President to inaugurate 'Festival of Innovations'

President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate a week-long 'Festival of Innovations' at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday as part of his efforts to create an ecosystem to boost innovations in India.

The festival, the first-of-its-kind being held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, is being organised by the president's secretariat in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation.

Anil Gupta, executive vice-president of the National Innovation Foundation, told reporters here that the festival will send a message that the country cares for its innovators.

The president, who has been laying thrust on innovation in his speeches, will give national biennial awards for grassroots innovation on Saturday.

The president's press secretary Venu Rajamony said: "This is the first president who has given so much time, importance and energy to promotion of innovation, especially grassroots innovation in the country."

With India ranking low in the global innovation index, Gupta said there was need for bringing innovations to the market and systems to finance ideas. "The festival will elevate the linkage between grassroots innovation and presidential blessings," he said.

The in-residence programme for innovation scholars and writers at Rashtrapati Bhavan is being held from March 7-21 to coincide with the festival.

As part of the festival, Mukherjee will inaugurate the annual innovation exhibition that will focus on development goals such as Make in India, Swachh Bharat and Adarsh Gram Yojana.

A key part of the festival will be a global roundtable on March 7-8 to share innovation strategies in various countries.

Nobel laureate and founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus will be one of the participants.

Another initiative of the festival will be a workshop where award winning children will visit some locations in Delhi to try and solve the problems of disadvantaged children.

On March 10, there will be a meeting of national innovation clubs and interaction between grassroots innovators and entrepreneurs.

Gupta said over 100 innovation clubs, including from the IITs and central universities, will take part in the interaction.

He said union Health Minister J.P. Nadda will visit the exhibition on grassroots innovations in bio-technology and medical science on March 11.

On March 12, there will be an exhibition of sanitation technology by students and academic institutions.

"The prime minister's Clean India mission requires huge technological inputs," Gupta added.

Another key event will be Mukherjee's interaction with leaders of banking and financial sectors about financing innovations. Gupta said the interaction will help create a system of financing of innovations which has not yet taken off.

A summary of key recommendations from the festival will be presented to the president on March 13.

The innovation exhibition is open to the public.