Padman Akshay Kumar offers Rs 80 lakh to grassroots innovators

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar announced a financial assistance of Rs 500,000 each to 16 grassroot innovators. Kumar was representing the film fraternity along with R Balki and Sonam Kapoor from the team of upcoming movie, Padman' whereas 16 innovators who came from different parts of India, belonging to different regions, cultures and age groups, represented grassroots innovators.

Kumar was responding to his co-actor in the movie, Sonam Kapoor, when she emphasised on the importance of financing of innovations and getting them commercially and socially accessible to everyone in the country.

Grassroots innovation in India and film fraternity bridged the gap through a fireside chat, a very meaningful interaction at Innovation Conclave, organised by National Innovation Foundation India, (NIF) in Mumbai recently.

While interacting with the grassroot innovators, Kumar said, "Usually there is a dearth of exciting scripts that he and the industry at large encounters, however, contrary to this earlier view after interacting with National Innovation Foundation India and its supported innovators, he believe that there are so many scripts around which are worth telling the world with the help of entertainment and film fraternity.

He observed that there is a grassroots innovator hidden in every city, town and village of India and there is a need that we scout and incubate them in early stages of their innovations.

Appreciating the efforts of NIF, R Balki said that the world need to know these stories scouted and nurtured by NIF more often.

The fireside chat session was focused on conversing about the real life of a grassroots innovator and how one overcome all challenges to solve unmet needs of society by innovating and ensure that "Tomorrow is better than "Today for everyone in an inclusive manner.

The grassroots innovators present during the interaction session, shared their stories and thanked NIF and Team Padman for inviting them to the Innovation Conclave. Later, each of the innovator was felicitated by a shawl by Askhay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and R Balki. This was followed by unveiling the "Sapne, a song from the movie which Team Padman dedicated to Grassroots Innovators of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Vipin Kumar, Director, NIF said that grassroots innovators of the country believe that nothing is impossible and ensures a strong dimension of inclusivity in it. He further added, "Samvedna se Srajansheelta is the spirit, which drives the action of a grassroots innovator, and eventually it benefits the society in multi-dimensional ways.

An exhibition of grassroots innovations was also organised on this occasion.

"PADMAN presents on screen the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a Grassroots Innovator turned Entrepreneur supported by NIF. Movies are a reflection of our society and the unparalleled excitement evinced by buddying innovators and entrepreneurs of the country bears testimony to the fact that India is on a growth trajectory and marching ahead towards a leading economy of the world.

NIF is an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. It is India's national initiative to strengthen the grassroots technological innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge. Its mission is to help India become a creative and knowledge-based society by expanding policy and institutional space for grassroots technological innovators.

List of Grassroots Innovators at the Innovation Conclave

*Represented by his son Jaymeen Patel