Regional disparities can be removed by promoting local talent: Singh

Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said India can create new employment opportunities and remove regional disparities by promoting hidden local talent and integrating traditional skills with modern technology.

Addressing a national workshop on grassroots innovation at Gujarat Science City here, Singh said more than half of the successful startups in the country are now emerging from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, reflecting the innovation potential of smaller towns and rural areas, according to a state government.

The two-day ''National Workshop on Grassroots Innovation Pathways: From Local Resilience to National Advancements'' has been organised by Gujarat Council on Science and Technology and National Innovation Foundation.

During the inaugural event, the Union Science and Technology Minister said many innovators in villages and smaller towns possess exceptional capabilities.

''India has amazing human resources and more than half of the successful startups in the country are coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities today, whose ability or innovation does not require any degree,'' Singh said.

He stressed the need to combine grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge systems with cutting-edge technology and institutional support.

''Our responsibility is to combine these basic researches, which are limited to homes or small families, with cutting-edge technology, add value to them, scale them up and bring them into an institutional format and give them the status of community innovation,'' he said.

Singh said convergence between informal innovation ecosystems and formal institutions, along with participation of private investors, would be crucial to generate employment and economic opportunities.

Referring to the Centre's PM Vishwakarma Yojana, the minister said the scheme was an effective model for generating employment by combining traditional skills with modern technology.

''It is an excellent means of increasing employment by combining traditional skills with new technology through innovative initiatives,'' he said.

Singh said identifying and promoting hidden local talent in remote regions could help remove regional imbalances.

''Regional disparities can be removed by bringing out the hidden local talents in the remote areas of the country,'' he said, adding that small innovators would play a key role in achieving the vision of a developed India by 2047.

The minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for building a strong science and technology ecosystem in Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister.

''Prime Minister Modi, as Gujarat chief minister, had created a strong ecosystem in the field of science and technology. Because of that, Gujarat Science City is today becoming an ideal platform for national-level events,'' Singh said.

Speaking at the event, Gujarat Science and Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia said grassroots innovation and rural research could create employment opportunities at the local level and help reduce migration to cities.

He said traditional artisans, farmers and women had historically contributed to innovation through practical local solutions.

''Our mothers and sisters, farmers and traditional artisans, like blacksmiths and carpenters, have always made human life easier by doing innovative experiments at the local level,'' Modhwadia said.

He added that preserving traditional skills and linking them with modern design and market access was essential.

The minister said Gujarat was emerging as a leader in sectors, such as semiconductors, biotechnology and satellite manufacturing, but rural innovation remained equally important for inclusive growth.

Around 200 delegates from across the country, including representatives of state science and technology councils, incubators and research institutions, are participating in the two-day workshop.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)