A trade and technology led business delegation consisting of 25 companies including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and headed by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has visited Kigali, following the launch of the India-Rwanda Innovation Growth programme (IRIGP). IRIGP received response from over 200 Indian entrepreneurs willing to take their innovations globally in wide-ranging focus sectors.

Somewhere in a village in India, the government connects with panchayats through fibre optic cables to bring in better service delivery in health and education. ‘Tata Swach,’ a $24 water purifier, uses rice husks to ensure drinking water free from contamination.

‘Mera Gao Power,’ a start up, builds and operates micro grids in Uttar Pradesh to serve off-grid villages with high quality, dependable lighting and mobile phone charging services. A firm called Ayas Shilpa makes suspension bridges for a tenth of the price of conventional ones to connect countless villages to the outside world which otherwise would use perilous rope bridges.

These are just a microcosm of the ideas and actions that are transforming the lives of people in India’s hinterland. At the heart of this great innovation rush is a growing consensus in developing countries that economic growth of a nation can no longer be decoupled from the welfare of people still living on fringe benefits after decades of high growth. Certainly not in India which faces the unique dichotomy of being one of the fastest growing economies in the world with about 300 million people living below the poverty line with challenges of access to food, education, sanitation, water, housing, public transportation, energy etc. It has now become imperative to ensure that growth is inclusive, that it is based on equitable distribution of goods and services, and that innovation is directed at the upliftment of those at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.

Innovative cost effective solutions to these challenges can become a tool for empowerment of the masses. India has already built a value proposition with a strong and unparalleled history of innovation spanning centuries which offers the bedrock of inspiration for future endeavours.

Innovations in technology and in delivery are both key to successful outcomes. India’s entrenched tradition in frugal innovation today offers smarter ways of designing and delivering products at affordable prices. Sankara Nethralaya, a charitable not-for-profit eye hospital offers world-class eye care to people with a single standard of care for all, rich or poor. The prosthetic limb, Jaipur foot, made of rubber, wood and tyre cord has influenced the market for prosthetics around the world. Dr Devi Shetty is driving innovation in healthcare at Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in Bangalore where heart surgery costs between Rs 15,000 to Rs 35,000 compared to $20000 to $100000 in the United States. Innovation like the GE MAC 400, a hand-held electrocardiogram (ECG) device costing $800 has reduced the cost of an ECG to just $1 per patient making treatment of cardiovascular diseases affordable. A Greenway Smart Stove designed by a start-up called Greenway Grameen Infra has reduced smoke emissions by 80 per cent and fuel consumption by 65 per cent in rural Indian households. Innovation meets inclusion here by not only an act of frugal engineering but also by creating avenues for sustainable livelihoods.

Pyramid population

Industry has been playing an important role in this vision of an innovation powered inclusive society. The FICCI-USAID Millennium Alliance with a fund base of $15 million, which aims to identify and scale up innovative solutions that address development challenges faced by bottom of the pyramid population, is one such initiative. FICCI has already conducted 56 pan India road shows in different cities and has received over 1,400 applications from sectors ranging from basic education, water and sanitation, agriculture and clean energy.

Inclusive growth, as most agree, is best served by financial inclusion which involves empowering those at the periphery enabling their access to a bank account and power to spend on other basic needs. Innovations are today enabling a farmer to use his Kisan Credit Card like an ATM Card linked to his bank account. This can be a game changer in promoting inclusive growth. The no frills bank accounts service where RBI has eased up KYC norms could allow the financially excluded to open bank accounts with low or nil deposits needs a model which allows banks to execute this cost effectively for people to begin to use this opportunity. Use of low cost infrastructure solutions as the one developed by Eko, a start-up, which uses technology to enable secure and convenient financial transactions are changing how rural India saves and spends.

Innovations like these from industry and entry of private equity in recent times are nurturing India’s innovative spirit. A number of venture capital firms are investing in companies that cater to the country's rural and bottom of the pyramid populations. Global philanthropic foundations such as Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network and the Acumen Fund are keen to invest in innovations with a social impact in India. As the innovation juggernaut rolls on, India needs to put in place an even better inclusive innovation ecosystem which harnesses the dynamism of enterprise of our youth to address problems faced by the less fortunate.

The proposed India Inclusive Innovation Fund by National Innovation Council with a fund base of Rs.5,000 crore is an excellent first step in this direction as it will help analyse and implement strategies for inclusive innovation and prepare a roadmap for affordable, sustainable and scalable solutions --creating an ecosystem for such innovations and entrepreneurs to thrive. India is in a position to mount a strong initiative for affordable innovations by taking advantage of low costs and a large talent base. Engagement of multiple stakeholders and creating Public-Private-Partnerships for promoting people-centric research will require all the necessary support.

(The writer is the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry)

FICCI has suggested a three-pronged approach to take India's R&D efforts to a higher trajectory. The strategy should be to re-orient the national science and technology policy which is output-driven, connect knowledge generation to wealth creation and problem solving and follow a venture funding model for private sector projects, particularly for SMEs, it said.

Presenting a set of suggestions to policy makers, Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, president, FICCI, said such a strategy would raise India's share in the global research output, increase private sector R&D spending and raise the country's overall spend on scientific and technological R&D from the current level of 0.98 per cent of GDP.

She pointed out that the results of an output-driven policy should be measured by the amount of patents filed, number of entrepreneurs created and the export volumes realised through new innovative products.

India's public spend in R&D is less than the current average expenditure of China, South Korea and most Western countries. Ms Kidwai has suggested that the government should stick to its commitment for a steady increase in budget outlay for R&D and double the current investments over next 5-8 years.

Furthermore, India's private sector investment in R&D is less than 25 per cent of overall R&D spend, Ms Kidwai said and emphasised that the government should create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment in R&D.

The government should increase expenditure on research and development activities and create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment, Industry body FICCI said on Sunday.

It said the country’s expenditure in R&D is less than the current average expenditure of China, South Korea and most Western countries.

“The government should stick to its commitment for a steady increase in budget outlay for R&D and double the current investments over next 5 - 8 years...create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment in R&D,” the chamber said in a statement.

India’s private sector investment in R&D is less than 25 per cent of overall spend.

