PSA Reviews RuTAG 2.0 Progress, Unveils New Rural Innovation Hubs at IIT Guwahati

In his keynote address, PSA Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood emphasised the programme’s core philosophy—bridging India’s scientific institutions with the real-world challenges of rural communities.

India’s rural innovation ecosystem received a major boost as Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, chaired the second annual review meeting of the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) 2.0 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on 13–14 November 2025. The event showcased the impressive progress made in developing, standardising, and deploying grassroots technologies aimed at transforming rural livelihoods across the country.

The review meeting was attended by senior officials from the Office of the PSA (OPSA), including Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, OPSA; and Dr. Rakesh Kaur, Adviser/Scientist ‘G’ and RuTAG Coordinator. Faculty members, scientists, and technical staff from IIT Guwahati also participated in the inaugural session, which began with a welcome by Prof. Sashindra Kr. Kakoty, highlighting the institute’s role in advancing rural innovation—especially in the North-Eastern region.

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RuTAG 2.0: A National Mission Linking Science to Rural Needs

In his keynote address, PSA Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood emphasised the programme’s core philosophy—bridging India’s scientific institutions with the real-world challenges of rural communities.

“RuTAG connects our research institutions with the needs of rural communities and ensures that scientific knowledge becomes a tool for empowerment. When rural India becomes capable of solving its own challenges through locally developed technologies, it strengthens the foundation of self-reliance,” he said.

Prof. Sood also stressed the importance of:

• Quality control and standardisation of technologies

• Collaboration among RuTAG Centres

• Ensuring scalability, reliability, and long-term impact

He highlighted that the success of RuTAG depends not only on innovation but on implementation, user adoption, training, and sustained support.

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Achievements and Direction for RuTAG 2.0

In her address, Dr. Parvinder Maini praised the transformative outcomes achieved by RuTAG Centres during 2024–25.

“RuTAG has shown that when scientific effort is directed at local needs, it can transform rural livelihoods. Our next phase must ensure every technology reaches the people meaningfully and sustainably,” she said.

She emphasised deeper engagement with:

• Self-help groups

• Micro-enterprises

• Farmer producer organisations

• Local innovators

These linkages, she noted, are essential for building viable and resilient rural value chains.

Prof. Devendra Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati, added that RuTAG 2.0 is now entering a phase of maturity. He urged centres to select problem statements with clear paths to field deployment and measurable outcomes rather than limiting themselves to prototypes.

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PSA Unveils New Rural Innovation Facilities at IIT Guwahati

A key highlight of the event was the launch of the RuTAG 2.0 Annual Progress Report 2024–25, showcasing over 56 ongoing projects addressing challenges in:

• Agriculture and post-harvest technologies

• Animal husbandry

• Renewable energy and rural electrification

• Water purification solutions

• Rural crafts and traditional livelihoods

• Disaster resilience and climate-adaptive tools

The report revealed that several technologies have reached the prototype and field deployment stages, reflecting accelerated timelines and strong adoption potential.

Prof. Sood also inaugurated two major innovation facilities at IIT Guwahati:

1. Centre for Innovation in Agri & Aqua Voltaics (CIAAV)

A first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary centre dedicated to research in agrivoltaics, aquavoltaics, and sustainable energy integration for rural livelihoods.

2. Integrated Facility for Wellness-Product Innovation (IFWPI)

A specialised facility to support innovations in ethnobotany, natural products, local crafts, and wellness-based rural entrepreneurship.

These centres are expected to become engines of rural technology development in the North-East.

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Exhibitions and Drone Demonstrations Highlight Grassroots Innovation

A Grassroots Innovation and Startup Exhibition was organised on the sidelines of the meeting, featuring working prototypes and product displays from RuTAG Centres and partner organisations.

Innovations showcased included:

• Improved agricultural tools

• Low-cost processing units

• Renewable energy devices

• Water purification technologies

• Craft-enhancing tools tailored for rural artisans

The School of Agro and Rural Technology (SART) at IIT Guwahati also demonstrated indigenous drone-based applications, including spraying systems, crop monitoring tools, and rural logistics solutions tailored for smallholder farmers.

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RuTAG Centres Present Progress, Lessons, and Future Plans

Seven RuTAG Centres—located at IIT Guwahati, SKUAST-Kashmir, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, ICAR-NAARM Hyderabad, and IIT Madras—presented their annual achievements. Discussions centred on:

• Scaling up proven technologies

• Enhancing cross-centre collaboration

• Increasing community participation

• Improving technology transfer to state departments

• Partnering with industry for manufacturing and distribution

• Aligning innovations with government rural development schemes

The meeting reaffirmed the need for cluster-based deployment models and multi-institutional consortia for faster adoption.

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Stakeholder Engagement Strengthens Institutional Synergy

A high-level stakeholders’ meeting featured representatives from:

• Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER)

• Ministry of MSME

• Government of Uttar Pradesh

• NECTAR

• Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC)

• NABARD

• Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM)

These agencies discussed co-funding opportunities, rural value chain interventions, and mechanisms for large-scale deployment of RuTAG technologies.

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A Strategic Roadmap for the Future of RuTAG 2.0

The two-day event concluded with discussions on the strategic roadmap for the next phase of RuTAG. Priority areas identified include:

• Scaling technology adoption through state programmes

• Creating rural technology clusters

• Strengthening local manufacturing through MSMEs

• Deepening partnerships with grassroots institutions

• Building capacity for technology entrepreneurship in rural areas

• Ensuring social, economic, and environmental sustainability of innovations

The meeting underscored that RuTAG 2.0 is poised to become one of India’s most impactful rural technology missions, with the potential to transform livelihoods and accelerate rural development through science, innovation, and collaboration.