By: Pallab Ghosh
Radiance News Service

The NITI Aayog launched Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP) on Wednesday. The flagship programme is the first of its kind has a bigger perspective and aims to empower entrepreneurs across the country under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). India becomes the first nation across the globe to launch an initiative where an innovation ecosystem catering to 22 languages plus English is being built. However, the programme has its own challenges especially in India with its great diversity of languages.

According to the 2011 census, 10.4% of Indians speak English, predominantly as their second, third, or fourth language. Only 0.02% of Indians spoke English as their first language. Even after 10-years, the ground realities of people speaking English fluently haven't changed much. Hence, the VIP has immense significance with its reach in both rural as well as urban areas.    

Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar after launching the programme said, "The programme has immense significance as on average people think and their mother tongue and not English. This is why many people are unable to express themselves". "Our country has diverse regional languages that is one of the most prominent cultural assets", added Dr Kumar referring to the diverse regional barriers.    

Dr Kumar expressed hope that the Vernacular Innovation Programme would strengthen the innovation skills of our communities, and help local entrepreneurs, artisans immensely to assimilate the knowledge cum technical materials that AIM will develop. "VIP will play a  big role in building a strong local network of design experts and innovation practitioners", he added. 

Director (AIM), CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant said, VIP will be seen as a stepping stone in the journey of the Indian innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. It will help to nurture and reflect the creativity of our young and aspiring minds. "VIP is an initiative by the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), and will help India to grow with innovative and creative ideas those remained unexpressed due to the language barrier", Kant said. 

Talking elaborately about the project, Director AIM, Dr Chintan Vaishnav said the VIP has been designed for innovators and entrepreneurs in India to have access to the innovation ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages by the Government of India. Elaborating on the project Dr Vaishnav expressed hope, "VIP will bridge the gap of the language barrier in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. The innovative programme will have a big reach as it has a national audience owing to the magnitude of the problem that vernacular innovators face". "VIP will gradually decouple creative expressions and languages of the transaction" he added. 

Saliant features of VIP at a glance:

AIM will be training a Vernacular Task Force (VTF) in each of the 22 scheduled languages.

Each task force comprises vernacular language teachers, subject experts, technical writers, and the leadership of regional Atal Incubation Centers (AICs).

The train-the-trainer program where it will collaborate with the Design Department of IIT Delhi to coach the VTF in design thinking and entrepreneurship and the adaptation of these subjects in the 22 languages and cultures. 

Industry mentors have joined hands to lend design thinking expertise, and CSR sponsors have agreed to generously support the program. 

Upon training the task force over the period of December 2021 to April 2022, the ecosystem will be opened to vernacular innovators.