“Apart from the existing R&D offset credit policy for industry, there should be adequate tax - breaks and a fast track patenting facility for breakthrough innovations,” it added.

FICCI also asked to introduce legislation for allowing public sector scientists to file patents, create new enterprises and share financial returns of their inventions.

“At present, there is considerable lack of industry academia public lab linkage in the R&D ecosystem, leading to low competitiveness,” it said.

Further, it also called for introduction of structured platforms for open collaboration between all R&D stakeholders under different science and technology (S&T) sectors.

The government should facilitate exchange programme between researchers and academia and public to create better synergy in public - private.

Suggesting a three pronged approach to take India’s R&D efforts to a higher trajectory, it said that a strategy should be created to reorient the National S&T Policy which is output driven, connect knowledge generation to wealth creation and problem solving and follow a venture funding model for private sector projects, particularly for SMEs.

“Such a strategy would raise India’s share in the global research output, increase private sector R&D spending and raise the country’s overall spend on scientific and technological R&D from the current level of 0.98 per cent of GDP,” it said.

The government should increase expenditure on research and development activities and create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment, Industry body FICCI said on Sunday.

It said the country's expenditure in R&D is less than the current average expenditure of China, South Korea and most Western countries.

"The government should stick to its commitment for a steady increase in budget outlay for R&D and double the current investments over next 5-8 years...Create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment in R&D," the chamber said in a statement.

India's private sector investment in R&D is less than 25 percent of overall spend.

"Apart from the existing R&D offset credit policy for industry, there should be adequate tax-breaks and a fast-track patenting facility for breakthrough innovations," it added.

FICCI also asked to introduce legislation for allowing public sector scientists to file patents, create new enterprises and share financial returns of their inventions.

"At present, there is considerable lack of industry- academia-public lab linkage in the R&D ecosystem, leading to low competitiveness," it said.

Further, it also called for introduction of structured platforms for open collaboration between all R&D stakeholders under different science and technology (S&T) sectors.

The government should facilitate exchange programme between researchers and academia and public to create better synergy in public-private.

Suggesting a three-pronged approach to take India's R&D efforts to a higher trajectory, it said that a strategy should be created to reorient the National S&T Policy which is output-driven, connect knowledge generation to wealth creation and problem solving and follow a venture funding model for private sector projects, particularly for SMEs.

"Such a strategy would raise India's share in the global research output, increase private sector R&D spending and raise the country's overall spend on scientific and technological R&D from the current level of 0.98 percent of GDP," it said.

The government should increase expenditure on research and development activities and create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment, Industry body FICCI said on Sunday.

It said the country's expenditure in R&D is less than the current average expenditure of China, South Korea and most Western countries.

"The government should stick to its commitment for a steady increase in budget outlay for R&D and double the current investments over next 5-8 years...create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment in R&D," the chamber said in a statement.

India's private sector investment in R&D is less than 25 per cent of overall spend.

"Apart from the existing R&D offset credit policy for industry, there should be adequate tax-breaks and a fast-track patenting facility for breakthrough innovations," it added.

FICCI also asked to introduce legislation for allowing public sector scientists to file patents, create new enterprises and share financial returns of their inventions.

"At present, there is considerable lack of industry- academia-public lab linkage in the R&D ecosystem, leading to low competitiveness," it said.

Further, it also called for introduction of structured platforms for open collaboration between all R&D stakeholders under different science and technology (S&T) sectors.

The government should facilitate exchange programme between researchers and academia and public to create better synergy in public-private.

Suggesting a three-pronged approach to take India's R&D efforts to a higher trajectory, it said that a strategy should be created to reorient the National S&T Policy which is output-driven, connect knowledge generation to wealth creation and problem solving and follow a venture funding model for private sector projects, particularly for SMEs.

"Such a strategy would raise India's share in the global research output, increase private sector R&D spending and raise the country's overall spend on scientific and technological R&D from the current level of 0.98 per cent of GDP," it said.

The government should increase expenditure on research and development activities and create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment, Industry body FICCI said today.

It said the country's expenditure in R&D is less than the current average expenditure of China, South Korea and most Western countries.

"The government should stick to its commitment for a steady increase in budget outlay for R&D and double the current investments over next 5-8 years...create an aggressive policy environment for boosting private sector investment in R&D," the chamber said in a statement.

India's private sector investment in R&D is less than 25 per cent of overall spend.

"Apart from the existing R&D offset credit policy for industry, there should be adequate tax-breaks and a fast-track patenting facility for breakthrough innovations," it added.

FICCI also asked to introduce legislation for allowing public sector scientists to file patents, create new enterprises and share financial returns of their inventions.

"At present, there is considerable lack of industry- academia-public lab linkage in the R&D ecosystem, leading to low competitiveness," it said.

Further, it also called for introduction of structured platforms for open collaboration between all R&D stakeholders under different science and technology (S&T) sectors.

The government should facilitate exchange programme between researchers and academia and public to create better synergy in public-private.

Suggesting a three-pronged approach to take India's R&D efforts to a higher trajectory, it said that a strategy should be created to reorient the National S&T Policy which is output-driven, connect knowledge generation to wealth creation and problem solving and follow a venture funding model for private sector projects, particularly for SMEs.

"Such a strategy would raise India's share in the global research output, increase private sector R&D spending and raise the country's overall spend on scientific and technological R&D from the current level of 0.98 per cent of GDP," it said.

A group of women in Khagra near Berhampur, West Bengal, were busy giving the final touches to an event that was going to mark a new beginning in their lives. It was the day they were starting the production of low-cost, biodegradable sanitary napkins in their village.

Once the preparations were over they all eagerly waited for Sombodhi Ghosh and Jaydeep Mandal – founders of Aakar Innovations, a Gujarat-based social enterprise that aims to assist rural communities by promoting grassroots innovations – to arrive with the prized mini sanitary napkin-making machine that was going to enable them to use hygienic pads instead of unsterilised cloth during their menstrual periods.

