Summary:**CA Yunus pleads: Tech must heal lives, slash inequality***Introduction* At a recent forum in Dhak**CA Yunus pleads: Tech must heal lives, slash inequality**
*Introduction*
At a recent forum in Dhaka, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus urged the global tech community to redirect its innovation toward reducing poverty and widening access to essential services. His call came amid growing concerns that rapid digital advancement is leaving large swaths of the population behind, exacerbating economic gaps rather than bridging them.
*Key Developments*
Yunus highlighted three concrete steps for technology firms: first, invest in affordable broadband infrastructure for rural and underserved urban areas; second, design low‑cost health‑monitoring tools that can be deployed via basic smartphones; third, create open‑source platforms that enable small entrepreneurs to access micro‑finance and market data without prohibitive licensing fees. He cited pilot projects in Bangladesh where solar‑powered kiosks equipped with simple diagnostic apps have cut maternal mortality by 15 % in test villages. The speaker also warned that without deliberate policy incentives, the current trend of AI‑driven automation could concentrate wealth in the hands of a few tech giants, deepening social stratification.
*Industry Analysis*
Industry analysts note that Yunus’s appeal aligns with a rising “tech for good” movement, yet funding remains skewed toward high‑margin consumer gadgets. A 2024 McKinsey survey showed that only 12 % of venture capital in emerging markets targets social‑impact startups, despite a projected $1.2 trillion addressable market for inclusive digital services by 2030. Experts argue that regulatory frameworks—such as tax credits for companies that meet measurable equity benchmarks—