New Delhi, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government Professor Ajay Kumar Sood has stressed the need for the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) programme to remain focused on addressing practical and genuine challenges faced by rural communities.
Speaking at a review of the programme, Sood emphasised that technological interventions should be scalable and sustainable, with the objective increasingly shifting towards “depth of impact rather than breadth of activity”.
He also stressed that affordability should not come at the cost of quality, reliability, safety or durability.
Sood said technologies that have reached maturity should progressively move beyond programme-supported development and enter the adoption phase through relevant institutions, enterprises or industry.
He also referred to the RSVC-AMRIT platform, developed by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, as a mechanism supporting technology discovery, validation, deployment and collaboration.
Conceptualised in 2003-04 and formally established in 2004, RuTAG was instituted to connect the capabilities of scientific and technical institutions with technology needs in rural areas.
RuTAG 2.0, launched in 2023, places greater emphasis on field engagement, technology validation, commercialisation, scale-up and wider application of technologies.
The review meeting brought together stakeholders from all seven RuTAG Centres to assess the cumulative progress of projects under RuTAG 2.0 and deliberate on technology maturity, field validation, measurable outcomes, pathways for wider adoption and the programme’s future course, according to an official statement.
Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said RuTAG technologies had reached a stage where their contribution needed to be viewed in the context of broader rural value chains and livelihood systems rather than as standalone technological solutions.
“The strength of RuTAG will increasingly lie in how effectively its technologies are adopted and scaled,” she said.
Professor Kamal Kishore Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, highlighted the role of science, technology and entrepreneurship in addressing the evolving challenges of rural communities.
He emphasised the need to translate research outcomes into practical solutions and viable models capable of supporting sustainable agriculture, local livelihoods, employment and entrepreneurship, particularly in remote and rural regions.
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