Rural Innovation and Startup Conclave to be held in Hyderabad from March 23

Hyderabad: The National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) will organise the ‘Rural Innovation and Startup Conclave’ (RISC2017) here from March 23.

The focus of the two-day event is to build capacities and promote fresh talent by giving them a platform to display their innovations, encourage greater learning, and strengthen the cadre of young rural innovators and start-ups, NIRDPR said in a statement issued here.

“Indian start-ups are mostly IT-based and cater to urban services. Innovation and technology diffusion for ‘rural development’ is the need of the hour. Other important stakeholders who act as support systems to rural innovators are still evolving. There is a need to develop and nurture mentors, angel investors, faculty, corporates and media so that they play a much more active role in contributing to the ecosystem,” it said.

NIRDPR Director General Dr W R Reddy said, “Since more than 60 per cent of the Indian population live in the villages, the improvement of their living conditions should be anchored and promoted by innovation and technology development and their dissemination for improving the productivity and wealth creation.”

RISC2017 would also feature RISC Awards 2017 under six domain areas — agriculture and allied; green energy technologies; drinking water, health and sanitation, waste to wealth; sustainable housing; and other livelihoods, which would be a platform for demonstration and recognition of rural innovations and technologies, the statement added.