In the rapidly evolving domain of digital public infrastructure and e-governance, Protean eGov Technologies Ltd. has emerged as a formidable force driving significant advancements in India. At the helm of this innovation is Mr. Bertram D’Souza, the Chief Product & Innovation Officer, who spearheads the development of cutting-edge platforms like Protean Life. In this exclusive interview with The CSR Universe, Mr. D’Souza delves into the organizational structure of Protean eGov Technologies, highlighting how it fosters the incubation and management of pioneering products across various sectors, from taxation and social security to healthcare and sustainability.
Protean eGov Technologies boasts a stellar track record, with notable achievements such as the modernization of India’s tax system through PAN and TAN card issuance, and a dominant presence in the pension sector with the National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). Leveraging its expertise in digital identity, the company has also been a leader in foundational Aadhaar Authentication Services, impacting the broader BFSI ecosystem.
Mr. D’Souza provides an insightful overview of Protean Life, a platform designed to address critical challenges in modern philanthropy and CSR. By facilitating the discovery and matchmaking between project funders, NGOs, and implementation agencies, Protean Life streamlines social initiatives through comprehensive project management and a robust compliance framework.
Read the full interview for deeper insights:
Q. Can you provide an overview of the current structure of Protean eGov Technologies and how it supports the development and deployment of platforms like Protean Life?
A. Protean has built a Product & Innovation organization which manages the incubation and product management of all existing products as well as new products at Protean. For each product area, there is a Product & Innovation squad who is responsible for innovation in a specific sector (Taxation, Social Security & Welfare, Digital Identity& Data Stack, Financial Services, eCommerce, EduSkill, Healthcare, Agriculture and Sustainability). Products like Protean Life are the outcome of our past work in the EduSkill sector where we have been running a product called VidyaSaarathi which is a scholarship platform for students which is funded by multiple Corporate CSR donors. Protean Life has now expanded this simple 1 use-case construct in the CSR space to a much broader platform which enables the discovery and matchmaking between project funders, NGOs/Trusts and Implementation Agencies.
Q. What are some of the major projects and achievements of Protean eGov Technologies to date in the realm of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and e-governance?
A. a. Protean has made a significant contribution in the space of Tax Modernization in India with the issuance of the PAN / TAN card impacting hundreds of millions of Individuals and businesses since inception.
b. Protean has also been a dominant market payer as a Pension Central Recordkeeping Agency and has a 97% market share in rolling out the National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
c. Protean has also been a leader in the Digital Identity space offering foundational Aadhaar Authentication Services for eKYC, PAN Validation and eSign to the entire BFSI ecosystem
d. Over the past 2 years, Protean has incubated some new businesses like Open Digital Ecosystems leveraging our momentum from being early contributors to Open Networks like ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and ONEST (Open Network for Education and Skill Transformation).
Q. Please tell us a little more about Protean Life- what are the primary challenges in modern philanthropy and CSR that it aims to address and what differentiates it from similar platforms (if any) in the domain?
A. a. Discovery:
- One of the primary challenges for Corporates & NGOs is to discover the right partner working in a particular thematic area and in the required location. For example, a Corporate based out of Mumbai may be looking for an NGO working in an education thematic area and in remote corners of Orissa.
- The first problem solved by Protean Life is the discovery problem on both Supply & Demand sides and with the partners whose due-diligence has been thoroughly done before onboarding them on Protean Life.
b. Access to Credentialed & Verified NGOs:
- All NGOs onboarded on Protean Life are onboarded post completion of a thorough due-diligence. Any donor can start working with any of the onboarded NGOs without spending time & effort on further due-diligence.
- Every NGOs past track record is also accessible to donors to shortlisting the right partner based on their requirements.
c. End-to-End Project Management: Protean Life, also allows for end to end Project Management – right from floating an RFP to shortlisting a Partner based on received proposals to executing the project and monitoring till Project closure.
d. Holistic Compliance Framework: All Compliance related certificates like utilization certificate and 80G are generated digitally as part of the platform itself.
Q. We would like you to explain in simple terms about the working of Protean Life- how does it leverage DPI to support and streamline social initiatives?
A. Protean Life, while developed as a platform is built on the underlying Digital Public Infrastructure architecture of Open Network Gateways, Registries and the Beckn Protocol for Ecosystem Integrations. Protean Life’s platform enables comprehensive capabilities of Discovery, RFP process, Project Management and Compliance needs of CSR by bringing all ecosystem partners together leveraging technology.
Q. Protean Life draws inspiration from successful DPI initiatives like CoWIN and ONDC. Can you elaborate on how these models influenced the development of Protean Life and how have you tailored it for the social and sustainability domains?
A. Many of the successful DPIs in India are built on a few key technology principles like Interoperable Data Exchange Protocols, the ability to leverage Open Network technology like Registries and Gateways and the ability to ensure Data Privacy and security is core to the design. Many of these core principles were kept at the centre of Protean Life’s design as well solving for not just the initial-term rollout but for the long-term.
