MAM
Meesho appoints Divyesh Shah as vice president of engineering
Mumbai: Meesho, one of India’s fastest growing internet commerce companies, has announced the appointment of Divyesh Shah as vice president, engineering. He will lead the supply, monetisation and fulfillment & experience (F&E) engineering teams at Meesho. Shah will oversee Meesho’s efforts in using technology to build solutions that will further enhance user experience on the platform.
Shah joins Meesho with over 16 years of work experience, having worked at companies like Google and Uber in the US. He started his career at Google building containers on Linux which are now utilized by most large Linux deployments, and later went onto build TV ads and Analytics for Google Fiber.
More recently, his teams built the product platform for Google Assistant. In between these Google stints, he also worked at Uber where his teams solved complex problem statements related to marketplace health, adtech data & measurement and vehicle solutions.
“Shah brings a wealth of experience to our talented Tech team and we’re really pleased to have him join us. Right from our very first conversation with him we could sense his enthusiasm towards our mission statement of democratizing e-commerce for every Indian and we’re confident that his skill set & leadership will help Meesho scale newer heights in the near future,” said Meesho founder and CTO Sanjeev Barnwal.
“After spending the last 16 years working in the US, I was keen to return home and be a part of the Indian tech ecosystem. Of all the opportunities, Meesho stood out because of the scale at which it operates and the mission statement of democratizing e-commerce for everyone in India which also translates into the opportunity to serve a large underrepresented demographic.
I’m absolutely delighted to join one of India’s fastest growing startups and look forward to understanding the behavior and needs of a user base that stretches beyond the country’s first 50-100 million internet users,” said Shah.
The latest appointment will strengthen Meesho’s tech leadership team as the company looks to onboard more users and increase its presence in India’s underserved markets. Earlier this year, the company announced the appointment of Debdoot Mukherjee as chief data scientist to oversee their efforts to make every pillar of the e-commerce marketplace smarter and more efficient with the use of AI.
Digital
Maharashtra partners OpenAI, Sarvam AI to boost state’s tech ecosystem
State to set up dedicated AI department and roll out frontier technology policies
MUMBAI: Maharashtra is set to become a primary hub for artificial intelligence following the 2026–27 Budget announcement. chief minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that the state has signed letters of intent with global giant OpenAI and national pioneer Sarvam AI to integrate advanced technology into the state’s economic and administrative framework.
The collaboration with OpenAI and Sarvam AI marks a shift towards adopting cutting-edge generative tools for governance. These partnerships, alongside MoUs with IIT Bombay and BharatGen, are designed to create a robust ecosystem for research and innovation. The move signals the state’s intent to bring together global technology leaders and domestic research institutions to accelerate the development and adoption of artificial intelligence across sectors.
Regarding the strategic intent of these alliances, chief minister Fadnavis stated, “With the objective of making the State’s Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence sector dynamic, letters of intent have been signed with globally and nationally reputed institutions like OpenAI and Sarvam AI to facilitate the Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence sector in the state.”
To manage these high-level partnerships and ensure effective implementation, the government is establishing an independent department of electronics, Information technology, and artificial intelligence. The new department will function with a dedicated commissionerate and specialised technical manpower, enabling faster decision-making, improved coordination, and stronger accountability in executing technology-driven initiatives.
The state also plans to introduce special policies aimed at strengthening its position in emerging technology sectors. These policies will focus on advancing Maharashtra as a global hub for frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, drones, autonomous vehicles, and deep technology.
According to the chief minister, “The state government plans to introduce special policies to develop Maharashtra as a world-class hub for frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, drones, autonomous vehicles and deep technology.”
Artificial intelligence is already being integrated into the state’s governance framework. A collaboration with Microsoft has led to the development of MahaCrimeOS AI, a platform that has reportedly reduced police investigation times by 80 per cent across 23 police stations in Nagpur. The initiative demonstrates how AI-driven tools can significantly enhance law enforcement efficiency and data analysis capabilities.
The government is also working toward building a fully digitised administrative ecosystem. Plans are underway to achieve complete digitisation of land transactions and implement electronic office systems across departments, paving the way for a paperless government. In addition, a pilot project will introduce AI-powered solutions in 75 selected villages to improve infrastructure, governance efficiency, and overall quality of life in rural areas.
To strengthen digital infrastructure and data protection, the state also intends to establish an advanced data centre in Nagpur. This facility will be designed to safeguard sensitive and sovereign information while supporting large-scale digital services and government platforms.
These initiatives form part of Maharashtra’s broader cyber security and digital transformation strategy aligned with the Viksit Maharashtra 2047 vision. By partnering with global and domestic technology leaders such as OpenAI and Sarvam AI, the state aims to build a secure, future-ready digital ecosystem that enhances citizen services, supports innovation, and strengthens India’s position in emerging technologies.
