SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 05: Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India and Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting of Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) 2.0 at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar campus.
The two-day Annual Review Meeting of RuTAG 2.0 organised by the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and SKUAST-K’s Division of Food Science and Technology to assess the progress of the projects carried out by IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, IIT Roorkee, IIT Delhi, ICAR NAARM and SKUAST-K. SKUAST-K is the only university in the country besides IITs and NARM that has the distinction of having a RuTAG Project.
RuTAG 2.0 is a national initiative aimed at addressing technology gaps in rural areas through innovative, affordable, and scalable solutions. The inaugural function of the review meeting was also attended by the Scientific Secretary to the Government of India, Dr Parvinder Miani; Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai; Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology, Government of J&K, Saurabh Bhagat; Staff and Scientists of Office of Principal Scientific Advisor; all the principal investigators of RuTAG 2.0 projects from IITs and NAARM; officers of SKUAST-K; Directors of the Development Departments of J&K Government; and various industry representatives from Kashmir. Director Research, SKUAST-K, Prof Haroon R Naik presented the welcome address.
Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, in his address, highlighted the critical role of RuTAG in bridging the technological divide in rural India. He stressed that the technologies which provide solutions to the rural problems does not mean that their standard is lower. He said the time for ‘Jugad’ is over. These technologies developed under RuTAG 2.0 must adhere to all the quality standards and must be internationally competitive and sustainable, which would not only solve the Indian problems but also global ones besides being affordable.
It is for the first time that the office of PSA has moved out of Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to choose SKUAST-K as venue for the RuTAG annual meeting as we place this university in the league of IITs, he said, adding, this proves SKUAST-K’s technology prowess and its contribution in the region.
Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, provided an insightful overview of the university’s achievements and its vision for advancing rural technologies. Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in her address, said RuTAG is a flagship project of Office of PSA and was conceptualised with the aim how the rural community can be advanced through small S&P interventions, frugal innovations by grassroots innovators in an inclusive way.