Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the culture of innovation in India would grow on the back of social and institutional support, and emphasised that research and innovation must be turned into a “way of living”.
Addressing the finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2022, Modi said innovators were the flag bearers of “Jai Anusandhan (research and innovation)”, a slogan he put forth during his Independence Day speech.
“The recognition of innovation as a profession is growing in society. Research and innovation must be transformed from a way of working to a way of living,” Modi said.
Launched in 2017, Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to offer out-of-the-box ideas to solve problems in governance.
During the event, the Prime Minister interacted virtually with groups of students who made presentations on their projects that ranged from the translation of texts in ancient temples into devanagari to a mobile game that seeks to help in cognitive improvement of dementia patients.
Modi said the National Education Policy contains a roadmap for creating a strong foundation for innovation.