Dedicated team to look at repositioning India's innovation drive: Sitharaman

The team, which will be anchored by DIPP, will also have peopel from outside the government, the Commerce Minister said

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced the formation of a dedicated team to identify the ways to reposition India's innovation drive on the global stage.

Speaking at the launch of the Global innovation Index 2016, organised by the World International Property Organization and industry body CII, Sitharaman said the team would look to identify long and short term challenges to innovation.

"India had been known for 'jugaad' or frugal innovation due to a lack of services and facilities for long but the country has shown a thirst for growing at high rates in recent years," Sitharaman said.

The team, which will be anchored in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion will also have members from outside the government, the minister added.

The composition and agenda of the team will be announced in the next few days.

India has moved up 15 places from last year's rankings to 66 in the global innovation index.