New Delhi: National Innovation Foundation (NIF-INDIA) awarded eight innovators from Kashmir valley during its 9th “National Biennial Grassroots Innovation and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Awards” at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The award function was held on 4th of March 2017, and President of India Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated and conferred the awards to the winners on the opening day of a week-long ‘Festival of Innovations (FOIN) 2017’.
In the engineering category, Mohammad Rafiq Ahanger of Sirgufara and Mohammad Shafi Ahanger of Kapran were honoured with the state award for their innovations named Multipurpose Axe and PCB Repairing Device for Mobile Phones respectively.
In the herbal category of the innovators, Sabzar Ahmad Wani of Kulgam received award for his Herbal Medication for Epilepsy. Irshad Hussain Shah of Shopian, Abdul Razak Wani of Pulwama & Hakeem Naseer Ahmad of Bijbehara received awards for their Herbal Medication of Wound Healing.
Abdul Gani Hajam of Chadoora & Hakeem Syed Amanullah Andrabi of Pulwama received for their Herbal Medication of Obesity.
All the innovators have been scouted and incubated by Grassroots Innovation and Augmentation Network (GIAN/NIF Cell-J&K), which has been established at University of Kashmir, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NIF and University of Kashmir. NIF Cell-JK, only platform in the valley for supporting grassroots innovations from the length and breadth of J&K State, as scores of innovators have been awarded in different categories round the year.
This year, a total of 55 grassroots innovators have been awarded for their innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge during FOIN-2017. NIF had received 33,500 submissions from all the states and union territories’ of the country for the 9th competition.
Hosted by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, an exhibition showcasing innovations has been put up at the venue from 4th to 10th March 2017.
