Sam Pitroda to be Chairman of National Innovation Council

File photo of Sam Pitroda.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today approved the setting up of a National Innovation Council to draw up a road map for the Decade of Innovation (2010-2020).

An official press release said the Council would be headed by Mr Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

It said the Council had been given the mandate to evolve an Indian model of innovation focusing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate eco-system conducive to fostering inclusive innovation. It will delineate appropriate policy initiatives within the government required to spur innovation. It will also promote the setting up of Sectoral Innovation Councils and State Innovation Councils.

While encouraging all important sectors of the economy to innovate, it will take special efforts to facilitate innovation by micro, small and medium enterprises. Innovation in public services delivery and encouraging multi-disciplinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations would be focused on by the Council, the release said.

Other members of the Council are: Dr. K. Kasturirnagan and Mr Arun Maira, Members of the Planning Commission, Dr. Ramesh Mashelkar, former Director General of CSIR, Mr Kiran Karnik, former President, NASSCOM, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty of the Narayana Hrudyalaya, Mr R. Gopalakishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons, Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon, Mr Shekhar Kapur, Film Director, Mr Saurabh Srivastava, Chairman, CA Technologies, Mr Anil K. Gupta, Professor IIM Ahmedabad, Prof. Sujatha Ramadorai, Professor, TIFR, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, Mr Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI, Dr. Samir Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR and Mr Sanjay Dhande, Director, IIT Kanpur.

Mr R. Gopalakrishnan, Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, would be the Member Secretary of the Council, the release added.

NNN