The NITI Aayog conducted a National Workshop on the topic "Improving the Innovation Aptitude and the Performance of the States and Union Territories," held on 6th December 2023 at Rang Bhawan Auditorium, Akashwani Bhawan. The event, conducted as a part of the State Support Mission workshop series, was graced by Shri Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog; Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.

The NITI Aayog spearheaded several initiatives to assist states in solving complex developmental challenges within their context and resource constraints. Through its umbrella initiative, ' State Support Mission,' the NITI Aayog engaged with the states and the union territories to advance its cooperative federalism mandate and share the best practices among the states in various disciplines.

Innovation has always been the cornerstone of India's story, and in the last decade, it came to the forefront of its development journey. Huge strides in the fields of science and innovation helped the nation meet a wide range of socioeconomic goals. Hence, innovation will also be a key driver of India's growth over that decade and well into India's vision for 2047. Under this vision, the States and UTs are expected to play a crucial role in making policies and enabling the innovation ecosystem. With this goal in mind, the workshop aimed to improve their innovation aptitude and performance.

Key highlights from the workshop

The sessions of the workshop were designed to clearly elucidate strategies, challenges, lessons learned, and the way forward. The workshop's outcomes will facilitate the enhancement of the states' and Union Territories' aptitude in the field of innovation. The workshop was divided into five-panel sessions, each featuring discussions on important topics including:

Panel Discussion 1

"Empowering Indian States: Unleashing Innovation Potential for Viksit Bharat @2047."

An important message that stood out across panellists was that India needed to adopt a persuasive approach with active and coordinated involvement from its States.

Panel Discussion 2

"Innovative States: Showcasing Transformative Journeys"

The discussion focused on how innovation could catalyse economic growth, enhance quality of life, stimulate job creation, and improve international trade.

Panel Discussion 3

"Collaborative Innovation: States Partnering for Collective Growth"

It brought out the need for collaboration across stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem and placed special emphasis on inter-state collaborative innovation to solve shared challenges.

Panel Discussion 4

"Lessons Learned and Replicating Innovation Success Stories"

It highlighted key lessons learned in creating an innovation ecosystem and the challenges and solutions in replicating those successes.

Panel Discussion 5

"Sharing of States' Best Practices"

It showcased the best practices of States and UTs leading in innovation, along with the implementation modalities adopted to enable those solutions to work in the context of the state.

During the workshop, Shri Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, outlined that the Indian government, through initiatives like the "Decade of Innovation," has prioritised innovation, with the Atal Innovation Mission impacting millions of students. Various schemes, including iDEX and AGNIi, drive innovation across sectors, contributing to India's economic growth. He also said that The India Innovation Index measures states' innovation capacity, with Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana consistently performing well. Recognised globally, India's innovation performance has risen to the 40th rank in 2023, emphasising the crucial role of innovation in shaping a "New India."

Dr. V K Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog, further pointed out that the NITI Aayog conducts consultative studies on challenges non-IIT/NIT universities face in the research and development, with a major focus on tier 2 and 3 cities. Meetings with Vice-Chancellors and Directors aim to understand infrastructural issues and foster innovation in educational institutions. He further explained that initiatives like the TCRM Matrix framework and Samavay R&D Dashboard target project-scale innovation, providing tools for assessment and monitoring. NITI Aayog emphasises the cultural aspect of innovation, offering support to states and UTs to address challenges and promote a culture of innovation.

The panel discussions concluded with a valedictory session graced by esteemed dignitaries, including Dr. V K Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog, Government of India; Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India; Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research, Government of India; and Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director-General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries.

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