India’s innovation report card is here and Karnataka is at the top of the class, followed closely by Maharashtra.
The Innovation Index which was compiled by the government think-tank NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Institute for Competitiveness, forms the findings of the evaluation of the innovation ecosystem in India.
The 2020 Index
NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index Report 2020 ranks major states, union territories, and hill and North-East states. The index uses parameters of innovation inputs such as human capital, investment, business environment, safety and legal environment, knowledge workers and innovation outputs like knowledge output and knowledge diffusion.
This is the second such list being released by NITI Aayog, the first edition of the index having come out in 2019.
The Innovation Report 2020 by NITI Aayog defined innovation as, “The creation, development and implementation of a new product, process or service, with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness or competitive advantage.”
At 45%, the central government is responsible for the highest R&D expenditure, followed by the private sector at 37%. The public sector industry, state government, and higher education sector is way behind on R&D expenditure at 5%, 6%, and 7% respectively.
Also Read: Mandatory Attendance Is Another Symptom Of India’s Education System Killing Students’ Innovation
Karnataka Bags 1st Rank, Maharashtra ranks 2nd
Karnataka secured the first rank in the Major States category for the second year in a row.
“Karnataka tops at 42.5, which is attributable to its strong number of venture capital deals, registered GIs and ICT exports. Karnataka’s high FDI inflow has also enhanced the innovation capabilities of the state,” noted the report.
Karnataka was also the only Indian state to have scored highly in the parameter of investment. Investment, according to the report, referred to “expenditure on higher and technical education, expenditure on research and development (state government), expenditure on science, technology and environment, FDI inflow, and venture capital deals.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra bagged the second rank, taking over Tamil Nadu which slipped to a third rank.
While Maharashtra did not rank highly in terms of investment, it overperformed in the parameters of the business environment, knowledge diffusion and knowledge output, even gaining the top spot in terms of knowledge output which the report noted as “the scientific and technological output is reflected by the number of scientific articles published, variables like number of patents and trademarks filed.”
In innovation, Karnataka received a score of 42.50, Maharashtra gained the second spot with 38.03, and Tamil Nadu received a score of 37.91 in the category of Major States.
Himachal Pradesh topped the list of North-East and Hill States with a score of 25.06, while Delhi got the top spot with 46.60 amongst UTs and City-States.
The report noted that “many of the historically backward states have performed better than some of the more developed states.”
India On A Global Level
The Global Innovation Index (GII) list, 2020 which was compiled and released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School, ranked India 48th in a list of 131 countries.
“The consistent improvement in the global innovation index rankings is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public & private research organization,” stated WIPO.
On the global stage, India has consistently improved in the innovation rankings. But it still has miles to go.
India, which spends a measly 0.64 per cent of its GDP on research and development, is in dire need of encouraging and facilitating innovation, especially given the shambles the economy and society, in general, have fallen into following the outbreak of the coronavirus and associated lockdowns.
Innovation is essential for the nation to move forward and heal from the catastrophe of the pandemic.
Image Credits: NITI Aayog, Google Images
Sources: NITI Aayog, The Hindu, Hindustan Times
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