Sam Pitroda to head National Innovation Council

Prime minister Manmohan Singh has approved the setting up of a National Innovation Council to prepare a road map for the `Decade of Innovation - 2010-2020.' Sam Pitroda, adviser to the prime minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, will head the council.

The council has been mandated with the task of evolving an Indian model of innovation focusing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate eco system conducive to fostering inclusive innovation.

The council will suggest appropriate government policy initiatives required to spur innovation. It will also promote the setting up of sectoral innovation councils and state innovation councils.

While the council will encourage innovation across various sectors of the economy, special efforts would be taken to facilitate innovation by micro small and medium enterprises. The council will focus on innovation in public services delivery and encourage multi-disciplinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations.

Other members of the National Innovation Council are Planning Commission members K Kasturirnagan and Arun Maira, former director general of CSIR Ramesh Mashelkar, former president of NASSCOM Kiran Karnik, Narayana Hrudyalaya director Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Tata Sons executive director R Gopalakishnan, Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, film director Shekhar Kapur, CA Technologies chairman Saurabh Srivastava, IIM Ahmedabad professor Anil K Gupta, TIFR professor Sujatha Ramadorai, CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee FICCI secretary general Amit Mitra, CSIR director general Samir Brahmachari and IIT Kanpur director Sanjay Dhande.

R Gopalakrishnan, additional secretary in the Prime Minister's Office would be the member secretary of the National Innovation Council.