According to the findings of a comprehensive nationwide survey carried out by AC Nielson and reviewed and endorsed by Plan India, only 12 per cent of the total 355 million menstruating women in India use sanitary napkins. In fact, usage in rural areas is alarmingly low at around two to three per cent. Nearly 1,033 women of menstrual age, in addition to 151 gynaecologists, were interviewed as part of this exercise.

The reasons behind the poor usage level range from the lack of awareness to issues like affordability and availability – hurdles that the low-cost machine developed jointly by Aakar Innovations, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Innovation Foundation, can help overcome.

Mandal already has a feasible business plan chalked out. He says confidently, "We are ready to provide machines to women in the villages, set up production centres, supply raw material, provide technical support and also guide them with marketing outreach. This can create around 10,000 jobs in the next five years besides benefiting over six million women.” In fact, according to him, this dynamic arrangement would become sustainable if state governments, local non government organisations (NGOs), and corporates get involved.

Of course, raising awareness is vital if there has to be a lasting change. Says Radhika, a social activist and volunteer with NGO Goonj in Gurgaon, Haryana, “Awareness building needs to go hand-in-hand with the production of low-cost sanitary napkins.” She feels that women have been bogged down by too many archaic customs and that there is an urgent need to make them realise the harmful consequences of using unsterilised cloth, husk, sand or ash.

Dr Nisha Kathale, Professor of Gynaecology at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College in Nagpur, Maharashtra, agrees with Radhika’s analysis. She says, “Even today in 21st century India, there is very little openness with regard to feminine hygiene, which is a completely neglected issue. Menstruating girls and women are considered impure and many women suffer from urinary and ovarian infections, caused due to unhygienic menstrual practices.”

Dr Kathale, therefore, is a firm supporter of the low cost technology that has been developed by Aakar and others. She believes that this innovation can actually be a “life-saver”.

Sumati, a coordinator with the project in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, rattles off the advantages of the machine, “It is low cost and perfect for small scale production units. Further, it produces high quality, hygienic sanitary napkins at affordable prices that are ideal for women who cannot afford the branded alternatives.”

What does it take to start operations in a village? “Nothing much,” says Ghosh, adding, “The machine is compact, easy to operate and can be set up in a room measuring 100 square feet. It uses only minimal electricity and raw materials that are easy to source. The machine can produce approximately 2,000 to 2,500 napkins a day, depending on individual efficiency, and provide employment to 11 women directly and about five to seven women indirectly through marketing commissions.”

The machine uses mainly agri-waste such as banana fibre bagasse, bamboo and water hyacinth to manufacture these sanitary napkins and it costs only about 60 per cent of the price of the cheapest sanitary napkin brand available in the market.

But are these agri-waste pads safe to use? Currently, the government doesn't have any approval procedure that is mandated. However, a committee has been formed to set up guidelines for BIS standards of sanitary napkins. Their recommendations are awaited. Mandal, however, clarifies, “Our pads adhere to those guidelines.”

Dr Sadhna Deshmukh, a gynaecologist in Nagpur, who was associated with Aakar as an advisor while the machine was being developed, concurs. "Since each pad is sterilised by UV rays they are absolutely safe. In fact, if these biodegradable pads hit the market, it will boost menstrual hygiene in a big way and check reproductive health diseases among rural women and those living in urban slums."

This is not the first time that Aakar Innovations has developed an innovative product that has a social welfare dimension. While this low cost sanitary napkin-making machine has already been recommended as one of the top-five innovations in the family planning and reproductive health sector by Millennium Alliance, an initiative of USAID; the Technology Development Board and FICCI has recognised its indigenous fibre technology as one of the top three innovations in the DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme 2013.

Indian companies can now get an opportunity to leverage their technical solutions globally with the UK-based technology giant Rolls-Royce today launching a programme to identify partners to buy or license new and potentially beneficial technologies.

The India Open Innovation programme (IOiN-RR) is designed to identify small and medium size Indian organisations to buy or license technologies or techniques that are new and are outside its traditional areas of operation and potentially beneficial, a statement from the company said.

IOiN-RR would also provide Indian organisations with the opportunity to leverage their solutions globally, working with Rolls Royce, it said.

The companies would be judged on three critical areas of test and measurement, repair, inspection and servicing technologies and novel designs and manufacture of large components and tools.

"The companies, which are in existence for minimum two years, should register their initial interest via email to FICCI (IOiN-RR@ficci.com) or NASSCOM (avinash@nasscom.in). After an initial screening, shortlisted applicants will be invited to register online and submit a detailed proposal," it said.

The competing organisations should submit the solutions which are beyond concept stage and lie between a successful prototype and ready for industry stage.

"Through this programme, we are seeking to identify technologies or techniques in industries outside of which Rolls-Royce usually operates, and in small and medium sized companies Rolls-Royce does not currently work with," said Paul Stein, Chief Scientific Officer at Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce India president Kishore Jayaraman said, "India is home to some of the world's most innovative small and medium sized companies. We are looking to tap into that depth of expertise and knowledge to discover new solutions that can help us advance our own products, processes and services."

Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and has its presence in the global markets in the field of civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy sectors.

A smart cook stove that generates power, a unique audio-visual learning program and clean water delivery systems in rural were among projects selected for the innovation awards jointly instituted by the US and India.

The Millennium Alliance awards were given away in the presence of Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Assistant to US President for S&T John Holdren, FICCI member Saurabh Shrivastava among others, a US embassy statement said.

The Alliance is a partnership between USAID, FICCI, and Technology Development Fund of the Department of Science and Technology to support new innovations.

Of the over 1,400 applications in the first round, nine awardees were announced with the award amount totaling approximately Rs 8.9 crore.

Secretary of State John Kerry met some of the innovators separately where he was given demonstration on some of the working models of the products and services.

Kerry, who is on a three-day visit to India, appeared to take keen interest in smart cook stove which uses two innovative generators based on low-cost thermoelectric modules that generate electricity from widely used biomass.

Waterlife India showed a model of financially sustainable community water plants which supply clean water to villagers at Rs five per 20 litres.

Another innovation was a smart micro grid that cuts transmission and distribution losses in power supply to villages.

Two young innovators had displayed a product that could prevent blindness using smartphone-based diagnostic technology for cataracts and other eye conditions.

