Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare launched Atal Innovation Mission- PRIME (Program for Researchers for Innovation, Market Readiness and Enterpreneurship) Playbook & Start-up showcase at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, today.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of State said, “Government of India recognized “out-of-the-box thinking” and initiated Make-In-India program that has boosted health and medical technology sectors. “In the coming decade, India is poised to bea major exporter of health care products including medical devices, diagnostics, protein-based biologics, traditional medicine etc. If we are to create a sustainable circle of research-based innovation and wealth creation, we need to master technology commercialization. In this context, AIM PRIME (Program for Researchers in Innovation, Market Readiness and Entrepreneurship) program is will serve an important purpose of creating strong indigenous manufacturing capabilities in all critical sectors.”
Congratulating NITI Aayog for this initiative, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar stated that the innovations of today will be lifestyle of the future. She said that “We have always been innovative in our approach since ancient times. India gave the world Ayurveda, Yoga and also the concept of zero. India has played an active part in shaping the innovations globally. ”
The Minister of State stated that“Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has always called for Innovation for India. It is under his visionary leadership that this program has been initiated which promotes science-baseddeep-technology ideas to market through training and guidance over a period of 9 months. The Government is committed to making India a leading global innovation economy.”
Noting the progress of the country’sinnovation ecosystem especially during Covid pandemic,Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar said that India is constantly improving in global innovation metrics. “During the pandemic when healthcare took the centrestage, we saw start-ups rise up to the occasion and make important contributions in diagnostics, PPEs, ventilators and last mile vaccine delivery. This demonstrated the potential of Indian start-ups in solving problems in the Indian healthcare sector.”
She exhorted the researchers that “motivation is the catalysing ingredient of every successful innovation” and urged them to make every effort to advance R&D and technology in the country that can benefit the citizens.
Dr. Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Dr V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog,Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, Dr. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayogwere also present at the inauguration event