Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP)

Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP)

Part of: Prelims and GS- III – Economy; Manufacturing sector

In News: With an ambition to empower innovators and entrepreneurs across the country, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has come up with a first of its kind Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP). 

• Will enable innovators and entrepreneurs in India to have access to the innovation ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages by the Government of India.
• Help to lower the language barrier in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship such that will systematically decouple creative expressions and languages of transaction
• Assist local entrepreneurs, artisans and innovators to seamlessly assimilate the knowledge cum technical materials that AIM will develop. This would assist India in building a strong local network of design experts and innovation practitioners.

The Need

• The struggle of not being able to expose one’s idea or innovation to the world is quite important to address, especially in India with its great diversity of languages.
• Only 10.4% of Indians speak English, most as their second, third, or fourth language. Not surprisingly, only 0.02% of Indians spoke English as their first language. 
• Ten years later these numbers are not likely to be very different. 

Therefore there is a need to create equal opportunity for the vernacular innovators who represent the staggering 90% of our population. After all, we know for sure that this excluded population, no matter which Indian language they speak, is at least as creative as the rest.

India may be the first nation in the world to launch such an initiative where an innovation ecosystem catering to 22 languages plus English is being built. By providing access to learning in one’s language and culture, AIM looks forward to enriching the local, regional, national and global innovation pipelines.

News Source: PIB