AHMEDABAD: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said innovations originating in remote villages will be scaled up to create equal opportunities and resources and asserted grassroots innovators are being acknowledged for the first time in India under the Narendra Modi government.

The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology was addressing the silver jubilee celebration of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous institute under Department of Science and Technology of the Centre.

"Prime Minister Modi's commitment to 'Virasat Bhi aur Vikas Bhi' integrates India's exclusive traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technology," said Singh, who also released a postal stamp, a magazine titled 'Innovation frontline' and a coffee table book on the occasion.

"Innovations originating in remote villages will be scaled up, ensuring equal opportunities and resources as available in urban areas," Singh said. He applauded India's transformation from the 'Fragile Five' to the 'First Five' and called for a scientific approach to harness underexplored sectors, including those in the rural areas, that were neglected under previous regimes.

Recalling PM Modi's clarion call in last week's 'Mann Ki Baat' to celebrate National Science Day with a festive fervour, Singh added that "it was unprecedented for a Prime Minister to extend such patronage to science and technology".

Expressing his delight after speaking to Padma awardees who fostered innovation, Singh questioned the long delay in recognizing 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, stated the release. Singh called the Micro Venture Innovation Fund (MVIF), a pioneering initiative by NIF with SIDBI that has provided necessary risk capital to 238 innovation-based enterprise projects, a novel initiative. He debunked the myth that only elite scientists with fancy degrees can drive innovation and startups, and cited the success of the Lavender Revolution, backed by CSIR-IIIM Jammu, and the Floriculture Revolution, driven by CSIR-IHBT Palampur.

"India's technology is inherently affordable and cost-effective, making it globally appealing," he added.
Underscoring NIF's role in fostering grassroots innovations, he announced that 713 patents have been granted in India and five in the USA. He described NIF's 25-year journey as a testament to inclusivity, shaping India's innovation landscape by successfully identifying, supporting, and disseminating grassroots innovations that had reached even the most remote border villages.

"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). More than 25 grassroots startups and several hundred enterprises, some with Rs 10 crore annual turnover, are thriving under its support, creating rural employment opportunities," he said.

Calling upon innovators to contribute towards making the country 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, Singh said it was the best time for innovation and research in India with science and technology thriving under PM Modi's leadership.