Latest news with #AmarJain
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Britannia's visionary AI is making grocery stores inclusive
HighlightsAmar Jain, a visually impaired advocate, expressed his triumph after using Britannia's AI-powered assistant, A-Eye, to shop independently for the first time, highlighting the technology's role in reclaiming dignity. The development of A-Eye was driven by insights from Amar Jain, co-founder of Mission Accessibility, and involved collaboration between teams from Britannia, WPP, Mindshare, Google, and the accessibility community, emphasizing the importance of building technology with real users. Britannia A-Eye not only enhances accessibility for visually impaired shoppers but also redefines inclusive technology by focusing on empathy and human impact, shifting the company's perspective from chasing reach to seeking relevance. When the visually impaired advocate Amar Jain first navigated a grocery store alone using Britannia 's AI-powered assistant , he didn't just shop—he reclaimed his dignity. 'This is the first time I've shopped for my family without help,' he said, his voice revealing a quiet, powerful triumph. This moment, modest yet profoundly moving, captures why Britannia's A-Eye isn't merely another technological advance; it's a deeply human story about reclaiming independence. An AI Born from Human Insight For Siddharth Gupta, general manager of marketing, Britannia, the spark came through Britannia Levitech, an innovation forum exploring how emerging technologies could enhance consumer experiences. On stage, alongside Niraj Ruparel, national head of emerging tech, WPP and GroupM, he saw Google Gemini's multimodal capabilities demonstrated and envisioned its potential beyond mere novelty. But the true breakthrough arrived later, during conversations with Amar Jain, co-founder of Mission Accessibility and a visually impaired Supreme Court lawyer. Jain illuminated real-world barriers visually impaired people faced in retail environments, steering the project from a tech-driven exercise towards an urgent mission. 'Innovation matters most,' Gupta realised, 'when it positively impacts lives.' From Vision to Reality Britannia's partner, Amin Lakhani, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, still recalls the first prototype test vividly. A visually impaired user from Mitra Jyothi NGO approached a product shelf. Britannia's A-Eye effortlessly described the product aloud—its ingredients, price, expiry date. Watching relief and pride spread across the user's face, Lakhani understood the profound significance of this simple interaction. 'That's when we knew this wasn't just technology, it was dignity in action,' Lakhani reflected. Powered by Google Gemini's multimodal AI, A-Eye transforms smartphones into intelligent shopping guides. Shoppers can now independently navigate aisles, identify products, and receive real-time vocal information, removing the constant dependence on others. Empathy Engineered Through Collaboration Building something genuinely inclusive required more than technological prowess, it demanded radical empathy and open collaboration. Teams from Britannia, WPP, Mindshare, Google, Logical Indian, and the accessibility community co-created the solution. 'The critical decision we made was not building this for visually impaired users, but with them,' said Gupta. In an unforgettable team session, experts and advocates passionately debated the project's form. Ultimately, they chose a lightweight, accessible mobile-web interface instead of an app, a decision underscored by simplicity and user freedom. 'That's what true collaboration looks like,' noted Lakhani. 'Purpose, design, and tech all in one room, shaping something meaningful.' When Innovation Means Inclusion One Mitra Jyothi user's quiet admission captures Britannia A-Eye 's emotional essence: she had never shopped independently for her daughter before. This AI innovation didn't just improve accessibility; it created a new moment of independence for a parent. Ruparel emphasised, 'Inclusion isn't just policy; it's lived experience.' The journey profoundly changed Britannia's own outlook on innovation. 'It shifted my perspective from chasing reach to seeking relevance,' said Lakhani. For Gupta, the lesson was clear: 'Innovation isn't just about technology, it's about empathy and human impact.' Today, Britannia A-Eye doesn't just help visually impaired shoppers, it fundamentally redefines what inclusive technology can achieve. It's a vivid reminder that true innovation is always human at its core.
