Rapporteurs’ Summarization in the Global Roundtable on Inclusive Innovations

Rapporteurs’ Summarization in the Global Roundtable on Inclusive Innovations

I extend a very warm welcome to the delegates for the Festival of Innovation, 2016 and the Global Roundtable on Inclusive Innovations. I am delighted to see that the Roundtable has once again attracted an impressive galaxy of scholars, practitioners and thinkers from around the world and India. 

2.         We are all gathered here today at a very important phase in India’s socio-economic development. The Indian economy today needs to generate 115 million non-farm jobs over the next decade, to gainfully employ its workforce and reap its ‘demographic dividend’. Given this context, encouraging and promoting self-employment as a career option for young people will be of paramount importance.

3.         A culture of innovation and entrepreneurship needs to be institutionalized as part of our socio-economic eco-system. Innovation and entrepreneurship needs to be inclusive and focus on a variety of enterprises, such as young technology firms, upcoming manufacturing businesses and rural innovator companies. We, as a nation, need a model that draws in the 350-400 million people who currently reside outside mainstream society. The launch of the Start-up India programme by the Government indicates our commitment towards harnessing the brilliance and creativity of our young minds for the larger benefit of society and the nation. I am confident that the recommendations made by the participants of the Roundtable will further help us in concretizing our plan of action.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

4.         Policy makers in India are confronted with the challenge of boosting economic growth while at the same time making it socially inclusive. Addressing high levels of poverty remains critical. Innovation is a driver of income growth, which under certain conditions benefits everybody in society, but which under different conditions might reinforce social exclusion. We, therefore, need to focus on “inclusive innovation” projects which are initiatives that directly serve the welfare of lower-income and excluded groups. Inclusive innovations often modify existing technologies, products or services to better meet the needs of those groups. Inclusive innovation will only be successful if it reaches a much larger segment of the poor and excluded population than it currently does. Scaling up of these processes would require initiatives that are built around: a) financially sustainable business models; and                         b) participation by lower-income and excluded groups.

5.         Entrepreneurs play an important role in the economic development of a country. Successful entrepreneurs innovate, bring new products and concepts to the market, improve market efficiency, build wealth, create jobs, and enhance economic growth. While we celebrate the success of several new ventures in e-commerce, information technology and mobile telephony, these will not suffice to deliver our aggregate growth expectations. India will have to encourage creation of new SMEs focused on manufacturing, while spurring grassroots innovation and growth. Putting entrepreneurship at the forefront of the economic agenda is, thus, the need of the hour.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

6.         Over the years technology has become disruptive and innovation has played a major role in technological breakthroughs through product, service and process related innovations. In that context, I had in January this year, the privilege of hosting Indian-American entrepreneurs from the Silicon Valley. In the presentations that they made before me, the one underlying message that emerged was the need for formulation of a comprehensive policy framework which will encourage investment in innovation, give impetus to research and create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship. A strong case was presented for creating business dynamism which will allow new firms to scale or fail and make it easy for unproductive firms to exit. The need to focus on a strong digital innovation agenda and a broad and inclusive skills strategy was also felt.

7.         I am  happy to state that Government today is actively working towards implementing this very agenda through a range of policy measures such as the Skill India programme, the Make in India programme, the Digital India programme, the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ programme and Atal Innovation Mission. I am confident that these policy interventions will give a new vibrancy to the Indian entrepreneurial landscape.

8.         I would, on this occasion, also like to highlight the low levels of investment by Indian firms and businesses in R&D. Our current investment levels in R&D are but a fraction of what world class companies spend. Even here, the major contributor of R&D expenditure is the Government. Without a substantive stepping up of these expenditures, we cannot expect to be at the higher end of the value chain. I take this opportunity to call upon the private sector and institutes of higher learning to devote a larger part of their resources for R&D to enable innovation and job creation across the economy.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

9.         The educational system and, in particular, students play a very critical role in the innovation eco-system of a country.  Many of the advanced nations have capitalized on their educational network to assume leadership positions in the area of innovation, start-ups and research.  India with an educational network of over 700 universities and 35,000 colleges is optimally placed to capitalize on its intellectual seed capital. In the conference of vice chancellors of central universities in 2013, I had called upon them to consider setting up innovation clubs that would act as a platform for exchange of ideas between the students and faculty, and grassroots innovators. I have reiterated this call in the conferences of heads of other central institutes of higher learning held subsequently. In the last three years, innovation clubs, incubators and hubs have been set up in around 85 central higher educational institutions. In the Visitor’s Conference held in November last year and the Governor’s Conference in February this year, I have requested the Vice Chancellors of Central Universities and Directors of NITs, IITs and IISERs as also Governors, who are the Chancellors of State Universities, to work on innovation as a theme in their respective educational institutions and facilitate transformation of ideas into innovative products and services.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

10.       Societies, as they evolve, always face challenges which they have to overcome using innovative and ‘out-of-the-box’ approaches. As I conclude, I would like to leave with you some thoughts on the challenges that we face today in creating a viable entrepreneurial eco-system. You may, perhaps, like to deliberate on these:

·    The challenge of engaging young minds constructively and   ensuring that growth is job-led and not jobless.  

·          The challenge of using Science and Technology to improve productivity and entrepreneurship leading to sustainable development.

·         The challenge of inter-linking academia with industry and other stakeholders.

·         The challenge of providing incubation, acceleration and public policy support for inclusive innovation. 

·         The challenge of reaching out to, and co-opting, in the developmental process those segments of society which have been traditionally excluded because of social, economic and spatial disadvantages. 

·         The challenge of creating new financial instruments for the entrepreneurial class, instruments which aid and enhance their risk taking capabilities.   

·         The challenge of evolving new institutional arrangements for harnessing the power of collaborative design and creation of solutions to cater to unmet social needs.  

·         The challenge  of harnessing the traditional knowledge systems of our country as well as other developing countries where such knowledge still exists to create global public goods as well as IP protected products and services.  

Ladies and Gentlemen:

11.       I wish you all the best for your interactions at the Roundtable. I am sure that these will result in recommendations which are both focused and goal oriented. I also take this opportunity to wish you a pleasant stay in Delhi and invite you to visit the famed Mughal Gardens which are currently in bloom.

Thank you.

Speech of the President at the Inauguration of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

Speech of the President at the Inauguration of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

1. I am delighted to join this distinguished gathering of judges, legal luminaries, members of the Bar and other dignitaries for the inauguration of the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Allahabad High Court.

2. This High Court will complete 150 years of its existence on 17, March 2016. The High Court building will also complete 100 years of its existence in November 2016. There is thus a dual purpose to these celebrations in what is one of the largest temples of justice not just in India but the entire world.

3. The Allahabad High Court was established by Royal Charter as the High Court of Judicature for the North Western Province on 17 March 1866 and initially had a seat at Agra. The High Court shifted to Allahabad in 1869.

4. This High Court, over the years, has earned fame as an institution of high standards with strong traditions and ideals. It’s Bench, as well as Bar, have been known for its intellectual erudition and legal acumen.

5. Members of its Bar played an important role in the freedom struggle and include illustrious personalities such as Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Pandit Motilal Nehru, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Purushottam Das Tandon and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The famous 'Chauri Chaura' and 'Meerut conspiracy' case are few cases wherein this Court delivered memorable judgments upholding the concept of liberty.

6. Today, the Allahabad High Court has jurisdiction over the largest state in India, covering nearly one-sixth of our total population. Having started functioning with six judges, it now has a sanctioned strength of 160 Judges, making it the biggest in the country. The Bar of the High Court in 1866 consisted of 6 Advocates. Its strength today is about 15,000 as per the rolls maintained by the Registry of the High Court. The rich jurisprudence emerging from this Court has benefited not just the people of Uttar Pradesh but the country at large.

7. Five judges of the High Court at Allahabad have adorned the office of Chief Justice of India, namely, Sarvashri K N Wanchoo, Mirza Hameedullah Beg, Raghunandan Swarup Pathak, Kamal Narain Singh and Visheshwar Nath Khare. I am happy to know that my distinguished predecessor, Dr. Rajendra Prasad opened the new wing of the High Court in 1954. President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan attended the centenary celebrations and President R. Venkataraman attended the 125th year celebrations.

