Panel Discussion Intermediate

Code meets Law+Policy: Bridging Indias FOSS community and policymakers

Review Pending

Session Description

India’s free and open source software (FOSS) movement is continuing in its evolution into a vibrant ecosystem of builders, communities, and public interest technologists. But when it comes to laws, procurement policies, and digital infrastructure decisions, the connection between policymakers and FOSS contributors remains limited and often misunderstood. This lack of true understanding and engagement arguably cuts both ways - Indian policymakers often misunderstand our FOSS community while the wider FOSS community itself often remains disconnected from the policy ecosystem that shapes more than what they may realise.

This session will unpack India’s public policy landscape around FOSS in simple, accessible terms - explaining how government guidelines, software procurement rules, and digital public goods initiatives affect the FOSS community. It will also highlight what’s missing: better representation of FOSS voices in decision-making, more transparent consultations, and clearer pathways for community engagement with lawmakers. This session also aims to provide a snapshot of the tech policy governance moment India is currently in and its implications for the projects and passions of the FOSS community.

We’ll hear from policy experts (such as from PRS Legislative), digital rights advocates ( Raman Jit Singh Chima from Access Now), a potential policymaker, as well as those familiar directly with tech policy / tech politics through their experiences in media. Through real-world examples and an informal fireside chat format, we’ll explore how developers and community members can make their voices heard in shaping the governance of tech and the future of openness in India.

Key themes:

Explaining FOSS-related policies in India: procurement, licensing, and the role of Digital Public Goods.
How civil society and the FOSS community can engage with policy processes and consultations.
How to ensure policy frameworks support - not constrain - open collaboration and software freedom.

Key Takeaways

Participants will leave with practical insights and resources on how to engage with policymaking, contribute to consultations, and strengthen advocacy for FOSS at the national and local level.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axUiQvbXyZ4

https://takshashila.org.in/research/an-open-tech-strategy-for-india

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/policymakers-must-engage-more-with-technology-firms/story-A0U7kw59OHCU28QOkTTn3M.html

https://www.accessnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Access-Now-Digital-Rights-in-Indias-Parliament-August-2019.pdf

https://prsindia.org/

Session Categories

Technology / FOSS licenses, policy

Knowledge Commons (Open Hardware, Open Science, Open Data etc.)

Other

Public policy

Community

Which track are you applying for?

Main track

Speakers

Raman Jit Singh Chima

Senior International Counsel and Asia Pacific Director | Access Now

Raman Jit Singh Chima is Senior International Counsel and Asia Pacific Policy Director at the international non-profit organisation Access Now, where he also serves as the organisation’s Global Cybersecurity Lead. He co-founded India's SaveTheInternet.in campaign for net neutrality, and later helped co-found the Article 21 Trust and the Internet Freedom Foundation. He assisted the legal team involved in the Supreme Court of India's landmark Shreya Singhal v. Union of India judgment on Internet free speech, and has been included in Forbes Magazine's 30-Under-30 list of leaders in India under the Law and Policy category in 2016. He previously served as Policy Counsel and Government Affairs Manager in Google’s Asia Pacific team based in India and held senior roles in industry associations. In 2019, he was awarded a Chevening Cybersecurity Fellowship and completed a programme of study at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. Raman is a graduate of the National Law School of India University at Bangalore, where he co-founded and was later elected chief editor of the Indian Journal of Law and Technology.

Chakshu Roy

Head - legislative and civic engagement initiatives | PRS Legislative Research

Chakshu heads the legislative and civic engagement initiatives at PRS.

He is an expert on the rules and procedures of Parliament and its functioning. He anchors programs to strengthen the capacity of legislators at the centre and state level. He supports civil society organisations to engage with legislatures and has trained journalist groups about tracking the functioning of Parliament and State Vidhan Sabhas. He has also been involved in setting up the first comprehensive database of state legislation in the country. He writes regularly on legislative issues and about the strengthening of the institution of Parliament. Chakshu is an IVLP and INK Fellow and holds a bachelor’s degrees in Commerce and Law from Delhi University.

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