"Exhibition of Innovations" at President’s Estate in Delhi

President Pratibha Patil going round an ‘Exhibition of Innovations’, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 10, 2010.

President Pratibha Patil inaugurated an "Exhibition of Innovations" in the President's Estate of Rashtrapati Bhavan here today - the first time ever, perhaps, that a Head of State anywhere has hosted such an event.

An official press release said the exhibition was in consonance with the vision of the President and in keeping with the spirit behind the declaration of this decade as the "Decade of Innovation".

Convinced that the "business as usual" approach would not do and there was a need for focusing on new ways of doing things in this decade, the President decided that a lead should be taken by Rashtrapati Bhavan in this direction, the release said.

The event has put on display innovations from grassroots innovators from the unorganised sectors from aross the country. It will on till March 14 and is open to the public.

Ms Patil went around the exhibition and interacted with the innovators. She was keen that the exhibits should not remain mere display items but should be taken to the next stage. This would involve helping the innovators to link with industry and marketing agencies to fine-tune their creations and take their products to the market.

She said that, if necessary, the President's Secretariat would assist in the matter by asking the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to help wherever required.

The release said the principal objective of theevent is to promote the innovative spirit and knowledge, encourage grassroots innovators and follow up the process by bringing industry and manufacturers together to make the new products available for larger number of people for the good of society. This is also in keeping with the need for inclusive growth.

The principal theme of the exhibition is innovations which impact agricultural production and related fields. In all, 32 innovators from around the country are showcasing 36 innovations and products. These include 9 new plant varieties, 3 innovations by students, 14 related to the agriculture and farming sectors and 4 energy and environment-related exhibits.

The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) are participating in this exhibition. Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas was also present.

NNN