A one-day workshop on “Scouting, Documentation and Dissemination of local grassroots innovators from Nagaland” was held at the Conference hall of Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung on 11th September 2024. The workshop was organized by the Department of Environmental Science, Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung & Research and Development Cell (RDC) FAC, Mokokchung in collaboration with the (National Innovation Foundation) NIF-India.
In the inaugural speech of the workshop, Dr. Vivek Kumar, Scientist – National Coordinator, Scouting, Documentation and Data base Management Division, NIF-India, Autonomous Institutes, DST-Govt. of India, said that NIF nurtures grassroots innovators and that it is important to have interactions to understand the local scenario and help in building chain. He also said that innovators that are identified in the grassroot level have benefitted many locals across the nation.
He also said that the workshop will have in identifying and scouting potential local innovators and also establishing a network with support of the people. He encouraged students to take interest in local innovations and mention that NIF gave support to students to work as interns in various NIF portals.
He further added that grassroots innovations identify the needs of the local people and incorporating local innovation with formal system of science helps in taking forward their innovations.
The first technical session was moderated by Dr. P. Tiatemsu, Asst. Prof. Department of Botany, FAC, Rapporteur, Dr. Shokip Tumtin Asst. Prof. Department of Chemistry and while Prof. Ashutosh Tripati HoD, Department of Environmental Science, Nagaland University spoke on the topic “Scope of locally available Bio waste in livelihood innovators opportunities” and said Nagaland has the rich bio resources which can bring from waste into wealth.
The second technical session was moderated by Dr. B. Imnawabang Longkumer Asst. Prof. department of Economic, and Dr. Akumtoshi LKR, Entrepreneur Managing Director, Sutsung Enterprise Pvt. Ltd spoke on “Sharing of Innovative Entrepreneurship journey”. The technical session was followed by interaction with the Local Farmers, innovators and local healers.
In the closing remark of the workshop, Dr. E Benrithung Patton Convener, Research & Development Cell, FAC, said that the workshop has been truly inspiring, showcasing the powerful convergence of tradition and modern innovation.” We have seen how ancestral wisdom blends with contemporary creativity, making a significant step in our journey to recognize, nurture, and elevate grassroots innovations in Nagaland, a region rich in indigenous knowledge and resourcefulness”, he cited.
He further asserted that the workshop has laid the ground work for advancing grassroots innovation, but the real work begins now and to build on this momentum, educators, researchers, policymakers, and community members must provide not just technical and financial support, but also create environments that encourage experimentation, risk-taking, and creativity.
The workshop was organized under project Investigator, Nohochem Sangtam, Asst. Prof. Environmental Science Department, collaborating project on Scouting and Documentation on grassroots innovators with NIF, an Autonomous Institution under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.