President for innovations to help common man

He said the process of innovation converts knowledge into social good and economic wealth.

New Delhi:

Asserting that there are many social needs that public, private and civil society institutions are not able to meet fully, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday emphasised upon innovations that can help millions of people living in the country.

He said the process of innovation converts knowledge into social good and economic wealth.

A healthy eco-system is needed to harness innovative potential of various segments in different sectors and at multiple levels in our society, Mukherjee said addressing fellows from Ashoka Innovators for the Public Ashoka), a worldwide network of social entrepreneurs comprising people with innovative solutions to urgent social problems.

"There are many social needs that public, private and civil society institutions are not able to meet fully. At the same time, there is tremendous ingenuity amongst the people, which if tapped, could address the necessities of the common men and women,” he said. "Much as the blooming of the spring, innovations by students, professionals, common man and local communities can bring smiles on the faces of millions of people," he added.

Creating an inclusive eco-system call for linkages between innovators on the one hand, and academic and research institutions and market forces, on the other, the President said, adding that countries successful in building such a network have become innovation leaders.

"Educational institutions have a critical role to play in nurturing innovations in society. The large network of higher educational institutions of 712 universities and over 36,000 colleges in India is poised to play a leading part in developing an innovation eco-system,” Mukherjee said.

"To catalyse the institutions of higher learning in this process, I have been urging the leaders of the higher education sector to establish a connection between their institutes and innovations in their hinterland, and to also set up Innovation Clubs," he added.

A young and enterprising group of Ashoka fellows for the year 2015 had called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.