SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE FIFTH NATIONAL GRASSROOTS INNOVATION AWARDS

New Delhi, 18th November, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am really very glad to be here at this function where the work of grassroots innovators, young creative children and traditional knowledge holders has been recognized. I congratulate them for winning the awards. I am not only impressed with the exhibits but also inspired by the "Innovation Exhibition". Now it is a challenge for us to undertake mass production, which is basically very important. World attention is focused on the out come of the Copenhagen Conference. I think our grass roots local innovations can be useful in not only for national problems but world problems and answers for our 2nd Green Revolution and climate change. I have no words to congratulate NIF. Hats off to your innovative idea of launching NIF. The works displayed reaffirm, what has always been known, that the people of India have a tremendous capacity to intelligently use their creative minds for the welfare of society. It also shows that innovation need not necessarily be the product of formal systems.

We have witnessed tremendous changes that have taken place in the field of communication technologies in the last over two decades. This, in turn, has had a great impact on the way our people conduct business and trade. It has affected our professional lives and influenced inter-personal relationships also. The ICT Revolution has opened new paths for improving the lives of people, for enhancing the efficiency of public service delivery systems and extending the outreach of media, among others. It has provided a powerful gateway for the dissemination of information.

Opportunities offered by such technologies need to be utilized to a greater degree to improve standards of living and working conditions, including at the grassroots level so that benefits reach the very base of the pyramid. India is a vast country, and only when every level of society feels involved will our vision of an inclusive society be realized. Some signs are visible. There are instances when fishermen in small villages or farmers in remote areas of the country have been able to link up with information systems to get a better understanding of the weather, of market conditions and factors impacting agricultural production, their health and finances. Such examples are important indicators of the potential of technology to percolate information to people at the grassroots level and help them in taking informed decisions.

India has already stepped into the knowledge society and is one of its leaders. In the new age, a nation's ability to use existing knowledge, create new knowledge and use its knowledge capital will determine its ranking in the emerging global order. We need innovation more than ever before. We have reached a stage where we either innovate or perish. This also means that knowledge and information will carry the highest premium in the world. The observance of the next decade as the Decade of Innovation in India is a recognition of this reality. I am pleased with the decision that whenever and wherever any proposal is submitted for consideration to the Union Cabinet, it must contain specific information on how it will advance the over-arching goals of equity, better accountability and innovation. Such steps give a boost to innovative approaches to governance. Innovation and technology can be used for effective implementation of welfare schemes, as delays and leakages are amongst the biggest drawbacks of our governance system.

It is a fallacy to think that innovation is a high-end activity that takes place only in sophisticated laboratories. Innovation is a wide ranging term that could mean a technological innovation, a fresh way of management or a different way of doing the same task, but which would result in better performance. Innovation is also the result of what happens in the "laboratory of life" and the experiences encountered. It could also be the result of accumulation of the collective knowledge of a civilization. India is home to a rich reservoir of traditional knowledge, as through generations our people have acquired knowledge and practices based on an understanding of nature and environment, over a prolonged period of observation. It is important that this knowledge is preserved and when used, due recognition and recompense given to the holders of traditional knowledge.

Necessity sometimes is also the basis of invention. I am told that, and it is very redeeming to hear, about Mallesham whom I have just met and who is being honoured today, whose innovation for the aasu process in Pochampalli saris was triggered by the pain of his mother. Sometimes, limited resources for innovation and of end-users can result in outcomes and products that are not only cost-effective but effective per se. The Jaipur Foot designed in India has won global recognition for being an inexpensive and quick to fit prosthetic leg, and has benefited many people.

Even in management terms, we have to just look at the Dabbawala system being run in Mumbai where five thousand semi-literate people, work as a team to deliver at a nominal cost, lunch boxes to about 2 lakh office workers using only a basic colour coding method. This unique system in the world had evoked much interest in many countries, and has been given a six sigma rating of efficiency. These illustrations point out to a singular conclusion that we have the brains in the country. We have to nurture and encourage them.

In the next few decades, India will have the largest population of young people. They have to be prepared to take on the reins of the destiny of the nation. For this, providing them quality education is critical. India's emergence as an innovative economy and a potential supplier of world class skills would require an education system that encourages creativity and a capacity to think in a novel fashion. This area deserves high priority and Government's efforts would need to be supported by teachers, educational institutions and all stakeholders.

The event today is being held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute which brings to mind the success we achieved in securing self-sufficiency in food, as an outcome of the first Green Revolution. New challenges have since arisen. The World Summit on Food Security is currently underway in Rome to look at the worsening global food security scenario and high food prices which is resulting in an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger. In the context of a growing population, changing weather patterns, limited availability of land and water resources, the question of food security would have a fundamental bearing on the well being of the people of the world. I have repeatedly emphasized the urgency of a Second Green Revolution in the country, in which advances of Science and Technology, along with innovative approaches are employed to enhance agricultural production and productivity, as well as expand the availability of agricultural areas.

The outlay for Research and Development in National Plans must go up manifold. Quality of research has to be upgraded and institutions and agencies receiving funds must be made fully accountable. The results of innovation should be harnessed to become products and services for the betterment of society. This translation is often unpredictable and long drawn, requiring substantial efforts. There is the issue of patents and knowledge-sharing, which calls for building of capacity and skills to handle this process. The Government should embark on laying down a National Innovation Policy to bring about the much needed coordination among various initiatives in research, education, agriculture, medicine and business.

Institutions like the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institutes of Technology; organizations like the National Innovation Foundation as well networks like Honey Bee should continue to work with local communities. These institutions and networks should keep in touch with one another and coordinate and expedite mutual activities where it is going to be helpful to achieve better results. This would be important not only for nurturing early stage innovations but also for making available technology and advising those working at the field level. This would contribute in enhancing mobility of knowledge. At the grassroots level, Panchayats play a very important role. Kiosks in villages can become information and service providers for those living in rural areas. Methods for supporting local knowledge-based entrepreneurship should be evolved.

Also, our research institutions should join global knowledge networks and thus, keep themselves abreast of worldwide advancements in the field of Science and Technology. I would even suggest that we should tap into the knowledge base of the Indian diaspora. It was a proud moment for us when Dr. Venkataraman Ramakrishnan was awarded the Noble Prize for Chemistry this year. I had the occasion to interact with him during my visit to the United Kingdom recently. I am aware that he has maintained contacts with institutions in India. There are many other persons of Indian origin who could have done commendable work in the field of science, research, technology and business around the world. Our institutions must connect with them.

To build structures of knowledge there are many building blocks in which numerous stakeholders contribute in many different ways. The National Innovation Foundation provides an institutional platform for the knowledge-rich people living in villages and remote areas, to learn from each other as well as from innovators in formal scientific and other institutions. NIF also provides technical as well as funding support to potential innovators for various incubation activities like proto-type development, design and optimization. I am told it has mobilized over 1.4 lakh innovations and traditional knowledge practices. I would encourage NIF to continue with its work and efforts to support grassroots innovation and traditional knowledge.

In the end, I once again congratulate all the award winners and I would encourage institutions such as NIF and other stakeholders to continue with their good work.

Thank you.

Jai Hind.