The product collects images of the human eye and transmits them through sophisticated applications to the nearest ophthalmic centre thereby speeding up diagnosis of any eye ailment.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Rajiv Shah, would announce the winners of the first round of awards for the Millennium Alliance in New Delhi next week.

The Millennium Alliance is a partnership between USAID, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and India's Department of Science and Technology, to support innovations that can deliver transformational development solutions.

As part of the delegation led by US Secretary of State John Kerry for the fourth annual US-India Strategic Dialogue between June 23-25, Shah will participate in discussions on clean energy and climate change, education and women's empowerment, the agency said yesterday.

The highest ranking Indian American in the Obama Administration, Shah would hold series of meetings with Indian counterparts to promote development cooperation between the two countries.

The number of African researchers seeking science and technology fellowships in India is steeply increasing indicating an increasing interest among African students to study in India, said officials of the Department of Science & Technology.

Speaking at the launch of the C.V. Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers 2013, Arabinda Mitra, Head-International Cooperation (Bilateral), Department of Science & Technology, said since its beginning in 2010, the programme has benefitted more than 300 African scientists and researchers.

"The first year of the programme (2010-11) attracted 135 applications from 28 African countries, out of which 86 were selected, while in the 2011-12, 78 of the 122 applications were selected," said Mitra. "The third year of the programme saw a steady increase in the number of applicants as we received 400, of which 149 have been selected," he said.

The programme is intended to strengthen scientific cooperation between India and Africa by providing fellowships to African researchers for undertaking advanced scientific work in leading Indian institutions, laboratories and research centres.

All fields of natural sciences, including mathematics and statistics, engineering sciences and medical sciences, are covered under the programme with the exception of humanities and behavioural sciences. The programme is offered at three levels - post-doctoral fellowship (six months), visiting fellowship (three months) and senior fellowship (one month).

Ravi Bangar, joint secretary (East & South Africa) in the external affairs ministry, called upon the African Union nations that have not availed the fellowship to encourage their researchers to apply for it.

"I will request Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Namibia, Lesotho and the Seychelles to encourage students to avail the fellowship," said Bangar.

"The programme aims to provide an opportunity for enhanced capacity building of African researchers and creating avenues for partnerships and future collaboration among research and academic institutions of both the regions," said Nirankar Saxena, senior director, science and technology/innovation, FICCI.

Micky Lova, a recipient of the fellowship from Madagascar, said it has been a great experience and excellent opportunity to study in India.

"Collaboration between India and Africa is of mutual interest and it has been a great experience to work with Indian scholars and professors," said the Ph.D. scholar studying in the geology department of Delhi University.

The function was attended by several African ambassadors to India, officials of the department of science and technology and professors of various universities.

Increasing numbers of African students are keen to study in Indian universities, with a steep rise in African researchers seeking science and technology fellowships in this country, officials said Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of the C.V. Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers 2013, Arabinda Mitra, Head-International Cooperation (Bilateral), Department of Science & Technology, said since its beginning in 2010, the programme has benefitted more than 300 African scientists and researchers.

“The first year of the programme (2010-11) attracted 135 applications from 28 African countries, out of which 86 were selected, while in the 2011-12, 78 of the 122 applications were selected,” said Mitra.

“The third year of the programme saw a steady increase in the number of applicants as we received 400, of which 149 have been selected,” he said.

The programme is intended to strengthen scientific cooperation between India and Africa by providing fellowships to African researchers for undertaking advanced scientific work in leading Indian institutions, laboratories and research centers.

Ravi Bangar, joint secretary (East & South Africa) in the external affairs ministry, called upon African Union nations that have not availed the fellowship to encourage their researchers to apply for it.

“I will request Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Namibia, Lesotho and the Seychelles to encourage students to avail the fellowship,” said Bangar.

All fields of natural sciences, including mathematics and statistics, engineering sciences and medical sciences, are covered under the programme with the exception of humanities and behavioral sciences.

“The programme aims to provide an opportunity for enhanced capacity building of African researchers and creating avenues for partnerships and future collaboration among research and academic institutions of both the regions,” said Nirankar Saxena, senior director, science and technology/innovation, FICCI.

Micky Lova, a recipient of the fellowship from Madagascar, said it has been a great experience and excellent opportunity to study in India.

“Collaboration between India and Africa is of mutual interest and it has been a great experience to work with Indian scholars and professors,” said the PhD scholar studying in the geology department of Delhi University.

The programme is offered at three levels – post-doctoral fellowship (six months), visiting fellowship (three months) and senior fellowship (one month).

The function was attended by several African ambassadors to India, officials of the department of science and technology and professors of various universities.

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), today launched the 2013 edition of the prestigious ‘C V Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers’, announced by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2008.

The programme intended to strengthen scientific cooperation between India and Africa by providing fellowships to African researchers for undertaking advanced scientific work in leading science and technology institutions, laboratories and research centers across India.

In the process, it aims to provide an opportunity for enhanced capacity building of African researchers and creating avenues for partnerships and future collaboration among research and academic institutions of both the regions. All fields of natural sciences including mathematics and statistics, engineering sciences and medical sciences are covered under this programme with the exception of humanities and behavioral sciences.

Currently in its fourth successful year of implementation, since its beginning in 2010, the programme has benefitted more than 300 African scientists and researchers.

First year of the programme (2010-11) attracted a total of 135 applications from 28 African countries, out of which 86 applications were selected for award of fellowship. In the second year of the programme (2011-12), a total of 122 applications from 20 African countries were received, out of which 78 applications were selected for award of fellowship. The third year of the programme (2012-13) is currently under implementation and has attracted more than 400 applications, out of which 149 applicants have been selected.

The Chief Guest on the occasion was Dr. Arabinda Mitra, Head-International Cooperation (Bilateral), Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. The other speakers were Mr. Ravi Bangar, Joint Secretary (E&SA), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Mr. Nirankar Saxena, Senior Director-S&T/Innovation, FICCI.

India plans to set up a dedicated Rs 5,000-crore fund to boost scientific innovations that can improve the life of the common man.

The Union Government will initially contribute Rs 100 crore to this fund – to be called India Inclusive Innovation Fund, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here today.

He was speaking at a seminar on “innovation for inclusion” at the 46th Annual meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Development Bank.

