(GIST OF YOJANA) Freedom to innovate

GIST OF YOJANA : Freedom to innovate

AUGUST-2025

Freedom to innovate

Context:

India reflects its tradition of innovation deeply embedded in its civilisational ethos. Scholars like Pingala, Brahmagupta, Aryabhata, and Bhaskara revolutionised the fields of mathematics, geometry, and astronomy. The centres of learning, such as Nalanda, Vikramashila, Valabhi, Pushpagiri, etc., served as vibrant hubs of interdisciplinary education, drawing students and thinkers from across Asia and nurturing knowledge systems in architecture, metallurgy, medicine, Ayurveda, linguistics, etc.

This spirit of knowledge creation and innovation is still enduring in India, despite centuries of foreign invasions, colonial domination, and global disruption, which speaks volumes about the resilience and depth of its intellectual and cultural foundation.

Freedom to Innovate and Constitutional Ethos

In its relentless march to realise the Viksit Bharat by 2047, India is navigating a profound metamorphosis not only in its economy and institutions but also in the very meaning of freedom.
In the 21st century, the definition of freedom is not limited to political sovereignty or the absence of colonial rule, but it also involves one’s capacity to create, to solve, and to participate meaningfully in shaping the world around them.
Among the most contingent frontiers of this new idea IS the 'freedom to innovate', which can be defined as the opportunity, ability, and right of citizens to build solutions to solve problems, imagine alternatives, and convert indigenous wisdom into glocal (global + local) relevance.
This form of freedom finds expression in our Atal Tinkering Labs, startups, incubation centres, farm fields practising sustainable agriculture, etc.
Lately, India has been proactively decentralising the ecosystem of innovation, extending from metro cities to rural hinterlands and from startup unicorns to self-help groups, resulting in development as substantive freedom.
If innovation leads people to act and bring change, then the freedom to innovate becomes a natural extension of constitutional mandates, i.e., the right to equality (Article 14), the right to life and dignity (Article 21), the right to education (Article 21A), and the duty to develop scientific temper and reform (Article 51A).

Broadening the Horizon of Innovation

Over the past decades, the government has institutionalised a plethora of initiatives reinforcing the commitment to becoming a leading innovation-led economy:

Strategic Policy Framework and Budgetary Push for an Innovation-First Republic

The government has made a decisive policy shift toward promoting an innovation-driven economy, which has again reflected strongly in the recent Union Budget 2025-26.
The most significant development is the allocation of Rs 20,000 crore specifically for fostering R&D (Research and Development) in strategic and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, semiconductors, and clean energy. This is not just a generic science budget but a clear government intervention aimed at enabling freedom to experiment, freedom to fail, and freedom to commercialise.
This fund complements the Rs 10,000 crore deep-tech Fund of Funds (FoF) recently added to the corpus under the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Deep-tech startups require longer gestation periods and face higher risks; therefore, the government is stepping in as an early-stage backer, which shows a deep intent to democratise innovation finance.
Moreover, 10,000 new PM Research Fellowships have been announced, with monthly stipends between Rs 70,000-Rs 80,000, aiming to attract the brightest minds of the country to immerse themselves in science and engineering R&D. These measures signal a clear resolve of the government that innovation is not a privilege but a national imperative.

Creation of ANRF and Regulatory Ease

A milestone institutional reform is the establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), enacted through Parliament in 2023. This foundation replaces the earlier Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) with a significantly wider mandate.
In order to enable private-sector R&D, early-career scientists, and university-driven innovations, the ANRF aims to receive funds amounting to Rs 50,000 crores during 2023-28 in the form of the ANRF Fund, Innovation Fund, Science and Engineering Research Fund, and Special Purpose Fund.
A budgetary provision of Rs 14,000 crore has already been made from the Central Government, and the remaining amount will be sourced from public sector enterprises, the private sector, philanthropist organisations, foundations, and international bodies.
Most recently, in a transformative step to bolster India’s research and innovation ecosystem, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister of India, on 01 July 2025, has approved the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme with a corpus of Rupees One lakh Crore.

Al FOR BHARAT

Fostering Innovation for New India:

Three AI Centres of Excellence, to be set up in top educational institutions Indigenous foundational AI models being developed like BharatGen, Sarvam-1, Chitralekha, and Hanooman's Everest 1.0 interest rates to spur private sector investment in RDI.
The scheme has been designed to overcome the barriers in funding the private sector and seeks to provide growth & risk capital to sunrise and strategic sectors to facilitate innovation, promote adoption of technology, and enhance competitiveness. The ANRF will provide overarching strategic direction to the RDI Scheme.

Strengthening Grassroots Innovation

In India, there is still a large population in the informal sector practising regional socio-technical and traditional knowledge systems, viz., local agricultural techniques, farmers’ varieties, plant protection technologies, human and animal health technologies, local engineering solutions, textile technologies, etc. These innovations emerge from individuals and communities in the remote areas.
The National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is relentlessly nurturing such grassroots technologies and innovations scouted from nearly 600 districts of the country and providing them a complete cycle of support through collaborations with industry, research institutions, NGOs, and governmental organisations at various levels.
So far, NIF has filed over 1400 patents for grassroots and student innovators and facilitated over 120 technology transfers, with several innovators supported by NIF being conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award. This is a manifestation of freedom from invisibility. It puts India in sharp contrast to various countries where innovation largely remains confined to corporate organisations, sophisticated labs, and elite universities.
In addition, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, launched by the Ministry of Education, connects academic institutions with rural India to address developmental challenges through appropriate technologies and community engagement. Under this scheme, institutes are adopting a cluster of villages and undertaking needs assessments and designing contextual interventions.

Digital Public Infrastructure as Platforms of Innovation Freedom

India’s innovation strategy is not confined to funding and policy reforms alone. The government has built Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) like Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce), each acting as an enabler for new-gen entrepreneurs and tech developers.

Measurable Global Impact

India’s innovation ecosystem is also gaining global credibility. In the Global Innovation Index 2024, India achieved a 39th rank, making it the top innovator among prominent economies.
In the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) World IP Filings Report 2023, India ranked 6th globally in patent filings, which puts India among the leading nations, including the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea, in terms of intellectual property activity. Additionally, India’s position in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) improved from 89th in 2015 to 49th in 2024.
These signals reflect systemic maturity and policy alignment. With more than 1.57 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups over 100 unicorns, and strong startup participation of up to 51% from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.

Way forward and conclusion:

Expanding the innovation architecture of India is not merely an outcome of policy design or institutional growth but the unfolding of a deeper national awakening, a resurgence of Atmashakti (inner strength) among ordinary citizens who are engaging in the pursuit of innovation with confidence and courage. This is reminiscent of the Gandhian 'oceanic circles’ wherein innovation radiates—in self-reinforcing concentric ripples—from every laboratory, classroom, farm field, and tribal hamlet, and wherein individuals and communities are becoming the nucleus of creating energy and are empowered through trust, autonomy, and purpose. The government is enabling Srijan (creative expression) through Jan Bhagidari (people's participation), grassroots ingenuity, and community-driven solutions.