Nasscom launches 'Makers Honor' to spotlight India's tech engineers

'Makers Honor' aims to celebrate unsung engineers behind India's tech success in AI, open source, infrastructure and social impact, with support from GitHub and industry veterans

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Nasscom has launched Makers Honor, a recognition programme targeting engineers and developers in India’s $224 billion technology export sector, the industry body said on Friday.

 

The inaugural awards initiative aims to highlight technical contributors behind India’s software industry, spanning artificial intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure, open-source development and social impact technology. A council of industry veterans, including ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath and Persistent Systems founder Anand Deshpande, will oversee the programme. GitHub is serving as outreach partner.

 

Other members of the council include Zerodha Chief Technology Officer Kailash Nadh and IdeaForge Chief Executive and Co-founder Ankit Mehta.

 

“Some of the greatest leaps in science and society are made not in the spotlight, but in silence. The initiative from Nasscom is to celebrate minds who push the boundaries of possibility and bring science and technology closer to everyday life,” said Nandini Harinath, Scientist, ISRO.

 

Anand Deshpande, Founder, Persistent Systems, said engineering is not just about building systems, but also about solving the right problems with creativity and compassion. He described the initiative as a tribute to those who build with skill and vision, and create impact that transcends code and systems.

 

“This is a refreshing break from the Indian industry's relentless techno-business obsession,” said Kailash Nadh, CTO, Zerodha. 

 

Ankit Mehta, CEO and Co-founder, IdeaForge, said India’s engineers have always risen to meet the world’s most complex challenges with extraordinary ingenuity and resilience, but often without fanfare. “This initiative will inspire young minds to dream beyond conventional boundaries and reaffirm the pivotal role of engineers as the architects of a better, more inclusive future,” he said.

 

Martin Woodward, Vice-President, Developer Relations at GitHub, said software is shaping the future, and with more than 18 million developers building on GitHub in India—now the second-largest contributor to open source globally—the country is leading the charge. He said the partnership with Nasscom aims to bring much-deserved recognition to the individuals driving this global technological revolution from cities, towns and villages across India.

 

The initiative is co-curated by author and journalist Pankaj Mishra, who has tracked India’s technology industry for over two and a half decades. It is inspired by the engineers behind the industry and driven by a shared belief that great engineering deserves to be seen as a cultural and social force.

 

The Makers Honor will recognise engineers driving innovation across key domains: from those reshaping industries through breakthrough technologies and solutions for Viksit Bharat, sustainability and healthcare, to builders of platforms that serve billions and secure national digital systems. It will also highlight contributors to India-first open-source AI and ML frameworks.

 

The programme will focus on pioneers advancing deep tech in AI, space and life sciences, and problem solvers tackling societal and environmental challenges through impactful digital solutions.