Protean Life eventually envisions a globally accessible, decentralized open ecosystem that addresses challenges by fostering collaboration and transparency between all participating stakeholders. Leveraging the open network protocols, Seekers and Providers can be connected through a seamless, standardized ecosystem, enabling efficient discovery, project management, compliance reporting, fund transfers and impact measurement.
Q. How will Protean Life help in creating a more interconnected CSR ecosystem, and what specific benefits will this bring to both CSR providers and seekers?
A. Protean Life aims to be a platform connecting all market participants in the CSR and Sustainability ecosystem – Providers, Seekers, Accredited Vendors, Impact Assessment agencies, Consulting Firms etc.are conceptualized to be a part of the interconnected platform.
Providers:
- Corporations, foundations, and philanthropic individuals/organizations to provide their resources, expertise and funding capabilities. They can identify impactful projects that align with their sustainability goals and connect with Seekers to initiate collaborations.
- Corporates and Philanthropists: Those seeking opportunities to contribute towards the sustainable goals through philanthropic acts.
- Foundations and Consulting Firms: To create the demand for basic necessities and seek opportunities from corporates and philanthropists.
Seekers:
- Implementing Agency and Vendors: To manage the distribution of certain resources (eg. food vouchers, educational scholarships) based on needs assessment and eligibility criteria. They ensure efficient and transparent allocation of resources.
- Resource Providers: Organizations and individuals with the capacity to offer resources like educational institutions, healthcare providers, and international aid agencies.
- Individuals, NGOs, and implementing agencies can easily discover relevant funding opportunities and resources through standardized APIs. They can express their needs, search for suitable Providers, and initiate projects with transparency and efficiency.
Q. Can you share some examples wherein you have supported the streamlining or sharpening of the social (or sustainability) initiatives of a particular organisation?
A. There are multiple initiatives where we have been fortunate enough to help respective entities with executing their sustainability initiatives. A few such initiatives are when a Corporate was looking to mobilize students and distribute scholarships in Jharsuguda based on their policy criteria or when another Corporate was looking to build toilets for Truck drivers or when another Corporate was looking to implement a Tree Plantation or when a Corporate was looking to deliver patient kits PAN India.
In all of these cases, we have been able to help Corporates find the right NGO Partner which can help them execute the project as per their guidelines and with all necessary compliances met. We have been able to work across all thematic areas and help both Providers and Seekers find the right match, execute agreements and get projects implemented on time by eliminating almost all of their offline processes.
Q. Your organisation has recently launched a whitepaper titled "A Global Vision for Collaborative Sustainability Efforts". What are some of the key insights and recommendations relevant to the social sector in India?
A. As articulated in the whitepaper, despite a significant growth in social sector spending, reaching an estimated ₹23 lakh crore (US$280 billion) in FY2023, the landscape of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) remains highly fragmented. Seekers often struggle to find suitable funding and resources, while Providers face challenges in identifying impactful projects and ensuring efficient utilization of funds.
Traditional approaches often suffer from fragmentation, limited reach, absence of CSR forums, compliance documentation, and lack of coordination, thereby, hindering progress towards the execution of projects and CSR compliance.
Key insights include:
- The need for a DPI-led approach which seeks to address concerns by fostering a more inclusive and impactful ecosystem for universal sustainability
- Strengthen Digital Public Infrastructure
- Scale Proven Innovations
- Enhance Governance & Transparency through DPI-led approach
Q. What are the proposed strategies in the whitepaper for implementing DPI-led CSR initiatives, and how can organizations start adopting these strategies?
A. Our whitepaper offers a starting point for a global conversation and collaborative effort towards a more sustainable future where everyone has access to the basic necessities for a dignified life. Our collaborative work on the DPI article, with guidance from Pramod Verma, the co-chair of CDPI, reflects our commitment to their visionary goals, advancing sustainable innovation together.
It lays out a vision for Interconnected Sustainability and details out how Digital Public Infrastructure can enable Universal Sustainability leveraging the Beckn protocol. It also details out the challenges in the current landscape and how those challenges can be addressed through the DPI. Organizations can start adopting these strategies by collaborating with Protean to be a part of the DPI ecosystem and by leveraging public infrastructure already in place with a focus on driving innovation for the end-user.
Q. What are your immediate goals or targets (1-2 years) for Protean eGov Technologies, particularly Protean Life and its role in transforming the development landscape?
A. Enabling DPI Innovation via ecosystem collaboration: Similar to other DPIs, Protean Life will enable participation from startups and technology partners to help expand the market.
Driving Awareness &Scaling corporate participation: In the initial year of rollout, there will be an immediate focus on creating awareness of the uniqueness of the platform and building initial scale of both Corporates, Philanthropies, NGOs/Trusts and Implementation Agencies.
x
