2nd Edition of India Innovation Index (III 2.0) 2020 : NITI Aayog

Why in News ?

Recently, NITI Aayog released 2nd edition of India Innovation Index 2020 (III 2.0) in which Karnataka retained top position and Bihar at the bottom in the major States category.
Maharashtra has leapfrogged Tamil Nadu to occupy the second place.
What is Innovation ?
Innovation is the creation, development and implementation of a new product, process or service, with the aim improving efficiency, effectiveness or competitive advantage.
The Need to Innovate :
The need to innovate is intrinsic for a healthy economy to harbour the spirit of competition.
While truly living up to the spirit of grassroots innovation, the world economy has changed with the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, decidedly changing the way firms function in the modern world.

Key Points of India Innovation Index 2020 :

• The three new indicators have been added to this year framework – 
1. National Achievement Survey (NAS) Scores (Class X)
2. Expenditure on R&D (State Government)
3. New Business Registered
• This edition of the index consists of 36 indicators, which includes hard data (32 indicators) and 4 Composite indicators.
• The India Innovation Index is a combination of two dimensions – Enablers and Performance – with 7 pillars.
• The Innovation Index is divided into three categories
1. Major States
2. Hill and North East States &
3. Union Territories (UTs) 
The last two categories are segregated from the rest of the Indian States (or Major States) due to their geographical categories, varied sizes and administrative capabilities.
Categories Top Rank Bottom Rank
Major States Karnataka  Bihar
Hill and North East States Himachal Pradesh  Meghalaya
Union Territories (UTs) Delhi  Lakshadweep

1. Major States :

Karnataka at the top with a score of 42.5 for 2nd edition.
• Karnataka at the top and followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala respectively.
• Karnataka has been attributed to a strong number of venture capital deals, registered GIs, ICT exports and high FDI inflows.
• Out of top five States, four States from South India.
Bottom State is Bihar with a score of 14.5 points in the major States category.
Rank Major States Score
1 Karnataka  42.50
2 Maharashtra  38.03
3 Tamil Nadu 37.91
4 Telangana 33.23
5 Kerala 40.58
6 Haryana 25.81
7 Andhra Pradesh  24.19
8 Gujarat  23.63
9 Uttar Pradesh 22.85
10 Punjab 22.54

2. Hill and North East States :

• Highest ranked Himachal Pradesh with a score 25, followed by Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Sikkim respectively.
• Himachal Pradesh has been Eployment generated being Knowledge-intensive, industry-friendly policies and incentives.  
• Bottom State is Meghalaya with a score of 12.15 in the North East and Hill States.
Rank Hill & NE States Score
1 Himachal Pradesh  25.06
2 Uttarakhand  23.50
3 Manipur 22.78
4 Sikkim 20.28
5 Mizoram 16.93

3. Union Territories (UTs) :

Delhi at the top with a score of 46.60, followed by Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Goa respectively.
• Delhi recorded the highest number of trademark and patent applications, increase new startups, conducive business environment.
• Bottom UT – Lakshadweep with a score of 11.71.
Rank Union Territories (UTs Score
1 Delhi  46.60
2 Chandigarh 38.57
3 Daman & Diu 26.76
4 Puducherry 25.23
5 Goa 24.92

About India Innovation Index :

• It provides the methodology followed to assess the innovation capacities and performance of Indian State.
• The first edition of the India Innovation Index was released in October 2019.
Objective : 
It is to scrutinize the innovation capacities and performance of Indian states and UTs.  To empower Indian States and UTs to improve their innovation policies by highlighting their strength and weaknesses.
Function : 
It intend to perform following three functions –
a) Ranking of states and UTs based on their index score.
b) Identify opportunities and challenges.
c) Assist in modifying governmental policies to foster innovation.
• The India Innovation Index measures innovation inputs through ‘Enablers‘ and innovation output as ‘Performance‘.
Five Enablers Pillars : 
It capture elements of the State economy that  act as inputs for the innovation environment. The five pillars are –
1. Human Capital
2. Investment
3. Safety and Legal Environment
4. Business Environment
5. Knowledge Workers
Two Performance Pillars :
It depict the performance output.
1. Knowledge Output 
2. Knowledge Diffusion
This framework is an improved edition of the index as it incorporates new indicators and has a modified methodology for some indicators to capture accurate results.

Significance :

• Current pandemic triggering an economic shutdown, the role of innovation to revitalise the economy.
• Its ability to drive economic growth, economic recovery and sustaining competitiveness in hard time.
• The innovation index create an environment where innovation factors are under constant re-evaluation.
• By innovation, India can scale-up manufacturing and develop its export competitiveness.
• Innovation is at the forefront of India’s “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives.
• It catalyse development and fostering cooperative and competitive federalism.
• It can be useful for formulating policies and devising strategies at both the state and the national levels.
• To better understand the reasons for differential performance and the areas of strengths and weaknesses.

Global Innovation Index 2020 (GII 2020):

It is a joint collaborative effort between the WIPO, Cornell University, and INSEAD that annually ranks the innovation performance of more than 130 economies. India’s rank 2020 – 48th position.
India’s Performance on the GII 
Year India’s Rank (GII) Total Countries
2015 81  141
2016 66  128
2017 60 127
2018 57 126
2019 52 129
2020 48 131
References
PIB
NITI Aayog
E-book

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