India's Grassroots Innovators Take Center Stage: Jitendra Singh

By siliconindia  |  Monday, 03 March 2025, 08:54:01 AM IST

India's Grassroots Innovators Take Center Stage: Jitendra Singh
In a landmark move, the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is actively promoting grassroots innovators across India, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh stated on Sunday. Speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) via virtual mode, Dr. Singh emphasized PM Modi’s commitment to integrating traditional knowledge with modern technology under the vision of ‘Virasat Bhi aur Vikas Bhi.’
Marking the event, Dr. Singh launched a commemorative postal stamp, a magazine called 'Innovation Frontline,' and a coffee table book. He emphasized the importance of rural innovation in making India's economy strong and assured that innovations from far-flung villages would be replicated and given the same resources and opportunities as cities.
Dr. Singh lauded India's transformation from the ‘Fragile Five’ to a leading global economy, soon to rank fourth worldwide. He called for a scientific approach to harness underutilized sectors, particularly in rural regions, which he claimed were overlooked by previous regimes. Highlighting PM Modi’s push to celebrate National Science Day with festival-like enthusiasm, Dr. Singh described it as unprecedented for a Prime Minister to extend such dedicated support to science and technology.
Describing his delight after meeting Padma Award winners who have promoted grassroots innovations, Dr. Singh wondered why their work, some of which had started as far back as the 1990s, remained unnoticed for so long. He attributed the credit to PM Modi for turning the Padma Awards into the 'People's Padma' to reward the unsung innovators.
The Union Minister pointed to the Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF) — a path-breaking effort by NIF in association with SIDBI — that has infused risk capital into 238 innovation-driven ventures. He commended the fund for proving that innovation can be led by scientists other than elite ones with higher degrees, pointing to the Lavender Revolution (CSIR-IIIM, Jammu) and the Floriculture Revolution (CSIR-IHBT, Palampur) as instances of low-cost, globally desirable technologies.
On the 25-year anniversary of NIF, Dr. Singh declared that 713 patents have been awarded in India and 5 in the US, demonstrating the foundations contribution towards fostering grassroots innovators. He further emphasized that NIF was one of the first organizations to have a Technology Business Incubator (TBI), currently rebranded as NIFientreC, nurturing more than 25 grassroots startups and hundreds of businesses — some with an annual turnover in excess of Rs 10 crore.
Dr. Singh also stressed that with PM Modi at the helm, India has opened up the space industry and nuclear power for private sector participation, marking a new era of entrepreneurship and innovation. He appealed to innovators across the country to work towards the vision of transforming India into a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047.
The Minister wrapped up by portraying NIF's 25-year odyssey as a shining example of inclusivity, effectively identifying, nurturing, and spreading grassroots innovations even in the remotest corners of the country. He reiterated that with continued government patronage and private sector cooperation, India's innovation ecosystem is ready to guide the nation towards a brighter, self-reliant future.

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