Last updated on November 13th, 2024 at 01:29 pm
Ms. Shalini Kumari from India won first prize in the Grassroots Innovation Competition at the 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum for her innovation ‘Modified walker with adjustable legs’.
The technology transferred to the industry, Vissco Rehabilitation Aids, a leading manufacturer of orthopedic products in the country, is available for purchase through Brick and Mortar stores and also through marketplaces like Amazon India.
H.E Dr. Hul Seingheng, Cambodia COSTI Chairman and Director General, General Department of Science, Technology & Innovation under the Ministry of Industry Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), Kingdom of Cambodia awarded the prize to Ms. Shalini Kumari. She won the cash prize of USD 1,500 by virtue of being the winner of the first prize.
The three-day 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum organized by the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India today in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Concluded in the presence of His Majesty.
Kitty Seth Pandita Cham Renowned, Honorable Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, Kingdom of Cambodia. The Forum included a Grassroots Innovation Competition, Student Innovation Competition, Panel Discussion, Keynote Address, and an Exhibition of Innovations involving participants from India and ASEAN Member States (AMS).
The Hon’ble Minister from Cambodia spoke on the occasion, expressing his optimism that the participants would have learned from the experiences of each other.
The exhibition lasted for three days and displayed technologies from nine different countries. There were approximately one hundred technologies showcased.
On this occasion, Mr. Richhpal Singh (Charge d Affairs, Embassy of India in the Kingdom of Cambodia) and Dr. Zurina Moktar (Head – Science and Technology Division, ASEAN Secretariat) were also present.
A Government 2 Government meeting was held in Cambodia on the side-lines of the 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum which included representation from ASEAN Member States, India, and the ASEAN Secretariat.
Grassroots innovators from the Philippines and Myanmar have won the second and third prizes, respectively, consisting of USD 1000 and USD 500. A total of 45 grassroots innovators participated in this competition, representing 9 nationalities.
The first, second, and third prizes in the Student Innovation competition have been won, respectively, by participants from Thailand, Lao PDR, and Thailand. Nine countries have been represented by the 37 participants.
Ms Shalini Kumari, the first prize winner from India at the forum, is a resident of Patna in Bihar. She was first recognized by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India in 2011 for the same technology through the IGNITE Competition, an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
Annually, the ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum is organized by COSTI in partnership with DST, the Government of India, and the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India.
It comprises seminar sessions, modernization competitions, and an exhibition. This forum provides a platform to promote and strengthen the development of the grassroots innovation ecosystem by bringing together key players, namely government officials, grassroots innovators, student innovators, academics, business actors, and the wider community.
The first two forums were organized in Indonesia in 2018 and the Philippines in 2019, respectively, while there was a brief pause of two years owing to the pandemic.
