NIT Srinagar launches ‘Visit to Village’ flagship program

“The program was aimed for innovative and creative solutions to mitigate and solve ecological, social, and economic problems faced by people at the margins,” he said.

Prof. Sehgal said more such programs will be launched in future so that local communities can be engaged.

“It will also provide on-ground exposure to our students and will help them in exploring their ideas,” he said. Registrar NIT Srinagar, Prof. Kaiser Bukhari appreciated the initiative taken by IIED Centre.

“Hopefully a lot of new such initiatives will be taken for promoting innovations in rural areas by involving local committees,” he said.

Head, Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IIED), Professor Saad Parvez said the maiden visit for V2V was organized by the IIED Centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya School, LariporaPahalgam.

He said through V2V, all NIT students in general, and the Masters level students of TIED and MBA, in particular, would get a hand on exposure to grass-root innovations, traditional knowledge, traditional industries, rural technologies and capabilities available in these spaces.

Prof. Saad said the broader objective of the V2V program is to offer technical and scientific solutions to the problems being faced by the people living at the margins.

“Generically, the intended benefit of this program for the University and college-going students is to nurture and spur the problem-solving attitude by creatively understanding the rural, urban ecosystem. Provide solutions using the Design Thinking approach,” he said.

Prof. Saad said the other objectives of the V2V program are to help communities, especially the school students of rural areas become innovative and creative.

“Exposure of NIT students to rural areas to identify their problems and unleash creativity to become global leaders in sustainable technologies through scouting, spawning and sustaining grassroots innovations,” he said.

Head IIED centre, Prof Saad said the move will also ensure the evolution and diffusion of green grassroots innovations on a selective, time-bound and mission-oriented basis.

“To meet the socio-economic and environmental needs of the rural and underprivileged societies,” he said.

“It will also promote inclusive social awareness and possible applications of the know-how generated, as a result of these initiatives in commercial or social spheres and encourage its incorporation in educational curriculum, developmental policies and programs,” he said.

Earlier the KV School Laripora teachers and students had visited NIT for obtaining technical advice for three projects developed by their students and getting selected for the Inspire Manak award.

The IIEDC team led by Prof. Saad Parvez and Prof. G.A Harmain (Dean R&C) interacted with the budding innovators and their faculty members.

The three projects presented by the students were discussed and feedback was given to them.

The three projects were Water Efficient Double Flush (Water Conservation), Harman Dustbin (Waste Management), Pedal Operated Door Opener (Smart Home Appliance).

Prof Saad said since these ideas have been developed by school students of a village with non-descript backgrounds and from under-resourced areas and the fact that these ideas have been awarded through "INSPIRE MANAK."

He said the school administration had invited the undersigned for a visit to schools to take a firsthand assessment of the prototypes developed by them and give a motivational talk to the students and community around. IIED Centre would assist them to further scale up these projects, Prof. Saad said.

The IIED Centre team who visited the village consisted of Dr Saad Parvez, Head, IIEDC, Er. Shahrukh Mushtaq, Incubation Manager IIEDC, Dr Sheikh Fayaz, Innovation researcher, Syed Nadeem from GIAN cell besides the TIED and MBA Students of the institute.