IIT Madras and six other IITs hold international conference on 'Rural Technology Development & Delivery'

IIT Madras is collaborating with the Rural Technology Action Groups (RuTAG) of six other IITs to hold a three-day global symposium on 'Rural Technology Development and Delivery' with the aim to draw more mainstream research in rural technologies. Apart from organisations working in related fields, it is bringing RuTAG teams, faculty and students from IITs to deliberate difficulties, achievements and way ahead. RuTAG is an idea planned and backed by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India as a tool to offer a high demand-driven Science and Technology interventions for rural regions through IITs and other technical institutions. RuTAG centres have been convened at seven IITs (Delhi, Roorkee, Bombay, Madras, Guwahati, Kharagpur, and Kanpur).

More than 150 participants including Policymakers, Researchers, and Industry partners are playing a part in this conference. Through paper presentations and speaker discussion, the event emphasises on 'Dissemination and Scaling of Rural Innovations' and is seeing the probability of attracting finance through Government schemes and CSR grants, among other options. The conference themes include rural technology solutions such as rural water resources, rural energy systems, rural landscapes and rural environment, innovative designs for rural livelihoods, and smart technologies for rural development: education, healthcare and ICT. Today sessions were conducted on topics such as innovative designs for energy applications in rural areas, rural livelihoods, and appropriate technology: Gandhian perspectives, among others.

Panel discussions on 'Technology Challenges in Rural Entrepreneurship' and 'Renewable Energy Technologies and Policies for Rural Sector' among many other pertinent themes have been arranged for Day Two of the IIT Madras conference which will be conducted tomorrow, i.e. on March 13, 2020. Stall Visits will be held on the third and final day of the event on March 14, 2020.

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