Govt to create team on India’s status as innovation hub: Sitharaman

The Dollar Business Bureau 

The government will create a team to look into the positioning of India as an innovative country, said Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce and Industry, on Friday at the unveiling of Global Innovation Index (GII) 2016, in which India is in the 66th position. 

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will form the team, consisting of government officers and experts from private sector firms, the minister said.  

“We will analyse the weaknesses and challenges and find out the areas where the government needs to get more involved or stay away,” she said.  

India had witnessed a downward path during the period between 2013-2015 in its position for inputs and outputs. However, this year’s GII report shows that the rank of India in inputs as well as outputs has surged significantly, touching its top performance in inputs in 4 years.  

The team will also take an in-depth look at the report prepared by industry lobby CII, INSEAD, Cornell University, AT Kearney and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).  

The GII index analyses innovation performance of 128 nations and economies around the globe, on the basis 82 indicators. The report has noted areas such as environmental performance, ease of starting business and education as India's weaknesses. 

Making a mention of India’s innovation as capable only of ‘jugaad’ technique, Sitharaman said, “India's innovation is not limited to the jugaad technique. That has simply been a way to survive in the absence of services.”  

She also mentioned the Mangalyaan mission as an example of frugal innovation. The minister praised the creation of NITI Aayog, giving credit to Prime Minister Modi for ‘bringing ultimate disruption to India’.