Grassroots Innovators Take Centre Stage at RTIH Summit
Dhatri observed that while communities face multiple social and economic challenges, grassroots innovators often respond with practical, context-specific solutions shaped by lived experience.
Vijayawada: The Grassroots Innovators’ Summit held at the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) here on Tuesday underscored the growing importance of building an inclusive innovation ecosystem that recognises and nurtures solutions emerging directly from communities.
Addressing nearly 250 grassroots innovators from across regions, RTIH chief executive officer P. Dhatri Reddy outlined the Hub’s vision of bringing diverse, locally rooted innovations onto a single collaborative platform. She said RTIH was committed to fostering innovation at every level of society by creating structured pathways for grassroots ideas to evolve into viable and scalable solutions.
Dhatri observed that while communities face multiple social and economic challenges, grassroots innovators often respond with practical, context-specific solutions shaped by lived experience. Reaffirming RTIH’s role as an enabler, she highlighted support mechanisms such as access to markets, ecosystem partnerships and Innovation Clinics aimed at refining, validating and scaling grassroots products. She also praised the stall presenters for showcasing solutions with strong social relevance, noting that innovation need not always originate in laboratories or boardrooms.
Adding depth to the deliberations, Brig. Pogula Ganeshan (Retd.), founder of Palle Srujana, shared insights from decades of grassroots engagement. He stressed the importance of sustained awareness-building, exchange of ideas and nurturing individual excellence among rural innovators. Innovation, he said, must address genuine societal pain points, observing that ideas disconnected from real-world problems lack meaning.
Drawing from Palle Srujana’s extensive village-level work, Brig. Ganeshan spoke about the organisation’s engagement with rural innovators who continue their efforts despite limited resources and recognition. By respecting local knowledge systems and building trust, he said, Palle Srujana had identified and supported more than 800 grassroots innovators across the two Telugu States. Trust, he emphasised, remains the foundation for effective knowledge-sharing, acceptance and innovation scouting.