Friends, ladies and gentlemen,

8. The judiciary in India has played an important role since independence in strengthening the democratic framework of the country and maintaining rule of law. High Courts in particular have a unique position under the Constitution of India. They are not only guardians of people’s rights and liberty, they also have the onerous responsibility of ensuring that access to justice is not denied to any citizen on account of economic or other disability.

9. Judiciary, which is one of the three important pillars of our democracy, is the final interpreter of the Constitution and laws. It must help maintain social order by swiftly and effectively dealing with those on the wrong side of the law. As an upholder of the Rule of Law and enforcer of the right to liberty, the role of the Judiciary is sacrosanct. The faith and confidence people have in the Judiciary must be always maintained. For justice to have meaning for the people, it must be accessible, affordable and quick. Though the Indian judiciary has many strengths, it is yet to fully meet the aspirations of our people for speedy and affordable justice.

10. Our Courts are today overburdened on account of the large number of cases pending before them. There are over three crore cases pending in various courts throughout the country. Out of these about 38.5 lakh cases are pending in 24 High Courts. The pendency of cases in the High Courts has slightly declined from 41.5 lakh in 2014 to 38.5 lakh in 2015, but we still have a long way to go. Overall, out of a sanctioned strength of 1056 judges in all the High Courts, the working strength of High Court judges throughout the country as on 1st March, 2016 was only 591. Similarly, the sanctioned strength of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts in the country is about 20,500 out of which the working strength is only about 16,000 at present.

11. The High Court at Allahabad today has only 71 Judges including the Chief Justice, against the sanctioned strength of 160 Judges. Approximately, 9,11,908 cases are pending in this Court as of February 2016, a decline from 10.1 lakh cases in 2014. The pendency in subordinate courts of Uttar Pradesh is approximately 57,06,103 as on 29.02.2016. More than 42,17,089 (as on 29.02.2016) of them are criminal cases.

12. Justice delayed is justice denied. I am sure that the Central Government and the State Government will extend all support to the Allahabad High Court in its endeavour to reduce pendencies. The Governments, Judges and lawyers must work hand in hand to make justice a living reality.

13. Increasing the number of courts and judges and judicial officers at all levels is the first step towards achieving the objective of timely delivery of justice. The government and the judiciary are collectively addressing this issue through an ongoing increase in the sanctioned strength of judges both at the level of the High Courts as well as District and Subordinate Courts. These sanctioned posts need to be filled quickly so that requisite judicial manpower is available for timely disposal of cases.

14. Along with increasing the strength of judges, development of judicial infrastructure is a priority area. I am glad that Central Government has initiated a centrally sponsored scheme for infrastructure development and sanctioned Rs. 3694 crores to States/ Union Territories in the last five years, which combined with resources from the States is creating new court complexes and residential buildings for judicial officers across the country.

15. It is imperative that we speed up adoption of information and communication technology in the judicial system. The process of computerisation of district and subordinate courts is underway through the eCourts Integrated Mission Mode project of the Central Government. Most of the courts have already been computerised pursuant to this initiative and I eagerly look forward to the day when all courts in the country will be integrated with the National Judicial Data Grid. I am particularly happy that a Centre for Information Technology has been established in the Allahabad High Court and approximately one crore decided case files running into 50 crore pages are to be digitized within one year.

16. In the past few decades, we have seen an exponential increase in the number of cases being filed before courts. The Government is strongly committed to simplifying legal procedures, weeding out contradictory and redundant laws and significantly reducing the number of cases in which the Government is a litigant. The Government is also working towards adoption of a National Litigation Policy that will be geared towards avoiding unnecessary Government litigation.

17. Another way to reduce the number of cases before courts is through the widespread adoption of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms that allow for quick and effective settlement of disputes. Right incentives must be provided to courts to support the use of ADR and at the same time, litigants should be made aware of the benefits of using ADR mechanisms and motivated to use the same. Mediation, in particular is an extremely effective tool for resolution of disputes such as matrimonial and property matters.