Scroll.in
04-05-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
Video: Why activists unable to blink an eye went to court against E-KYC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the revision of E-KYC norms to enable people with visual impairment or facial disfigurement to access banking and other services. E-KYC is the electronic or digital version of Know Your Customer, a process mandated by the Reserve Bank of India that institutions use to verify the identities of their customers. The judgement comes as a response to two writ petitions filed before the Supreme Court which highlighted the exclusionary nature of the current digital KYC norms. 'You need to blink an eye when you do your E-KYC,' said Amar Jain, a visually-impaired corporate lawyer who is one of the petitioners in the case. 'This is a real problem for persons with blindness and persons who have faced acid attack.' Pragya Prasun, the second petitioner in the case, had faced trouble with buying a mobile SIM card as well as opening a bank account. 'My concern was that slowly, it should not spread everywhere where if I have to get a ticket, boarding pass, or cash from an ATM, I'll have to blink an eye to use that facility,' she said. Ruling that the right to digital access is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court issued twenty directions to make the E-KYC process accessible, holding that acid attack survivors and person with visual impairment are entitled to the protection under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. 'The fundamental problem with anything that we do in our system is that unless you start involving people with disabilities, as co-creators of the processes, you are going to exclude them forever,' said Amar Jain. 'When we created physical infrastructure, we did not consider the needs of people with disability. Now they are doing this with digital infrastructures as well,' he added.
Economic Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
SC ruling on digital accessibility as part of right to life and liberty can bridge the digital divide
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in the 'Pragya Prasun vs Union of India' and 'Amar Jain vs Union of India' cases, declaring the right to digital access as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. Authored by Justice R Mahadevan, and pronounced by a bench including Justice J B Pardiwala, the ruling addressed the exclusion of persons with disabilities, particularly acid attack survivors and visually impaired individuals, from digital KYC (eKYC) court issued 20 directions to revise eKYC norms, ensuring accessibility for these groups, who face challenges with tasks like blinking or facial positioning during biometric registration due to physical impairments. This judgment, prompted by PILs highlighting systemic barriers, underscores the state's obligation to create an inclusive digital ecosystem, as digital platforms are now gatekeepers to essential services like banking, e-governance and welfare schemes. Wednesday's ruling invoked Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution - 'golden triangle' of fundamental rights, guaranteeing equality, non-discrimination, and protection of life and liberty - to emphasise substantive equality, aiming to bridge the digital divide for marginalised court judgment is very welcome. It sets right a gap persisting for some years now with the introduction and proliferation of digital technologies in governance ecosystems. For a nation striving to position itself as a global digital leader, ensuring universal digital access isn't merely a policy goal, it's an imperative for inclusive development and equitable participation in the digital to 2011 census, about 2.68 cr - 1.50 cr male and 1.18 cr female - Indians live with disabilities, constituting 2.21% of the population. Of these, around 50.6 lakh individuals have visual impairments, and 19.9 lakh have speech or vocal disabilities. These figures, though dated, highlight the scale of the challenge, very likely amplified by population growth and underreporting. The digital divide further exacerbates exclusion, with rural populations, senior citizens, economically weaker sections and linguistic minorities often lacking access to devices or digital literacy. For instance, many poor households cannot afford smartphones, and those seeking work through MGNREGA portal face barriers due to complex registration processes and lack of technical know-how, perpetuating further economic the right to digital access under Article 21 in the age of AI presents both opportunities and challenges. AI-driven assistive technologies - such as screen readers, voice recognition and alternative authentication methods - can certainly enhance accessibility for persons with different abilities. For example, AI could enable voice-based eKYC for visually-impaired users, or adaptive interfaces for those with facial ruling's impact reverberates across multiple domains, necessitating robust policy interventions. Digital accessibility as a fundamental right demands that government portals, educational platforms and fintech services adopt universal design principles, integrating tools like audio descriptions and tactile interfaces that the Supreme Court has also listed in the judgment. Reforming eKYC requires policymakers to redefine 'live photograph' in RBI's 'KYC Master Direction' and introduce alternatives like biometric exemptions or offline verification. Bridging the digital divide calls for initiatives like Digital India to prioritise rural connectivity and digital literacy programmes, ensuring that economically weaker sections can access schemes like MGNREGA. Economic opportunities can be unlocked by enabling persons with disabilities to participate in digital banking and ecommerce, boosting inclusion. Privacy and security in accessible systems must balance relaxed KYC requirements with robust encryption to prevent fraud. Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 should guide accessibility standards, with mandatory audits for government and private platforms. Globally, India can advocate for digital inclusion at fora like UN, setting a precedent for equitable digital ecosystems. To ensure inclusivity for the 19.9 lakh individuals who can see but cannot speak, policymakers must adopt targeted technological and policy interventions. For this group, integrating text-based and visual input systems into digital platforms, such as eKYC processes, will allow users to type responses or select visual cues (e.g., OTP entry or image selection) instead of relying on voice authentication. This will ensure seamless access to banking and government gesture-based interfaces, powered by AI-driven computer vision, should be implemented to enable users to confirm actions through hand movements or facial expressions, as seen in platforms like MGNREGA portals, enhancing independent navigation. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps should be pre-installed on subsidised smartphones distributed through government schemes, enabling users to generate text or visual outputs for identity verification and address technical challenges, AI-powered visual authentication systems, focusing on static cues like iris scanning, should be standardised across platforms, with compliance enforced under the RPwD Act, while ensuring data privacy through encrypted systems aligned with Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Clearly, quick implementation of provisions would provide much-needed succour for many being denied digital access and protection so far, due to their vulnerabilities.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Delhi High Court asks Swiggy, Zepto to reply to plea for making apps more accessible to visually impaired
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) asked Swiggy and Zepto to respond to a plea claiming their apps were not accessible to people with visual impairment. Justice Sachin Datta issued notice to the quick commerce platforms and the Centre on the petition by NGO Mission Accessibility. They were directed to file their responses within four weeks. The petitioner said despite the legal mandate, apps of Swiggy and Zepto were not compatible with the screen-reader software, which made it difficult for those with visual impairments to search for products or place an order. The law, it was submitted by the NGO's representative Amar Jain, mandated compliance with accessibility standards by 2019. The NGO's plea said the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and its rules mandated adoption of accessibility features by the platforms and the inaction of authorities in enforcing these standards only aggravated the issue. The absence of accessible search features and interactive elements for the visually impaired created severe barriers to independent digital access and violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India, it added. The platforms, the plea said, violated the dignity of persons with impairment by denying them equal access to essential services such as food delivery, grocery shopping, and restaurant reservations. The matter would be heard on May 28.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Visual disability: Delhi HC asks Swiggy, Zepto to reply to plea for making apps more accessible
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Swiggy and Zepto to respond to a plea claiming their apps were not accessible to people with visual disability. Justice Sachin Datta issued notice to the quick commerce platforms and the Centre on the petition by NGO Mission Accessibility. They were directed to file their responses within four weeks. The petitioner said despite the legal mandate, apps of Swiggy and Zepto were not compatible with the screen-reader software, which made it difficult for those with visual disabilities to search for products or place an order. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neurologist: 9 Out of 10 People with Neuropathy Overlook This Key Insight Nerve Relief Read More Undo The law, it was submitted by the NGO's representative Amar Jain, mandated compliance with accessibility standards by 2019. The NGO's plea said the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and its rules mandated adoption of accessibility features by the platforms and the inaction of authorities in enforcing these standards only aggravated the issue. Live Events The absence of accessible search features and interactive elements for the visually disabled created severe barriers to independent digital access and violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India, it added. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories The platforms, the plea said, violated the dignity of persons with disability by denying them equal access to essential services such as food delivery, grocery shopping, and restaurant reservations. The matter would be heard on May 28.
