The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (OPSA), has developed the RSVC-AMRIT platform to support rural innovation and technology transfer across India. AMRIT, or Accelerated Medium for Rural Innovations and Technologies, is designed as a digital backbone for the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre (RSVC) network. The platform aims to connect innovations and validated technologies with rural communities and strengthen technology-led development at the village level.
The platform was launched by Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in the presence of Dr Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD, along with representatives from various organisations and stakeholders. Prof Sood said the platform would help address the challenge of taking India’s scientific and technological innovations to farmers, rural entrepreneurs and households. He highlighted the role of RSVCs in enabling the last-mile delivery of validated technologies and solutions through NABARD’s extensive rural network.
According to Prof. Sood, the AMRIT platform will support technology dissemination, collaboration, monitoring, impact assessment and feedback from rural communities. The initiative is expected to encourage rural entrepreneurship, create livelihood opportunities and support sustainable development.
Dr Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD, said India’s challenge is not the availability of innovations but connecting rural needs with suitable technologies, validation systems, implementation agencies and finance. He said AMRIT can help make technology adoption faster and more transparent.
The platform will also use the potential of Artificial Intelligence to help rural communities identify suitable and validated solutions. NABARD said collaboration between research institutions, startups, innovators, government agencies, financial institutions and community organisations will be important for the success of the initiative.
The RSVC programme is focused on transferring affordable and appropriate technologies from research institutions, innovators and startups to rural communities through village-level technology hubs. Areas covered include agriculture, rural enterprises, renewable energy, education, assistive technologies, water and sanitation, and citizen services.
NABARD has earlier entered into a tripartite MoU with OPSA and NABFOUNDATION, a NABARD subsidiary, and established a National Centre of Excellence on RSVCs. The centres will be established through NABARD’s assistance and in partnership with corporates under their CSR programmes. NABFOUNDATION will support implementation of CSR-funded RSVC projects.
The initiative is intended to strengthen the connection between India’s innovation ecosystem and rural communities. Its impact will be assessed through technology adoption, improved livelihoods, higher productivity and benefits reaching farmers, women, youth and rural entrepreneurs.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is India’s premier development financial institution focused on agriculture and rural development. Established on July 12, 1982, and headquartered in Mumbai, NABARD works to promote sustainable and equitable rural prosperity through credit support, institutional development and initiatives aimed at strengthening the rural economy.
