AYUSH GRID Project
18-Apr-2023: Ayush sector all set to provide efficient, holistic, affordable and quality health services through “Ayush Grid” and Artificial Intelligence
The second day of 2nd Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency saw an important brainstorming session on citizen centric health delivery ecosystem for universal health coverage leveraging digital health and innovation. Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush in his inaugural address in the side event emphasized on an integrative holistic healthcare model of service delivery through comprehensive IT backbone for Traditional Medicine “Ayush Grid” and by ensuring the benchmarking of AI in Traditional Medicine with the guidance and support of UN bodies.
Vaidya Kotecha further said that there is need to advocate the use of digital tools for not only the efficiency and outcome of healthcare system but also to maintain the medical records, exchange information and extrapolate the effectiveness of various modalities of healthcare including; but not limited to pharmaco-therapeutic interventions, traditional medicine based approaches and other innovations. He said that the upcoming WHO - Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India has one of the mandates to work on data analytics and technology in Traditional medicine. This will suffice the infusion of data and technology in TM in coming future.
The secretary also participated in the panel discussion on creation of Digital Health Ecosystem: Moving towards harmonised & efficient health-data governance frameworks. He spoke about the crucial aspect of digital health which is ever increasing and ubiquitous use of artificial intelligence in health care including traditional medicine.
Shri Kotecha said there is a need to catch up with the development of benchmarks, guidelines and policies for safe, effective use of the same in health care. To ensure the benchmarking of AI in traditional medicine and the guidance and support of UN bodies - World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union, Ministry of Ayush is leading a topic group on traditional medicine as part of Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (FG-AI4H).
Ministry of Ayush based on National Health Policy 2017- which envisaged the integral role of technology (eHealth, mHealth, Cloud, Internet of things, wearables, etc.), has envisioned Ayush Grid, which is aligned with the principles of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. It is a comprehensive IT backbone for the traditional medicine sector in India and created with a vision to transform the Ayush sector to provide efficient, holistic, affordable, and quality services to all, through a secure and interoperable digital ecosystem. Ayush grid operates at four levels viz., Core layer, National Layer, State Layer and Citizen access ensuring seamless digital connectedness between all stakeholders.
The 2nd Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency is currently underway in Panaji, Goa from 17th – 19th April, 2023. More than 180 delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states and 22 International Organizations are participating. Ministry of Ayush has setup a stall at exhibition on Digital Health organized on the sidelines of the 2nd meeting of HWG.
Atal Innovation Mission(AIM)
13-Apr-2023: Atal Tinkering Labs Linked with Krishi Vigyan Kendra & Agricultural Technology Management Agency
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) have come together to promote innovation in the agricultural sector among school students across India. The two government bodies have agreed to connect Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMAs) under the initiative. The collaboration is a result of the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who seeded this idea during a conversation and proposed to connect the ATLs with the KVKs across the country. The Prime Minister also suggested both the government bodies to look into the idea of linking soil testing labs to ATL schools.
KVKs function as a "Single Window Agricultural Knowledge Resource and Capacity Development Centre," and this collaboration will provide numerous stakeholders with necessary information, training, and inputs. KVKs, in partnership with ATMA, will collaborate with nearby ATLs to support agricultural-related innovation.
Grassroots Innovations Accelerator program
12-Apr-2023: Grassroots Innovations Accelerator program announced to support grassroots innovators with entrepreneurial, product & market development
A Grassroots Innovations Accelerator program has been announced at the ongoing Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) 2023, organized at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, to help grassroots innovators in farming with support for entrepreneurial, product, and market development.
The Programme announced on April 11, 2023, is a result of a partnership between the NIF Incubation and Entrepreneurship Council (NIFientreC), a TBI hosted by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) - India, and Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company. The partnership will help commercialize innovations by grassroots innovators to solve challenges in agriculture and farming.
As pilot technologies for the program, prototypes of five distinct grassroots innovations were identified. These included a pepper thresher, cole vegetable harvester, mini pulses mill, clove bud separator, and walnut peeler. The innovators of these prototypes will be provided end-to-end incubation support encompassing capacity building, access to a fabrication lab, risk capital and market, and long-term support necessary to commercialize and make these innovations market ready.
NIFientreC was established in the year 2015 with financial support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for incubation and commercialization of technological ideas and innovations of grassroots innovators, outstanding traditional knowledge holders, and students across the country. The host institution, NIF, is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
This program is in sync with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 with the aim to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. NIFientreC continues to support grassroots innovators in various ways and pave the way for wider adoption through dissemination, both through social and commercial channels.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Gulshan Rai, Chairperson, NIFientreC, said, “This one-of-a-kind Public Private Partnership Program will set an example for societal development through commercialization and scaling up of grassroots innovations, which is a step toward Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
Expressing optimism on the partnership, Sanjay Menon, Managing Director, Publicis Sapient India, said, “We believe technology has the power to change lives, communities, and the entire world for the better. It is heartening to see the spirit of innovation among people who are building these prototypes driven by their sheer passion with no background in science and technology.”