Can Bihar be a laboratory of grassroots innovation?

Ajit Chouhan has posted an interesting piece on Bihari innovation on his blog Cool Bihari.

Setting up a FM radio station with an investment of just Rs 50 and which caters to an audience in 15 KM radius is something mind boggling. Yet this feat has been achieved by a young Bihari named Raghav.

After reading about this innovation, a thought has just crossed my mind. Can Bihar be the laboratory of grassroots innovation in India? I think it can be.

Bihar is at a critical moment in its history. It is a case of now or never. Bihar is currently economically backward. There was hardly any development in the last 15 years. It lacks basic infrastructure. Development and governance are going to be the key drivers of change. The conditions, as they are in Bihar today, are the perfect breeding ground for grassroots innovation. And with a government committed to changing the fortunes of Bihar, it is the most opportune moment for a revolution in grassroots innovation.

In fact, I feel that with the present circumstances Bihar can be the ideal place to test C K Prahlad's theory of "Fortune at the bottom of the pyramid". But for that to happen, a little bit of hard core marketing will be needed on part of the government of Bihar.

Following actions can help in bringing about a revolution in grassroots innovation in Bihar:

1. Promoting the image of Bihar as a potential hot-bed of grassroots innovation among corporate India, academia, students, and educational institutions of repute.
2. Tie-up with reputed technical and management institutes like IIT, IIM, and others of their ilk.
3. Inviting private sector to be an integral part of this win-win revolution.
4. Promoting a vision of "development through innovation and social entrepreneurship".
5. Creation of special task force with Chief Minister as its chairman to facilitate the various initiatives in the field of grassroots innovation and social entrepreneurship.
6. An awareness campaign targeted at people of Bihar to promote “self-reliance” and “self-sufficiency” through innovation and enterprise.

I strongly feel that this could go a long way in changing the fortunes of Bihar and its people. After all, nothing can stop an idea whose day has come! With ample doses of creativity, determination, enterprise, innovation, and marketing, Bihar’s fate can be turned around.