18. Further, there must be adequate provision for free legal aid. Greater efforts are also needed to spread legal literacy across the nation and improve the quality of legal education.

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

19. As you are aware, the Government has launched the ‘Make in India’ campaign to turn our country into a manufacturing hub. To make this programme a success, we need to improve the ease of doing business in our country. Enforcement of contracts is a key yardstick in measuring the ease of doing business. The Government and judiciary must work in tandem to reduce costs and time taken for dispute resolution.

20. Over the past few years, a number of legislative changes have been introduced in procedural laws governing civil and criminal trials. These include measures to ensure that trials proceeds on a day to day basis, limiting of unnecessary adjournments, imposition of costs for causing intentional delays and integration of information and communication technology in court processes. Section 436A has been added to the Code of Criminal Procedure to provide for release of under trial prisoners who have undergone half of the maximum period of imprisonment for the stated offence. All these changes will contribute to preventing delays in the delivery of justice.

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

21. Lawyers play an extremely important role in enabling the public access justice. The legal profession is regarded a noble profession in every society where the rule of law prevails. In India, a large number of our national leaders have been lawyers. Advocates are a vital pillar in the scheme of our constitutional governance and judicial process. They are bestowed with the responsibility to advocate citizens’ rights and maintain the integrity and independence of the legal system. Advocates must zealously fulfil this professional responsibility.

22. Let me conclude by congratulating the Allahabad High Court for its glorious contributions over one and a half century. I am confident the High Court will continue to uphold the basic values of equality, liberty and justice enshrined in our Constitution and safeguard the freedom and fundamental rights of our people so that they realize their full potential as worthy citizens of this great nation.

Thank you

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GARUDA SHAKTI IV opening ceremony conducted at magelang, Indonesia

Indo - Indonesia Joint Training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI IV opening ceremony conducted at magelang, Indonesia

The opening ceremony of the fourth edition of the Indo- Indonesia Joint Training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI IV/2016 was conducted at Military Training Area, Magelang, Indonesia. The Indian contingent comprised of platoon sized troops of an Infantry Battalion under Southern Command theatre and the Indonesian Army comprised of 503 Airborne Battalion of the TNI -AD. In an impressive military function the contingents of both the Armies conducted a ceremonial parade where National flags of both nations were marched in. The event was witnessed by senior ranked officers of both the countries.

Intervention Made in Drought Affected Areas

Intervention Made in Drought Affected Areas

Intervention made in drought affected areas:

(i) Implementation of Diesel Subsidy Scheme for protective irrigation of crops;

(ii) Enhancement of ceiling on seed subsidy to partially recompense the farmer for the additional expenditure incurred in resoling and/or purchasing appropriate varieties of seeds;

(iii) Implementation of interventions on perennial horticulture crops under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH);

(iv) Implementation of Additional Fodder Development Programme (AFDP) as a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Central Research Institute of Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities has prepared contingency plans for 600 districts for implementing location specific interventions to sustain agriculture production in the eventuality of any extreme climatic events.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) has been launched with the objective of extending the coverage of irrigation in a focused manner. Under PMKSY focus has been given for: Creation of new water sources; Repair, restoration and renovation of defunct water sources; Construction of water harvesting structures, secondary & micro storage, ground water development and Enhancing potentials of traditional water bodies at village level.

Central Government has relaxed the norms under MGNREGA to provide additional employment of 50 days over and above the 100 days per household in the areas affected by natural calamities including drought for the current year.

Further, in order to protect farmers against crop failure due to natural calamities, pests & diseases, weather conditions, Government of India had introduced the National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP) from Rabi 2013-14 season with component schemes of Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS), Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) and Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS). In addition, National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) which was to be withdrawn after implementation of NCIP from Rabi 2013-14, has been extended further. These schemes have been recently reviewed and a new scheme namely, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been approved for implementation from Kharif 2016 season.

Promotion of Micro Irrigation

The Micro Irrigation technologies (both Drip and Sprinkler) are quite popular amongst the farmers and adoption rate is also high. The State-wise details of area covered under micro irrigation are given below in table 1.

