC 01:05:33 - Summary and Outro

Technology has the potential to revolutionise Indian agriculture. There are innovations in seed and bioengineering platforms, use of robots and AI and blockchain that are enhancing efficiency and transparency in the sector. India's agritech industry comprises over 1300 companies and is projected to reach over ₹1 trillion by 2025. The recent 2023-24 budget allocated INR 450 crores to the Digital Agriculture Mission and INR 600 crores for technology driven agriculture promotion. However, despite these promising tailwinds, the low adoption of technology by farmers remains a major challenge, and agritech penetration in India remains abysmally low at around 1%. In today's episode of Decoding Impact, we try to understand the potential of a platform-based approach for agritech, the importance of directing the right capital to address the right issues, and how we can take a systems approach to identify key enablers for the successful scale up of agritech. Our guest for this episode is Mr. Parmesh Shah, the Global Lead for Data, Digital Agriculture and Innovation at the Agriculture and Food Global Practice of the World Bank. Mr. Shah is currently managing a global programme on scaling up data-driven digital agriculture, involving data platforms and establishing ecosystems for innovation, entrepreneurship and incubation across 38 countries. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our Website⁠, Linkedin⁠, Instagram, and Twitter⁠. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Parmesh Shah | Linkedin | Twitter Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Content Sections: 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction0:48 - Introduction to topic and guest02:37 - The current agri tech landscape 05:58 - Defining agtech solutions & tech 10:03 - Successful solution categories 13:53 - The need for physical plus digital infrastructure 23:41 - 5 key principles 25:46 - Systemic challenges to agtech adoption 33:49 - Understanding platforms and agri tech 42:20 - Summarising the platform "cake" layers 43:35 - Different types of capital 49:22 - Building a platform-based approach 57:25 - Challenges for big business and the State 01:04:10 - Role of Philanthropy 01:07:20 - Summary and thanks

India is known for its large companies across manufacturing and technology, but what often goes unnoticed is that a large part of the employment in this country is actually driven by Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). MSMEs contribute to more than 30% of India's GDP, and 11 million of these are in fact very, very small. These comprise the segment of MSMEs known as nano entrepreneurs, with an annual turnover between ten lakhs and one crore. On this episode of Decoding Impact, host Rathish Balakrishnan speaks with Priya Naik, Founder and CEO at Samhita Social Ventures, to discuss who are these nano entrepreneurs, what are their challenges, and how can the ecosystem catalyse their potential to become growth engines for the Indian economy. Priya has two decades of experience in impact and entrepreneurship and has worked with International Finance Corporation, the Poverty Action Lab at MIT, and Arthur Andersen. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our Website⁠, Linkedin⁠, Instagram, and Twitter⁠. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Priya Naik | Linkedin Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Content Sections: 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction 0:48 - Introduction to topic and guest 01:43 - Who are nano entrepreneurs? 03:02 - Sustainability and scale 06:12 - The challenges for nano entrepreneurs 14:02 - Overcoming challenges for nano entrepreneurs 22:08 - Tailoring for the nano entrepreneurs 24:33 - Market first or philanthropy first? 30:06 - Gender and entrepreneurship 35:52 - The growth curve for women entrepreneurs 42:36 - Formalisation of the marketplace 49:20 - Preparing nano entrepreneurs for success 53:20 - Growing and enabling the nano entrepreneurs ecosystem 59:00 - Summary and thanks

Do we take the possibilities enabled by the unique identification system of Aadhar for granted in India today? Certain reports estimate that 850 million people around the world do not have an official ID, and that around 133 countries today do not have a digital payment system. Through India's digitisation revolution we have made leaps and bounds in how people can be uniquely identified for social welfare needs and how they can use that identity to manage basic civic rights like accessing financial services, government support, and even applying for a job. So how can more countries benefit from what we are doing today in India, in a manner which builds the agency of the country to deliver better welfare for their people? To discuss this host Rathish Balakrishnan had an opportunity to speak to Professor S Rajagopalan for this episode of Decoding Impact. Professor S Rajagopalan, is currently the president of MOSIP & OpenG2P, both housed under IIIT, Bangalore. He is an entrepreneur, teacher, advisor and advocate, and his subject matter expertise and interests include innovation dissemination, economics of innovations, Geographical Information systems, and Economics of Information Technologies. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our Website⁠, Linkedin⁠, Instagram, and Twitter⁠. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Professor S Rajagopalan | Linkedin Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Content Sections: 0:51 - Introduction to topic and guest 02:53 - Understanding MOSIP 06:35 - Why is a unique identity important? 10:36 - How are other countries looking at identity? 11:55 - Drawbacks to using other systems 14:28 - Which countries are using MOSIP today? 17:27 - Timelines to implement MOSIP in other countries 19:38 - How countries are enabled to implement MOSIP 24:01 - Reactions and interacting with other countries 27:16 - Tailoring approaches for each country 29:33 - Transferrable use of DPIs 33:58 - Value unlocked through DPIs 36:00 - Other opportunities and applications 41:45 - Accelerating adoption of DPIs 43:59 - Global tailwinds for adoption 45:07 - The DPI and DPG mental model 50:26 - The role of philanthropy 54:36 - Summary and thanks

