Government's grassroots innovations efforts: Fuelling innovation in the tech era

Albert Einstein once said: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” This statement remains highly relevant even today. We are currently in the era of emerging technologies, characterised by declining technology costs, increasing computational power and capabilities, a significant increase in data volumes, rapid advancements in artificial intelligence leading to the production of robotic devices and automation and finally routine tasks determining job vulnerability. The Government of India has extensively promoted innovation in the country through the establishment of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools nationwide under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), which is implemented by NITI Aayog. Currently, there are 10,000 ATLs across the country, with each school receiving Rs 20 lakh for their setup and maintenance over five years. The National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) programme, initiated in 2016 by the Department of Science and Technology, comprises various components designed to support innovation, startups, and the startup incubation ecosystem in the country. India Innovation Index is already operational in India. Additionally, there is the National Innovation Fund, established in 2020, and organisations like the Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network in the state of Gujarat, which is represented by government officials, technology and management institutions for the scaling up of grassroots innovations. India is blessed with incredible natural beauty, unique cultural heritage, and diverse ways of living and lifestyles. Simultaneously, it is endowed with vast natural resources, making it a land of opportunities. Furthermore, each region faces distinct local problems that require the appropriate application of technology for resolution. Therefore, local self-governments should create an environment that fosters a coordinated approach to develop innovative ideas and startups capable of addressing these local issues, thereby facilitating the overall development of their respective regions. Local governments must take the initiative to encourage efforts in this direction, ensuring the effective implementation of existing government innovation schemes mentioned above. This will promote public-private initiatives, foster the growth of medium and small-sized enterprises and at the same time enable the customisation of India’s reality with the best practices from around the world. Take, for example, a tourist village in a remote locality in India, which has its own uniqueness globally, but it lacks a synchronized, innovative and coordinated model to highlight the region globally. This ultimately hinders the ability of this tourist village to achieve its potential. Thus, there may be a need for an arrangement, perhaps with the initiative of the village administration, to enable local technocrats to design a mechanism to facilitate and satisfy the requirements of international tourists. This could be possible by involving competitive, young and talented start-ups that have the potential to develop innovative digital technology. India has already made significant progress in the start-up ecosystem. Organisations similar to the Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network may be promoted in every state of India so that innovations receive significant emphasis in our country. However, the mere presence of such organisations may not be sufficient. They need to be linked with every village in that particular state and the key issues faced by each of the villages should be appropriately highlighted through digital linkage. This needs to be further connected with all the universities and schools so that students have the opportunity to think and develop innovative ideas to facilitate their long-term resolution. Grassroots innovations could also provide solutions for Indian cities on various issues including congestion, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector, air quality issues, the rapid growth in the number of private vehicles (largely motorcycles) and increasing road accidents. Considering the above, there is a need for a policy for every state government in which innovations/ideas strictly evolve from grassroots-level young technocrats. Local self-governments could play a key role in enabling a coordinated environment for the same. Way forward For establishing support initiatives at the state or regional level, the respective governments including district and local self-administration roles are crucial. It may indeed depend on the respective state/region’s priority for bottom-up innovation and also their fiscal position. The initiative should essentially begin at the high school level where the thirst for innovation should be nurtured in students through the establishment of innovation clubs and the provision of required training. Awareness programmes about the need for grassroots innovations are also mandatory for schoolteachers and local self-governments through practical workshops at the state and district levels. An Innovation Facilitating Unit should essentially be set up in village panchayats/municipalities, which should be headed by technocrats and scholars with vast experience in relevant areas. These units could be tied up with major industries and establishments in their respective districts or states, which could guide the overall process and even provide seed funding for testing such innovations. India is the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world, achieved in a short span of time. There is no doubt that once India works on grassroots innovations, incorporating suggestions as stated above, we could immensely contribute to global technology development and achieve a top position in the world in terms of startup growth and numbers. The author serves as Civil Servant at Indian Ministry of Finance. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.