NEW DELHI: Launching the Rs 200-crore “Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) –Ministry of Jal Shakti MAHA Water Mission to support StartUps in the Water sector, the Minister of State (MoS) PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday said that the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is democratising research funding by expanding opportunities for StartUps, MSMEs, universities and innovators across the country, ensuring that national missions, scientific resources and innovation support are no longer confined to a limited number of institutions.
Addressing the inaugural session of the National Workshop on R&D in Water at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said ANRF was created to address a long-standing concern that a significant share of research funding often flowed to a few established institutions, while smaller universities, startups and emerging innovators remained outside the mainstream innovation ecosystem.
The Minister said ANRF has emerged as a national platform for mission-driven innovation and has already launched Missions for Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) in strategic sectors including Electric Vehicles, Drones, Medical Technologies, 6G Communications and Water. Highlighting India’s expanding innovation ecosystem, Dr Jitendra Singh said the country has progressed from about 350–400 startups a decade ago to more than two lakh startups today, generating nearly 20–24 lakh jobs. He said India’s startup movement has become one of the strongest drivers of innovation-led growth and programmes such as the MAHA Missions are intended to ensure that entrepreneurial talent is channelled towards solving national challenges while creating new opportunities for employment, research and technology development.
During the programme, Dr Jitendra Singh and Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil jointly launched the ANRF–MoJS MAHA Water Mission, released the mission flyer and announced an open call for proposals. An Open Call for Startups and MSMEs for Product and Prototype Development was also launched during the inaugural session. The event additionally witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Space/ISRO, besides the launch of the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, Citizen Tracking and Reporting (JSJB-CTR) Portal and App.