The remaining amount to the fund will come from scheduled banks, insurance companies, corporates and high networth individuals as well as bilateral and multilateral institutions, Chidambaram said.

The proposal for this fund came from the National Innovation Council.

Chidambaram’s speech was read in absentia by Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram.

Chidambaram said that the inclusive innovation fund was built on the principle that innovative enterprises can profitably, with scalability, and competitively engage citizens at the lower strata of the economic pyramid.

In doing so, goods and services could be provided that could transform their lives, he said.

India and several other emerging economies need Innovation for inclusion to raise the living standards of people.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said that the proposed development bank by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is not going to be easy as banking is a very “complex” issue.

“It is a very complex issue,” the new ADB president Takehiko Nakao said, adding, “Setting up banking business is not easy”. He, however, said that ADB would welcome setting up the development bank by BRICS.

“We are willing to cooperate as there is huge requirement of funds in emerging economies, including India, particularly in the areas of infrastructure like roads, ports and airports, that requires $8 trillion investment in next 10 years” said Nakao.

But, he reiterated that banking required large funds mobilisation, capacity to monitor repayments and identification of viable projects.

In late March, the four BRICS heads of state and government met in Durban, South Africa, and had resolved to go ahead with setting up the development bank.

India, Brazil and South Africa have been campaigning to locate the headquarters of the proposed bank in their respective countries. Differences have also cropped up over the initial corpus, with China pushing for a larger contribution by member-countries towards equity capital.

Two of the five BRICS member-countries, India and China, play a pivotal role in the Manila-based ADB. It is widely feared that BRICS engagement with ADB would take a hit once its own development bank becomes operational.

ADB chief Nakao said that economic performance of India and other emerging countries has been ‘robust and resilient’ in the aftermath of global crisis. He felt that countries like India and China would continue to grow faster than other economies as “the consumption is largely driven by domestic demand”. He conceded that as direct fallout of the economic crisis, the current account surpluses in emerging economies had depleted to 2 per cent from an earlier 10 per cent.

Nakao, however, justified expansionary monetary policy pursued by the industrialised nations to overcome the financial crisis.

On pushing India’s growth, Nakao said infrastructure development was the key and ADB was willing to play the role of a catalyst. ADB is already present in a lot of projects in India. The ADB chief supported the expansionary monetary policy of Japan, citing deflation for the past 20 years that resulted in depreciation of the yen.

The ADB’s annual meeting to be inaugurated by prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday would have “development through empowerment” as the theme. The theme encompasses issues that are critical for sustaining high and inclusive growth in India and other developing countries.

Finance ministers of 67 countries, 5,000 participants and over 300 media personnel from across the globe, are attending the annual meet.

With critics saying India's growth story was not creating enough jobs, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today asked the country to reduce "burdensome" regulations so as to unleash the services sector’s potential and to improve the investment climate to boost manufacturing, so that young hands could be employed.

On the opening day of its 46th annual meeting, held here, Takehiko Nakao, the bank’s new president, said: "Considering India’s young and growing labour force, the service sector needs to create more jobs for the millions who will join the workforce every year. We all know that India has to reduce burdensome regulations to allow the sector to be more competitive and dynamic."

He complimented the government on its recent reforms. Sourcing norms have been diluted for 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the single-brand retailing sector and up to 51 per cent FDI allowed in multi-brand retailing (subject to approval of the state government concerned).

Nakao said improvements in the investment climate were vital, especially if India was to realise its potential in manufacturing.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who was to chair the ADB board of governors, could not make it to a seminar on the first day, as he was busy in the Rajya Sabha, where the Finance Bill was to be passed. Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram read Chidambaram's speech in his absence, focusing on innovative methods for inclusive growth. Chidambaram came to the venue later but did not interact with the media; he held informal talks with the governors.

Nakao, addressing his maiden press conference as ADB chief, asked emerging market economies to use the advanced world’s expansionary monetary policy to its advantage but keep an eye out for asset bubbles. He said ADB could find maintaining its lending level to India a big challenge, as its income from surplus resources invested in advanced countries fell with the fall in interest rates. ADB would be interested in promoting certain projects, he added.

The Manila-based multilateral lender had extended a $2.4-billion loan to India across the transport, energy, commerce, industry, trade and finance sectors in 2012. India is the biggest single borrower from ADB.

After disposing of the proposal to pool prices of domestic and imported coal, which might have made the fuel affordable to new power plants, the government will now pool supplies and pass higher import costs on to tariff, the Planning Commission said on Thursday.

“Pooled pricing (of coal) is not being considered. What we are doing is pooling supply,” Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said at a FICCI event.

“The domestic coal would be cheaper and the imported coal will be more expensive... When you are getting coal (supply) in two different ways and at two different prices, the higher cost of imported coal will passed on in the tariff,” he added.

Last month, the Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) had buried the proposal to pool prices of imported and domestic coal owing to sharp opposition to the scheme.

The sources had said: “Price pooling is out of the window and power projects commissioned before 2009 will continue to get coal at pre-fixed (below market) rates.”

Ahluwalia said: “It is true that we are not considering a system where people will get coal and it would be at some kind of average price. What is going to happen is that the available domestic coal, which is priced lower, will be distributed among different people and the balance (shortfall) will have to be made up through imports.”

New projects commissioned after 2009 largely have a cost-plus mechanism for calculation of electricity tariff and so any higher imported cost of coal will be passed through to the consumers, the source had said.

Private power producers wanted the sub-market domestic coal prices to be averaged out with international price of imported coal so as to have a uniform fuel price.

After disposing of the proposal to pool prices of domestic and imported coal, which might have made the fuel affordable to new power plants, the government will now pool supplies and pass higher import costs on to tariff, the Planning Commission said on Thursday.

"...Pooled pricing (of coal) is not being considered. What we are doing is pooling supply," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters here at a FICCI event.

"The domestic coal would be cheaper and the imported coal will be more expensive...When you are getting coal (supply) in two different ways and at two different prices, the higher cost of imported coal will passed on in the tariff," he added.

