Dr Sam Pitroda, a leading innovator, entrepreneur and thought leader was recently appointed as India's first Innovation Czar, a post curiously titled as the “Infrastructure, Innovation and Information” adviser to the Prime Minister. Perhaps this the first step towards having a full fledged Ministry of Innovation, something that Dr Mashelkar has been advocating for a while now.
As one can appreciate, this is a critical milestone in the history of Indian innovation policy. The Mint published an editorial of mine reflecting on this milestone, as below:
SPICY IP: India's First Innovation Czar and the Creation of an Innovation Eco-System