New Delhi, Nov 15 (ANI): Describing innovation as a 'game changer', Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the country was currently witnessing innovation in rights-based delivery through the Right to Work, Right to Information and Right to Education, while a Right to Food Security was on the anvil.
Addressing the National Innovation Council Function here, Dr. Singh said: "In recent times, we have made several innovations in areas such as space technology, atomic energy, and automobiles. But innovation in our country has by and large focused mostly on the needs of the upper income groups and not adequately on solving the problems of the poor and the underprivileged. We wish and we must change this state of affairs."
"We would like to pioneer a model of innovation that addresses problems in areas such as poverty eradication, people's health, rural communications, development of agriculture, development of animal husbandry, green energy and similar other challenges," he added
Emphasising that in 2009, our government declared its intent to make the next decade a Decade of Innovation, Dr. Singh said: " This is because we realize that innovation has a critical role to play in the processes of India's economic and social growth and development."
"The sets of challenges that we as a nation face is not only diverse but in some ways also unique. It is only through creativity and innovation, by coming up with novel solutions appropriate to the Indian condition and Indian context, that we can meet these challenges effectively. Indeed we see innovation as a truly game changer to move from incremental change to radical change. And therefore it is our resolve to build an enabling environment for innovation to flourish in our country," he added.
Describing India's freedom struggle as "a social innovation in peaceful resistance", Dr. Singh stressed on creating an enabling environment for innovations to flourish.
"There are some advantages that we have in achieving the task that we have set for ourselves. Our democracy, our diversity and our demography are all facilitating factors, which encourage innovation in our country. Our democracy, which has been deepening through Panchayats and broadening through civil society action, gives an opportunity to multiply to multiple thoughts to contend with each other," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that the government would provide Rs 100 crore for the India Innovation Fund, which would fund low-cost innovation. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