Last month, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had buried the proposal to pool prices of imported and domestic coal owing to sharp opposition to the scheme. The sources had said: "Price pooling is out of the window and power projects commissioned before 2009 will continue to get coal at pre-fixed (below market) rates."

Ahluwalia said: "It is true that we are not considering a system where people will get coal and it would be at some kind of average price. What is going to happen is that the available domestic coal, which is priced lower, will be distributed among different people and the balance (shortfall) will have to be made up through imports."

New projects commissioned after 2009 largely have a cost- plus mechanism for calculation of electricity tariff and so any higher imported cost of coal will be passed through to the consumers, the source had said.

Private power producers wanted the sub-market domestic coal prices to be averaged out with international price of imported coal so as to have a uniform fuel price and remove the disadvantage new projects faced as compared to older ones.

The pooling was being opposed for various reasons by older power plants and domestic coal producers.

Meanwhile, on the setting up of India Inclusive Innovation fund of USD 1 billion, he said, "It is very much on the cards and going through various normal approval procedures. I do think that it is very important initiative."

Asked about his expectation from the Reserve Bank's annual monetary policy for the current fiscal, he said, "I am looking forward to it.

"I think it is much better economic situation than it was three months ago. Let's see what RBI does."

After disposing of the proposal to pool prices of domestic and imported coal, which might have made the fuel affordable to new power plants, the government will now pool supplies and pass higher import costs on to tariff, the Planning Commission said today.

"...pooled pricing (of coal) is not being considered. What we are doing is pooling supply," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters here at a FICCI event.

"The domestic coal would be cheaper and the imported coal will be more expensive...when you are getting coal (supply) in two different ways and at two different prices, the higher cost of imported coal will passed on in the tariff," he added.

Last month, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had buried the proposal to pool prices of imported and domestic coal owing to sharp opposition to the scheme.

The sources had said: "Price pooling is out of the window and power projects commissioned before 2009 will continue to get coal at pre-fixed (below market) rates."

Ahluwalia said: "It is true that we are not considering a system where people will get coal and it would be at some kind of average price. What is going to happen is that the available domestic coal, which is priced lower, will be distributed among different people and the balance (shortfall) will have to be made up through imports."

New projects commissioned after 2009 largely have a cost- plus mechanism for calculation of electricity tariff and so any higher imported cost of coal will be passed through to the consumers, the source had said.

Private power producers wanted the sub-market domestic coal prices to be averaged out with international price of imported coal so as to have a uniform fuel price and remove the disadvantage new projects faced as compared to older ones.

The pooling was being opposed for various reasons by older power plants and domestic coal producers.

Meanwhile, on the setting up of India Inclusive Innovation fund of USD 1 billion, he said, "It is very much on the cards and going through various normal approval procedures. I do think that it is very important initiative."

Asked about his expectation from the Reserve Bank's annual monetary policy for the current fiscal, he said, "I am looking forward to it. I think it is much better economic situation than it was three months ago. Let's see what RBI does."

The DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme concluded another successful year by announcing 30 winners for the year 2013.

The programme received almost 1000 applications from sectors as diverse as clean energy, agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, robotics, and others. Fifty technologies were down-selected in the initial phase.

These innovators were given week-long advanced training in principles of product commercialization, readiness for market, business models, IP rights, competitive positioning, and mechanisms for revenue by experienced faculty members from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Stanford Graduate Business School joined the DST-Lockheed Martin IIGP as a new partner in 2013.

Underlining the programme commitment to enhance the growth and development of India's entrepreneurial economy, The DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme organized pan-India roadshows conducted in 20 cities including Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Vadodara, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Cochin, Guwahati, Ludhiana, Ranchi, Patna, and Indore with an aim to scout the best innovations from the country.

The India Innovation Growth Programme was launched in March 2007 by Lockheed Martin, FICCI, and the University of Texas, IC2 Institute. It was joined by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and the Indo-US S and T Forum November 2008 onwards.

The aim of this programme is to accelerate innovative Indian technologies into markets in the United States and around the world. The India Innovation Growth Programme is the only programme of its kind, because of its focus on teaching and using world-class commercialization strategies.

Since its introduction in India, the programme has received an overwhelming response from innovators, inventors, scientists, and researchers working across diverse sectors throughout India.

Addressing the audience, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Govt of India said, "We need constructive tension. Large companies ought to be challenged by those who bring in new technology. However, that diffusion of new technology innovation will depend on the private sector".

Dr T Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India while congratulating the winners of the India Innovation Growth Programme, stressed the need to bridge the gap between innovation and market and teaching the innovators commercialization strategies so that they become self reliant in promoting their innovations to the global markets. He praised the role of the IIGP in contributing towards this cause.

H.K. Mittal, Secretary- Technology Development Board and Advisor and Head- National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board said, "India Innovation Growth Programme is now maturing into a unique programme and platform for successful commercialization of innovations and technologies. The quality of innovations coming into the programme has improved considerably over the years".

Dr. Ray O Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation, while addressing the audience stated, "Lockheed Martin is proud to be a sponsor of this exciting program now in its seventh year." Johnson went on to say, "The DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme recognizes the creative spirit of Indian inventors and trains them in business innovation, which leads to the commercialization of products and services that help solve global problems and create jobs and wealth."

After disposing of the proposal to pool prices of domestic and imported coal, which might have made the fuel affordable to new power plants, the government will now pool supplies and pass higher import costs on to tariff, the Planning Commission said today.

"...Pooled pricing (of coal) is not being considered. What we are doing is pooling supply," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters here at a FICCI event.

"The domestic coal would be cheaper and the imported coal will be more expensive...When you are getting coal (supply) in two different ways and at two different prices, the higher cost of imported coal will passed on in the tariff," he added.

Last month, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had buried the proposal to pool prices of imported and domestic coal owing to sharp opposition to the scheme.

The sources had said: "Price pooling is out of the window and power projects commissioned before 2009 will continue to get coal at pre-fixed (below market) rates."

Ahluwalia said: "It is true that we are not considering a system where people will get coal and it would be at some kind of average price. What is going to happen is that the available domestic coal, which is priced lower, will be distributed among different people and the balance (shortfall) will have to be made up through imports."