Education is the Harry Potter of the social sector. Everybody loves it. Everybody puts money into it. Yet, why aren't we seeing sweeping outcomes? As per the Annual Status of Education Report or ASER 2022, in India the enrolment rate for primary schools stands at the highest it has ever been in Indian education history at 98.4%. However, only 42.8% of grade five students are able to read at grade level text. Assessment and measuring foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) outcomes has been thrust to the forefront of understanding what the problems in education are today, so that they can be solved more effectively. To discuss this and more on Decoding Impact, host Rathish Balakrishnan cuaght up with the CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, Dr. Rukmini Banerji. Dr. Banerji is an accomplished educationist, who advocates for data-driven education reforms and she has spearheaded the development of notable large-scale assessments, including the widely recognised ASER. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our ⁠Website⁠, ⁠Linkedin⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, and ⁠Twitter⁠. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Dr. Rukmini Banerji | Linkedin Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Content Sections 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction 0:51 - Introduction to topic and guest 02:57 - The origin story of ASER 15:16 - How ASER was adopted nationally and learnings 23:48 - What has made ASER successful? 31:28 - ASER is a true public good 32:16 - ASER as a social movement 37:17 - Education trends post COVID 43:56 - The Big Jump for FLN 50:10 - Its not about reading, its about self-confidence 50:56 - Government role, natural disasters, and successful state interventions 57:20 - Summary and thanks

Millets are often referred to as the crop of the future and India has been undergoing its own renaissance with this super food. Also, 2023 has been designated as the International Year of Millets by the UN, where India has been leading the discourse to develop the dialogue on millets globally. The magic of millets holds the promise of unlocking a model of production that is good for us, the farmer, businesses, and good for the environment. In this podcast host Rathish Balakrishnan had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Sivakumar S, someone who deeply understands the Sarkar, the Samaj and the Bazaar of agriculture deeply with over 30 years of experience in the sector. Mr. Sivakumar S is currently the group head of Agri and IT businesses at ITC Limited and is a member of its Corporate Management Committee. He also oversees ITC’s Sustainability and Social Investments programme. Mr. Sivakumar S has also been engaged as an advisor for the agricultural industry, at both a national and international level. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our Website, Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter. Host: Rathish Balakrishnan | ⁠Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Sivakumar S | Linkedin | Twitter Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu Contents of Episode 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction 0:51 - Introduction to topic and guest 02:26 - Consumer-side benefits and advantages of millets 05:54 - Other unique advantages of millets 10:52 - The farmer perspective 15:19 - Systemic challenges holding back the promise of millets 22:44 - Three-pronged approach to promote consumption of millets 27:05 - What it will take to mainstream millet consumption 30:30 - R&D to improve millet production 32:40 - Creating a decentralised infrastructure 35:36 - How else can we look at promoting millets? 39:42 - From the Green Revolution to the Brown Revolution 45:23 - Producers and the Green Revolution & industry sentiments towards millets 52:29 - Transferrable Learnings for Millets 56:47 - The role of philanthropy & the state 59:49 - Summary & Thanks

Dr. Pramod Varma, expert in digital public infrastructure and digital public goods, discusses the importance of unlocking value from DPIs and DPGs in various social sectors in India. He highlights the success of Aadhar and UPI as examples of DPIs and explores advancements in digital infrastructure. The podcast also explores the concept of a 'bus list' and the factors necessary for the digital public goods movement to gain momentum.

