IIIT Delhi professors to work for developing and maintaining IT platform for COVID-19

NEW DELHI: In a bid to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and to make the dissemination of vital information easier, the government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and the Health and Family Welfare Department has constituted a multi-disciplinary Technology Innovation Group. This group will develop and maintain the IT platforms (website and app) for COVID-19 management in Delhi. For this purpose, the government has sought help from three Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Delhi professors (Dr. Pravesh Biyani Associate Professor, IIIT Delhi, Dr. Tavpritesh Sethi Assistant Professor, IIIT Delhi, and Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru, Professor, IIIT Delhi) to develop and maintain the IT infrastructure necessary for disseminating information regarding COVID-19.

“The things we’ve learnt over the years from developing Digital Health and AI solutions are coming together to create solutions at this time. I am most excited about the collaborations sparked by the COVID-19 crisis, and we are already seeing an exponential impact from joining hands together in this fight. I am honoured to contribute to this effort alongside the Delhi government," said Tavpritesh Sethi, Assistant Professor, IIIT Delhi.

Expressing his gratitude and excitement for having been chosen as a member of the Technology Innovation Group, Ponnurangam Kumaraguru, Professor IIIT-Delhi, said, “I am humbled to be a part of the team fighting against the virus in Delhi. It is exciting as a researcher, to work at the confluence of Computing and Medicine and to see our work making a larger impact on the society."

Technology innovation has a significant role to play in the fight against COVID-19, in strengthening the country’s foundations, and in predicting and combating the spread of future infectious diseases. With the ongoing global health crisis, science has been at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 and our nation is fortunate to be making great strides in policy and technology to tackle this pandemic.

"It is a proud moment for IIIT-Delhi that three of our faculty colleagues are inducted as a part of the Technology Innovation Group formed by the Delhi government. The COVID-19 scenario is evolving at a fast pace, and access to reliable information is one of the most potent weapons against this pandemic,” said Ranjan Bose from IIT Delhi, congratulating his fellow professors and wishing them well for their future endeavours.