Prime Minister’s speech at the National Innovation Council Function

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh released the first Report the People of the Nation Innovation Council Function in New Delhi today. He also launched Council's portal on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister emphasised that his government would like to pioneer a model of innovation that addresses problems in areas of poverty eradication, people's health, rural communications, development of agriculture, development of animal husbandry, green energy and similar other challenges.   Following is the text of Prime Minister's Address:

''I am very happy to participate in this unique function which marks one year of solid work by the National Innovation Council.  This Council has very eminent men and women as its members and I thank each one of them for their contribution during the past year or so. The Report to the People just   released today contains a summary of the Council's activities during this period of one year and it is a matter of satisfaction for all of us that the progress achieved so far has been very good.

"As you are aware, in 2009, our government declared its intent to make the next decade a Decade of Innovation. 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 truly a 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.

"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.  Our diversity is an advantage as there is evidence that innovation happens when people with diverse talents engage in a common endeavor.  And demographically we are also a very youthful nation. The young people are restless, they are impatient for change, and they are innovative. We need to fully exploit these enormous advantages that we have as a nation.

"Our legacy of innovation goes a long way back. As Sam mentioned, we were the first to realize the vision of ''universities'' at Nalanda and Takhshashila. Our freedom struggle that we won without recourse to arms was a social innovation in peaceful resistance.  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. We are currently witnessing an innovative experiment in rights-based delivery through a Right to Work, Right to Education and Right to Information, while a Right to Food Security is on the anvil.