New projects commissioned after 2009 largely have a cost- plus mechanism for calculation of electricity tariff and so any higher imported cost of coal will be passed through to the consumers, the source had said.

Private power producers wanted the sub-market domestic coal prices to be averaged out with international price of imported coal so as to have a uniform fuel price and remove the disadvantage new projects faced as compared to older ones.

The pooling was being opposed for various reasons by older power plants and domestic coal producers.

Meanwhile, on the setting up of India Inclusive Innovation fund of USD 1 billion, he said, "It is very much on the cards and going through various normal approval procedures. I do think that it is very important initiative."

Asked about his expectation from the Reserve Bank's annual monetary policy for the current fiscal, he said, "I am looking forward to it. I think it is much better economic situation than it was three months ago. Let's see what RBI does."

Warning India of capacity constraints hindering development and exports, International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deputy managing director Naoyuki Shinohara on Wednesday said the country must go ahead with the reform process.

Shinohara said there must be an early rollout of goods and services tax and a land acquisition law to accelerate growth to the pre-crisis levels of 9% from last fiscal’s dismal 5%.

Shinohara also outlined the need for labour reforms saying simpler regulation would allow workers to move between companies more freely and encourage small companies to grow faster.

“A new land acquisition Bill would help companies and government entities to obtain land for new investment projects,” he said at a lecture in FICCI.

Apart from labour reforms and land Bill, he said: “GST would streamline India's complicated tax system. These structural reforms would all help bring growth back to pre-crisis level.”

IMF had recently predicted India's GDP to grow at 5.8% in the current financial year and 6.3% in 2014-15 compared with 5% in 2012-13 estimated by CSO. These growth rates are much lower than the average 8.7% growth recorded during the five years prior to the global crisis of 2008.

Shinohara said domestic capacity constraints were the main factor for a slowdown in the Indian economy rather than global slowdown and tight monetary policy. While the budget deficit had been falling slowly and stimulus was withdrawn gradually since 2009-10, the real interest rates are significantly low.

“The growth slowdown is too big to be explained by fiscal consolidation and monetary tightening,” he said.

“Getting back to 8% growth will require addressing te investment problem, and that means getting companies investing again,” he said advocating removal of capacity constraints in the form of bureaucratic delays.

In order to promote innovation and the rural economy, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday said it will raise $50 million in the next 12 months.

Led by Rajiv Shah, the USAID on Tuesday signed an agreement to set up an institution that would support innovation in India and globally.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and USAID have already pledged $15 million together for setting up the 'Millennium Alliance: an India-US Innovation Partnership for Global Development', which will promote innovation in health, food security, climate change, energy and education.

"USAID and FICCI both will contribute $7.5 million each to the platform and work to raise up to $50 million within the next 12 months," Rajiv Shah, administrator, USAID, said after signing of the agreement.

Shah said the new alliance would welcome "academics, entrepreneurs, non-government organisations and private sector players to discover scalable answers to some of the subcontinent's greatest challenges".

FICCI secretary general Rajiv Kumar said the alliance would raise money through donations and contributions from corporations, foundations and other governments.

USAID has also announced that it will set up 30 Rural Business Hubs in eastern India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). These hubs would exclusively focus on farmers for disseminating best practices and technologies.

"We will provide technical assistance in setting up 30 agri hubs in the eastern states of India to help the region achieve a second green revolution," Shah said at a CII function.

Shah, the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Obama Administration, said the US is interested in promoting partnership, especially in the farm sector, through engagements with private enterprises, research centres and institutions, such as the CII.

"Bihar, whose almost 80 per cent population is dependent on agriculture, continues to suffer from agricultural backwardness. We would like to assist it and other states in the eastern areas to help them achieve agricultural growth," Shah said.

Shah said US President Barack Obama has profound respect for India's innovation in agriculture and food and wished to take forward the partnership through significant economic engagements. During his tour of India in November 2010, Obama had clearly stated this fact, he added.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Tuesday signed an agreement to set up an institution that would support innovation in India and elsewhere in the world.

The two organisations have pledged $7.5 million each for setting up the “Millennium Alliance: an India-US Innovation Partnership for Global Development”, which will promote innovation in sectors such as health, food security, climate change, energy and education. “USAID and FICCI both will contribute $7.5 million each to the platform and work to raise up to $50 million.”

Rajiv Shah, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Dr Rajiv Kumar, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), today pledged 15 million dollars towards the formation of The Millennium Alliance: an India- US Innovation Partnership for Global Development. This new alliance will leverage Indian creativity, expertise, and resources to support innovations that have the potential to benefit vulnerable populations across India and around the world. FICCI and USAID will work with the private sector to raise a total of 50 million dollars over the next 12 months. The announcement was made at a Joint Forum here, which brought together some of India s foremost innovators and thought leaders - including Dr M K Bhan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Mr Vijay Mahajan, Chairman, BASIX; Dr Saurabh Srivastava, National Innovation Council and Founder, Indian Angel Network and Chairman CA Technologies; and Ms. Padmaja Ruparel, President of the Indian Angel Network. Through financing and other assistance, the alliance will support cost-effective, rigorously tested, game-changing solutions to high priority development challenges that have the potential for global impact and long-term sustainability. Of particular interest are innovations that address challenges in the health, food security, climate change, energy, and education sectors.

US agency USAID has forged an alliance with industry body FICCI for identification and investment in innovation by Indian civil society and academia and bring them to scale, which will provide solutions to various developmental challenges.

US agency USAID has forged an alliance with industry body FICCI for identification and investment in innovation by Indian civil society and academia and bring them to scale, which will provide solutions to various developmental challenges.

"USAID and FICCI will collaborate with Indian private sector sponsors and other stakeholders to establish an innovation platform called "The Millennium Alliance: An Indian-US Innovation Partnership for Global Development," USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said at the FICCI-USAID Development Innovation Partnership Forum here.

USAID and FICCI will contribute USD 7.5 million each to the initiative and will raise up to USD 50 million within the next 12 months to fund the project.

The alliance will be a platform to identify and invest in innovation by civil society, academia, social entrepreneurs and other private sector players and bring them to scale in India, he added.

With 80 missions around the world, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will take these innovations and introduce them globally, Shah said.

