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NASSCOM

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National Association of Software and Service Companies
AbbreviationNASSCOM
Formation1 March 1988; 37 years ago (1988-03-01)
TypeNon-governmental trade association
PurposePolicy advocacy
HeadquartersNoida, Uttar Pradesh, India & New Delhi, Delhi, India
ServicesBusiness promotion, networking, policy reforms
FieldsInformation Technology (IT)
Business Process Management (BPM)
MembersOver 3,200 companies
President Nasscom
Rajesh Nambiar
Key people
Rajesh Nambiar President Nasscom [1]
Sindhu Gangadharan (Chairperson)[1] Srikanth Velamakanni (Vice Chairperson)[1]
Affiliations
Websitewww.nasscom.in

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]

Events

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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]

Collaborations

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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]

Leadership

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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

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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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Executive Council". NASSCOM. 31 January 2024.
  2. ^ Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, November 28). National Association of Software and Services Companies. Encyclopedia Britannica.
  3. ^ "India's tech industry set to reach $245 billion in FY23". 2 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Indian IT sector to touch $245 billion in FY23: Nasscom". The Times of India. 2 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Indian IT revenues grow fastest in a decade to $227 billion in pandemic-hit FY22". 15 February 2022.
  6. ^ Singh, Shelley (5 October 2016). "Why NASSCOM 10K Startups - backed by Google, Microsoft, IBM - has had mixed success in India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Maharashtra to create incubation centre for startups near Mumbai with Nasscom". The Economic Times. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  8. ^ Kurmanath, K. V. (7 December 2021). "Nasscom leadership forum, IT congress kick off in Hyderabad". The Hindu Businessline. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  9. ^ Basu, Somdatta (8 December 2018). "IIT KGP wins DSCI Excellence Award 2018 for Cyber Security Education at NASSCOM-DSCI - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Nasscom's InnoTrek picks 40 start-ups for programme at Silicon Valley". The Hindu Businessline. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Pullela Gopichand's masterclass: on scaling success from failure". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Startup Events This Week: NASSCOM's FISITA 2018 World Automotive Congress And More - Inc42". DailyHunt. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  13. ^ "T-AIM partners Nasscom to offer investor connect for startups". The Hindu. 21 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Nasscom anticipates more layoffs across IT services industry in the near term". The Economic Times. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Infosys layoffs: Nasscom defends tech industry, says companies follow performance-driven hiring, adhere to local laws". Moneycontrol. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Wipro chairman calls moonlighting cheating". The Times of India. 21 August 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Nasscom on Moonlighting: We need to reimagine employee engagement models". Business Standard. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Nasscom appoints Rajesh Nambiar as President, succeeds Debjani Ghosh". Business Standard. 21 August 2024.
  19. ^ "People @ Nasscom". NASSCOM. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
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