Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

NASSCOM

Non-governmental Indian trade association From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM[2]) is an Indian non-governmental trade association and advocacy group that primarily serves the Indian technology industry. Founded in 1988, NASSCOM operates as a nonprofit organization and serves as a key entity within the Indian technology sector.[3][4][5]

Quick facts Abbreviation, Formation ...
Remove ads

Events

In 2013, NASSCOM initiated a program to promote 10,000 startups in India by 2023.[6] NASSCOM sponsors events that target startups in India.[7] Events include:

  • NASSCOM Product Conclave;
  • NASSCOM Emerge 50;
  • Global In-house Centers Summit;
  • Big Data Analytics Summit;
  • Diversity & Inclusion Summit;
  • HR Summit;
  • NASSCOM Leadership Forum;[8]
  • NASSCOM Engineering Summit;
  • Annual Information Security Summit, and[9]
  • NASSCOM Innotrek.[10]

NASSCOM organized the NASSCOM International SME Conclave in January 2019[11] and the FISITA World Automotive Congress in October 2018.[12]

Remove ads

Collaborations

The Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) collaborated with NASSCOM to implement the Investor Connect program, benefiting 30 startups in India as part of the Revv Up accelerator program. Additionally, NASSCOM has established multiple partnerships, including one with the Karnataka State Higher Education Council.[13]

Membership

NASSCOM's membership includes organizations engaged in software development, software services, and IT-enabled or BPO services. The organization's core focus has been on ensuring high service quality standards and upholding intellectual property rights within the Indian software and BPO industries. As of June 2007, more than 1,100 information technology companies in India were members of NASSCOM, including domestic software and ITES companies, as well as multinationals operating within India.

Industry Challenges and Stances

Summarize
Perspective

As a key advocacy body, NASSCOM often comments on complex and contentious issues facing the Indian technology sector, including workforce changes and labor practices.

Layoffs and Workforce Rationalisation

NASSCOM has publicly addressed the trend of layoffs in the IT sector. In July 2025, the association stated it anticipated further "workforce rationalisation," acknowledging that job roles were evolving due to technological shifts like AI, which required companies to realign their talent.[14]

Earlier, in February 2025, following a controversy over the termination of trainees at Infosys, NASSCOM defended the industry's employment practices. It issued a statement supporting a "performance-driven hiring" culture, asserting that its member companies adhere to local laws.[15]

Stance on Moonlighting

During a widespread industry debate in 2022 over "moonlighting"—the practice of employees taking on second jobs—NASSCOM adopted a nuanced public stance. After the chairman of Wipro, a member company, publicly called the practice "cheating,"[16] NASSCOM's then-president suggested that the issue stemmed from a lack of transparency. Rather than condemning the practice outright, she called on the industry to "reimagine employee engagement models" to better suit the changing nature of work.[17]

Remove ads

Leadership

NASSCOM is governed by an Executive Council composed of leaders from its member companies. The key leadership roles are the President, a Chairperson, and a Vice Chairperson. In August 2024, Rajesh Nambiar was appointed President, succeeding Debjani Ghosh.[18] The Chairperson is Sindhu Gangadharan of SAP Labs India, and the Vice Chairperson is Srikanth Velamakanni of Fractal.[19]

Founders

Among the founders of NASSCOM were Harish Mehta, Ashank Desai, Nandan Nilekani, KV Ramani, Saurabh Srivastava. These industry leaders, along with other key figures in the Indian IT industry, collaborated to form NASSCOM to promote and represent the interests of the software and services industry in India. Notably, NASSCOM has evolved over the years under the leadership of various industry professionals, and its operations have expanded to include IT and business process automation services.

The 2022 book The Maverick Effect by Harish Mehta covers the story of NASSCOM’s inception and how it shaped the Indian IT industry.

Remove ads

See also

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads