Can innovations lead to Modi’s new India?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stirring call to IITians to devise projects that offer innovative solutions that can change the quality of life for ordinary Indians holds an exciting promise for the future of innovation. As he said at a meeting hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan last week, describing IITians as a “great force”, while “science is universal, technology must be local”.

Innovation has been a buzzword of late, with several inspiring examples like the Mission to Mars, that cost India just $90 million compared to $1 billion elsewhere; or in health, with Shanta Biotech producing an extremely affordable Hepatitis-B vaccine that sells for 40 cents, unlike $18 overseas. There are several other innovations by Indians, but as top scientist Raghunath Mashelkar noted, these need to be incubated and mentored so that achievements in laboratories are available to business and industry. He describes it as “mind to market” and “idea to product”. It needs to be developed into a campaign so that one day India can make all the items it imports at a huge cost now. That is achievable.

Many decades ago, Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro had said technology can be heroic only if it is used to change the lives of the poor. That should be India’s mantra today.
Mr Modi has thrown a challenge, not only to IITians but to all those in science and technology, to “democratise” high technology so that the poor can benefit from it. As Dr Mashelkar notes, it is easy to make high-tech items for the rich and low-tech ones for the poor, the real challenge is to make high-tech products affordable for the poor. Indians, he says, excel in frugal innovation and can do things at 10-20 per cent of the cost, while delivering the same quality. The challenge is to encourage such innovation on a structured basis, and then make these innovations available easily and universally.

It can only be hoped that angel investors and venture capitalists who are already investing in e-commerce start-ups consider the innovations coming out of IITs and our innumerable scientific and research institutions that seem to be working in isolation at present.

The Prime Minister, with his tremendous positive energy, will have to be involved in ensuring that his stirring exhortation is carried to fruition. Perhaps he can set up a task force to monitor innovations and their onward use for ordinary citizens. It has been seen that he talks about several new ideas, whether on cleanliness or education, but many of the BJP cadre don’t seem to share his enthusiasm for change. Mr Modi may have to go directly to the people to turn his ideas for a new India into reality.