            The National Mission on Micro Irrigation programme in the country, State-wise including West Bengal was subsumed under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and implemented as “On farm Water Management” (OFWM) during 2014-15. The same is now being implemented as “Per Drop More Crop” component under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchyee Yojana (PMKSY) from 2015-16 onwards.

            Various steps taken by Government for promotion of micro irrigation include (i) Training and awareness programmes, (ii) Awareness through print media and radio & TV talks, (iii) Organization of workshops, seminars and interactive meetings, (iv) Publicity creation through Exhibitions, Fairs and Kisan Melas, (v) Publication of literature and (vi) Short duration films.

Steps Taken to Increase the Production of Pulses and Oilseeds Intervention Made in Drought Affected Areas

Steps Taken to Increase the Production of Pulses and Oilseeds Intervention Made in Drought Affected Areas

             National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is under implementation for enhancing total food grain production including pulses.  The pulse component has been extended to 622 districts of 27 states including North-Eastern States and 50% of total NFSM allocation is made for pulses.

            National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) is under implementation since 2014-15 in 27 states including North-Eastern States for increasing production and productivity of oilseeds including area expansion of oil palm.

            Under both NFSM-pulses and NMOOP financial assistance is available for organizing cluster demonstration and Front Line Demonstration (FLD) of improved technologies, supply of quality seeds including seeds minikits of new varieties, production inputs like soil  ameliorants, micro nutrients, bio-fertilizers, plant protection chemicals including bio-agents, farm machineries, water saving devices and capacity building of farmers/extension workers to increase the production and productivity of the pulses and oilseeds.

Promoting Bio-Fertilizers

Promoting Bio-Fertilizers

Government is promoting bio-fertilizers through various schemes of National Mission of Sustainable Development (NMSA)/Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) and Indian Council of Agricultural Sciences (ICAR).  The pattern of assistance is given below.                                                                                                                  

                          Pattern of assistance for promotion of biofertiliser/organic Inputs

Component	Pattern of assistance
NMSA-Organic & INM Component of SHM
1. Setting up of State of art liquid/ carrier based Biofertilizer/ Biopesticide units	100% Assistance to State Govt/Govt. Agencies upto a maximum limit of Rs.160.00 lakh /unit and 25% of cost limited to Rs.40 lakh/unit for individuals/ private agencies through NABARD as capital investment of 200 TPA production capacity
2. Setting up of Bio-fertilizer and Organic fertilizer testing Quality Control Laboratory (BOQCL) or Strengthening of existing Laboratory under FCO.	Assistance up to maximum limit of Rs. 85 lakh for new laboratory and up to a maximum limit of Rs. 45 lakh for strengthening of existing infrastructure to State Government Laboratory under Agriculture or Horticulture Department.
3. Promotion of Organic Inputs on farmer’s field (Manure, Vermi-compost, Bio-Fertilizers Liquid / solid, Waste compost, Herbal extracts etc.)	50 % of cost subject to a limit of Rs. 5000/- per ha and Rs. 10,000 per beneficiary. Propose to cover 1 million ha area.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana- (PKVY) one of the sub scheme of NMSA- Adoption of organic farming through cluster approach under Participatory Guarantee system (PGS) certification.				Under PKVY scheme- Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster and their 50 acres of land will be brought under Organic Farming.
(Component of Guidelines) 2.2	Integrated Manure Management
	Component	Ist year        IInd year    IIIrd year ( amount in Rs)
2.21	Liquid Bio-fertilizer consortia (Nitrogen fixing/ Phosphate Solubilizing/ potassium mobilizing bio-fertilizer) @ Rs.500/acre x 50	25000	0		0	Each farmer member will be assisted for procuring liquid bio-fertilizer and its application to soil/seed to increase crop production.
2.2.2	Liquid Biopesticides (Trichoderma viridae, Pseudomonas, fluorescens, Matarhizium,  Beaviourie bassiana, Pacelomyces, verticillium) 2 Rs.500/ acre x 50	0	25000		0	Each farmer member will be assisted for procuring and application of liquid bio pesticides for suppression of disease in crop plants