The Indian-American chief of USAID is in India on a two-day visit to hold discussions with government officials and others on development collaboration between the two countries.

Shah, the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Obama Administration, will also meet intellectual leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders and members of non-governmental organisations during his visit.

USAID is an independent US agency providing economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the US.

With a budget of over USD 40 billion and nearly 2,000 employees, USAID is an independent federal agency that is responsible for most US foreign aid.

Shah said America's partnership with India has gradually evolved with the sub-continent.

"Gone are the days of donors and recipients. On Tuesday, India and the US are true partners -- strategically, economically and developmentally."

"India is now a pioneer of game-changing innovations that are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in development. We want to work with India's own knowledge base to raise incomes and improve livelihoods," he added.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Tuesday signed an agreement to set up an institution that would support innovation in India and elsewhere in the world.

The two organisations have pledged $7.5 million each for setting up the 'Millennium Alliance: an India-US Innovation Partnership for Global Development', which will promote innovation in sectors such as health, food security, climate change, energy and education.

'USAID and FICCI both will contribute $7.5 million each to the platform and work to raise up to $50 million within the next 12 months,' Rajiv Shah, administrator, USAID, said after signing of the agreement here.

Shah said the new alliance would welcome 'academics, entrepreneurs, non-government organisations and private sector players to discover scalable answers to some of the subcontinent's greatest challenges'.

FICCI Secretary General Rajiv Kumar said the alliance would raise money through donations and contributions from corporations, foundations and other governments.

'This is a path breaking approach to fostering a new paradigm of partnership between US and India that promotes innovations for the benefit of the people in both India and other developing economies,' said Kumar.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Indian industry body FICCI on Tuesday pledged $15 million ($7.5 million each) towards the formation of an alliance to support innovations addressing challenges in food security and climate change as well as the energy, health and education sectors.

FICCI and USAID would work with the private sector to raise $50 million over the next 12 months, a statement said.

The letter of intent of cooperation for the alliance was signed by the Administrator, USAID, Dr Rajiv Shah, and the Secretary-General, FICCI, Dr Rajiv Kumar.

The alliance will leverage Indian creativity, expertise, and resources to support innovations that have the potential to benefit vulnerable populations across India and around the world, the statement added.

USAID, with 80 missions around the world, can help take these innovations and introduce them globally, Dr Shah — the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Obama Administration — said.

The newly constituted National Innovation Council (NIC) headed by Sam Pitroda, aims to have a $1-billion (around Rs 4,600 crore) fund to promote new ideas for inclusive development and innovation in the country.

“Our objective is to setup a $1-billion fund for the NIC but how big it will be depends on how the market reacts and how much money we are able to raise. We want to see if we can set up a large fund,” Pitroda, advisor to the PM, told Business Standard.

A week ago, the Council had announced the setting up of a fund with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore to encourage innovation. The government will contribute 10-20 per cent to the fund with the rest coming from other sources like private funds, institutions and foundations.

Last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved the establishment of the Council with a mandate to prepare a road map for the Decade of Innovation (2010-2020) by evolving an Indian model of innovation, focusing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate ecosystem.

Going ahead, innovation councils will be set up at the state and sectoral levels and Pitroda said that five states, including Orissa and Karnataka, have already shown interest in setting up their own innovation councils. The NIC will also have innovation centres in universities and innovation clusters to create regional hubs.

It will delineate appropriate policy initiatives within the government to spur innovation. It will also promote setting up of Sectoral Innovation Councils and State Innovation Councils.

“We are thinking of how to structure the fund, its management structure, hiring lawyers and investment bankers for it. We will need seed capital, private placement memorandum, executive committee, deal structures and a lot of things,” said Pitroda.

The NIC has also collaborated with industry chambers CII and FICCI to identify 20 industrial clusters in the country like Indore, Bhopal, Gandhinagar and Kanpur, among others, to provide guidelines for innovation.

“Those clusters will be selected where there is a minimum critical mass of industries of some kind and then we will give them an innovation toolkit. The toolkit will be a set of guidelines on how to innovate. Moreover, we are also selecting 20 universities, besides the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) where we can do seed innovation,” he said.

Prof Sanjay Dhande, IIT Kanpur director, who is a member of the Council, is in the process of identifying the universities which will then be given the innovation toolkit to be able to connect with industry.

Faced with a deteriorating security environment and the 'one-step ahead' technology possessed by the militants, the Union Home Ministry today favoured a faster procurement policy to help security forces to get modern equipment to deal with extremist forces like Naxals.

It has even advised police and Paramilitary forces to establish dedicated technology wings to decide on the choice of technology to combat militancy, GK Pillai, Union Home Secretary, said here today.

Inaugurating a FICCI conference on "Science and Technology for Homeland Security," Pillai said that "the biggest problem is that the Government is not technology savvy, the police and Paramilitary forces do not know what equipment to buy to carry out anti-terrorist operations. Coupled with this, terrorist are often a step ahead in technology."

Pillai said that acquisition of latest technology as soon as possible was of paramount importance. Delays render technology obsolete in no time. "Therefore there is urgent need to expedite procurement procedures to acquire the technology required by anti-terrorist outfits, he said, adding that "we have already started the process of determining what the industry has on offer to match it with what we need."

In this context, the Home Secretary said that the Government was interested in a basket of technologies, both high-end and 'jugaad' (innovative fixes) type of technologies to enable the States to counter the huge security threat to the nation.

The Home Secretary said Government is undertaking a massive mordernisation programme for different security organisations, giving opportunities to industries to tap it.

"We have large projects which are already underway. There is CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems), National Intelligence Grade, upgradation of MAC (Multi Agency Centre), National Counter Terrorism Centre. We want bullet-proof jackets, we want mine- protection vehicles, mine detectors...a whole gamut of equipments... The demand is already there. The question for all of you is how to tap the market," he said.

Speaking on the occasion Madhukar Gupta, former Home Secretary pointed out that, "It was necessary to have institutional arrangements under which there can be a coordinated approach to the assessment of threats, identification of the needs and technologies to deal with such threats, formulation of strategy and action plans, and monitoring and review of implementation and the need for mid-course corrections."