Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, launched the RSVC AMRIT platform on 15th August 2025, the 80th Independence Day, marking a significant step towards strengthening technology-led rural development. Developed by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India, AMRIT serves as the digital backbone of the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre (RSVC) ecosystem, supporting rural innovation and technology transfer and enabling wider adoption of appropriate technologies in rural areas. The launch event was attended by Dr. Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman, NABARD, along with representatives from various organisations and stakeholder groups.

In his address, Prof. Sood emphasised that AMRIT is designed as a comprehensive digital ecosystem supporting the complete RSVC lifecycle, from technology discovery and validation to deployment tracking, collaboration, monitoring and knowledge management. He said the platform will progressively bring together innovators, technology providers, startups, validators, accelerators, implementation partners, funding agencies, academic institutions and rural communities on a shared platform. By connecting these stakeholders, AMRIT is expected to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the dissemination of technologies in rural areas, helping take technology and innovation closer to the last mile.

Highlighting the need for the platform, Dr. Krishnan noted that while India has a rich ecosystem of scientific institutions, innovators, startups and technology providers, connecting appropriate technologies with rural needs remains a challenge. AMRIT seeks to bridge this gap by connecting rural needs with innovations, institutions and implementation mechanisms, strengthening technology dissemination and adoption at the grassroots level. He reaffirmed NABARD’s commitment to supporting such enterprises across the country, in addition to the 8 RSVCs currently being supported.

The RSVC initiative facilitates the transfer of appropriate and affordable technologies from research institutions, innovators and startups to rural communities through village-level technology hubs, covering areas such as agriculture, rural enterprises, renewable energy, education, assistive technologies, water and sanitation, and citizen services. AMRIT builds on this physical outreach by adding a digital layer to the ecosystem, with NABARD expecting it to evolve into a national repository of rural innovations, technologies, best practices and collaboration opportunities, supporting wider technology adoption and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

The initiative builds on NABARD’s earlier tripartite MoU with OPSA and NABFOUNDATION, a subsidiary of NABARD, and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence on RSVCs at its head office in Mumbai. On the occasion, NABARD shared the broad contours of its scheme for establishing RSVCs, which will be supported by NABARD and set up in collaboration with corporates through CSR initiatives, with NABFOUNDATION serving as the implementation partner.

The launch event can be accessed on: https://www.youtube.com/live/PXitjx7p8eY?si=wBipNND88Czxfv-6

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