Centre boosting grassroots innovators for first time in India: Jitendra Singh
New Delhi: The PM Narendra Modi government is promoting and acknowledging grassroots innovators for the first time in India, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
Addressing the silver jubilee celebration of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) via virtual mode, Singh emphasized Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to ‘Virasat Bhi aur Vikas Bhi’ for integrating India’s exclusive traditional knowledge with modern cutting-edge technology.
He also released a postal stamp, followed by a magazine titled ‘Innovation Frontline’ and a coffee table book to mark the occasion.
Highlighting the critical role of rural innovation in India’s economy, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology stressed that innovations originating in remote villages will be scaled up, ensuring equal opportunities and resources as available in urban areas.
He applauded India’s transformation from the ‘Fragile Five’ to the ‘First Five’ and its soon-to-be fourth place in the global economy. He called for a scientific approach to harnessing underexplored sectors, including those in the rural areas, that were neglected under previous regimes.
Dr Jitendra Singh also recalled PM Modi’s clarion call to celebrate National Science Day with a festive fervour, as mentioned in last week’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. He described it as unprecedented for a Prime Minister to extend such patronage to science and technology.
Expressing his delight after speaking to the Padma Awardees who fostered innovation, Dr Jitendra Singh questioned the long delay in recognising these unsung heroes, many of whom began their work as early as the 1990s. He credited PM Modi for transforming the Padma Awards into ‘People’s Padma’ in the truest sense.
The Minister highlighted the Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF) – a pioneering initiative by the NIF with SIDBI that has provided necessary risk capital to 238 innovation-based enterprise projects. Calling it a novel initiative, he debunked the myth that only elite scientists with fancy degrees can drive innovation and startups. He cited the success of the Lavender Revolution, backed by the CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, and the Floriculture Revolution, driven by the CSIR-IHBT, Palampur.
Dr Singh said that India’s technology is inherently affordable and cost-effective, making it globally appealing.
Celebrating the NIF’s 25-year journey, he announced that 713 patents have been granted in India and 5 in the US, underscoring NIF’s role in fostering grassroots innovations. He also highlighted that NIF was one of the early institutions in India to host a Technology Business Incubator (TBI), now known as NIF Incubation and Entrepreneurship Council (NIFientreC). Over 25 grassroots startups and several hundred enterprises, some with Rs 10+ crore annual turnover, are thriving under its support, creating rural employment opportunities.
The S&T Minister emphasised that under PM Modi’s visionary leadership, India has unlocked the space sector for private participation. He also noted that, for the first time, the nuclear energy sector has been opened to private players, as announced in the recent budget.
Dr Singh called upon all innovators to contribute towards making India a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
He described the NIF’s 25-year journey as a testament to inclusivity, shaping India’s innovation landscape by successfully identifying, supporting, and disseminating grassroots innovations – reaching even the most remote border villages.