The planet is on the verge of exceeding the 1.5 centigrade limit established by the 2015 Paris Agreement, placing the issue of climate change front and centre for all of us today. On the other side of this crises are vulnerable nations, who have fewer resource to fight climate change, and are facing the double jeopardy of climate justice. In our next episode of Decoding Impact we explored the topic of Climate Finance - focusing on the intersection between finance and climate change, and discussing the role India can play in the global agenda. Finance has a crucial role to play to support three key pillars of mitigation, adaptation, and loss & damage, which are all actions that are necessary to address climate change. So how much money are we talking about? What institutional structures do we need to put in place to accelerate action? To discuss these questions and more in detail with us, we sat down with Mr. Varad Pande a climate finance and investment expert. Varad is currently a partner at BCG shaping their work in climate and sustainability. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute on our Website, ⁠Linkedin, ⁠Twitter,⁠ and Instagram: @sattvaknowledgeinstitute Host: Rathish Balakrishnan ⁠Linkedin⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ Guest: Varad Pande ⁠Linkedin⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ Podcast Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu 0:00 - Introduction 0:38 - Episode Highlight Reel 01:28 - Introduction to Climate Finance & expert guest Varad Pande 03:28 - The climate challenge evolution 09:18 - Why is climate finance so hard? 14:39 - Climate and the Global North vs. the Global South 18:46 - The Just Transfer of Resources 21: 31 - The third pillar of climate financing: Loss & Damage Fund 24:40 - Where is India's climate financing coming from? 30:21 - Transaction costs and blended finance 34:14 - Collective infrastructure to enable climate financing 39:50 - Infrastructure for climate financing that needs to be built 42:18 - Carbon markets and climate financing 48:21 - Mitigation to adaptation with carbon markets 51:50 - Climate change conversation: an opportunity for India 55:55 - Innovation and climate finance 58:40 - Message for key stakeholders 59:46 - Philanthropy and climate change 01:02:46 - Summary 01:03:51 - India's G20 Presidency and the opportunity to address climate change 01:05:38 - Thanks & Outro

India's G20 presidency is coming at a historic time. In the face of a mounting economic crisis, along with the demands placed by climate change, it is important for leading nations to pave a way for the world that is enduring and sustainable in the long term. 'Green growth' emerges as a critical priority, therefore, for the current G20 presidency. What is India's vision for green growth? And how is it steering this conversation globally? In the first episode of Decoding Impact Season Two, we are joined by eminent governance reformer, public policy change agent and the Indian emissary to G20, Mr Amitabh Kant. With Mr. Kant, our host, Rathish Balakrishnan unpacks what green growth means for India, and how it is critical to our G20 agenda. For more, follow Sattva Knowledge Institute onWebsite: https://www.sattva.co.in/knowledge-institute/Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/sattva-knowledge-institute/Instagram: @sattvaknowledgeinstituteTwitter: @sattvaknowledge Host: Rathish Balakrishnan Linkedin | Twitter Guest: Amitabh Kant Linkedin | Twitter Podcast Producer: Meenakshi Iyer Audio Engineer & Editor: Abhilash Raikar Designer: Usha Sondhi Kundu 0:00 - Decoding Impact Introduction 00:38 - Episode highlight reel 01:31 - Introduction to Green Growth & Guest Amitabh Kant 03:14 - Significance of India's G20 presidency 05:02 - Global green growth paradigm 07:42 - Evolving the understanding of “green” & “growth” 09:37 - Is India innovating and leading green growth? 13:18 - Improvements and progress India has made in green growth 15:10 - Green growth = economic growth 17:33 - Just green transitions 20:15 - Collaboratives and green growth 21:38 - Aspirational districts and green growth 23:07 - Sherpa’s definition of success for India’s G20 Presidency 24:19 - Summary and thanks 24:58 - Outro

In the last few years, digital health has emerged as a potential game changer for enabling accessible, affordable, and quality health care for all. The pandemic has only emphasised the role of digital health as a key enabler to achieve universal health coverage. In spite of the high potential of digital health, the urban-rural divide, the digital divide, the low economic social conditions and the low return on investment deprive the underserved populations of its benefits. In order to scale and implement digital health solutions in underserved populations, it is important to address the question of who pays for the service and how. This episode explores the current landscape of digital health in India, including the financial landscape. We also dive into innovative ways of addressing the gaps both in innovation and financing of digital health solutions, and understand the role that stakeholders can play in the scaling of these solutions.  Joining us in today's conversation is Badri Pillapakkam (Partner, Omidyar Network, India). Badri has been a part of the growth journeys of leading companies such as HexaHealth and 1mg, and healthcare, especially digital health, continues to be a key focus area for him.