Dr. Ajai Garg

Director (HoD International Cooperation & Bilateral Trade, Innovation and IPR), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, GoI

An Engineer by qualification and a champion of Information Technology by choice, Dr. AK Garg is a seasoned technocrat and a key strategist who likes to see himself as a relentless disruptor and at the forefront of initiatives shaping up the contemporary digital narratives. As a Director in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, Dr. Garg heads the International Cooperation Division which has a mandate for promoting International Trade and Cooperation, driving the critical startups, entrepreneurship & IPR Divisions of MeitY apart from managing the responsibilities of IT/ITES sector, e-Commerce and MeitY website.

One of his recent achievements, is the initiation of Startup Accelerators of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development and Growth support existing and upcoming Accelerators(SAMRIDH) for giving an impetus to IT based startups with the potential to scale up for solving the country’s genuine problems.

Some of his other significant activities towards developing new models of accelerated growth include the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) – a dynamic and collaborative platform for tech startup community, devising TIDE 2.0 program, theme-based incubation centres, Centres of Excellence in emerging technologies and a host of Accelerator Programs. Dr. Garg was also part of the core team that had earlier devised the National Software Product Policy 2019.

An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, Dr. Garg has authored more than 20 Research Papers and holds 2 Patents to his credit. He is a prolific speaker at workshops, conferences, symposiums and forums in India and abroad dealing with IPR, Entrepreneurship &; Innovation, e-governance, emerging technology trends and new digital paradigms.