Current Affairs 2022: Vernacular Innovation Program and its Benefits

By Yash Singhal

Vernacular Innovation Program was recently introduced by the Government of India. Read here the objectives and principles of the program.

“Vernacular innovation program strengthens the design and innovation capabilities of our communities, thereby assisting local entrepreneurs, artisans and innovators to seamlessly assimilate the knowledge cum technical materials that AIM will develop,” said Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.

Vernacular Innovation Program

Vernacular Innovation Program (VIP), is one of the initiatives of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), aimed to empower innovators and entrepreneurs around the length and breadth of the country. To achieve the same, NITI Aayog has developed the program in 22 scheduled languages. To achieve the goal, NITI Aayog has formed a Vernacular Task Force (VTF), that will undergo training especially curated for VTF by collaborated partner by the design department of Indian Institute of Delhi (IITD), in the 22 scheduled languages. Each task force will consist of vernacular language teachers, experts, trainers and technical writers.

The basic idea for the VIP is to lower the barrier of language between innovators and entrepreneurship so that to decouple the design thinking and languages of transaction. Along with that India is the first nation to launch such a program in almost 2 dozen scheduled languages. Initially, the training of the task force is scheduled from December 2021 to April 2022, after that this ecosystem will be opened to vernacular innovators.

Benefits

As India is the land of different cultures and languages, this program will provide a platform and a method of overcoming the language barrier and empower the innovators to transact the information and design thinking process. It will also decouple the creative expressions involved in the design thinking process. Along with that, VIP also helps India in building deep local connections of innovators, design thinkers and innovation practitioners. It will also strengthen the design and innovation thinking abilities of our communities. It will also assist local entrepreneurs, design thinkers and innovators to smoothly assimilate the technical knowledge cum technical materials that Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) will develop through this program. It will also cement the cognitive attitude in young and prospects’ minds.

Need of Vernacular language in Innovation

Out of the 1.35 Billion Indians, only about 135 million people speak English and mostly their side language. Out of that only, 0.02% of Indians speak English as their primary language. So to connect such a diverse community this programme will prove to be a milestone. Along with that, it will also provide access to equal opportunities for the vernacular innovators and young minds who represents almost 90% of our population. The excluded population that can’t be covered even in this program, no matter which Indian scheduled language they speak is at least as creative as the rest of the population. By providing access to learning in one’s language and culture, Atal Innovation Mission looks forward to enriching the local, regional, national, and global innovation pipelines.

Through this program, NITI Aayog has filled the long left gap that will help connect the various cultures that exist in such a diverse sub-continent and the design thinkers that resides in the length and breadth of the country. This program will also develop design thinking in the young minds of the country that is the demand of the 21^st century.

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