India has climbed two spots and has been ranked 46th by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Innovation Index 2021 rankings. India has been on a rising trajectory, over the past several years in the Global Innovation Index (GII), from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 46 in 2021. 

Innovation has been at the forefront of the battle against the unprecedented crisis created by the pandemic and will be pivotal in driving the country’s resilience and self-reliance, as enshrined in the Prime Ministers’ clarion call on Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

The consistent improvement in the GII ranking is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant start-up ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public and private research organizations. The Scientific Departments like the Department of Atomic Energy; the Department of Science and Technology; the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Space have played a pivotal role in enriching the National Innovation Ecosystem.

The NITI Aayog has been working to ensure the optimization of the national efforts for bringing policy-led innovation in different areas such as electric vehicles, biotechnology, nano technology, space, alternative energy sources, etc. The India Innovation Index, the latest edition of which was released last year by the NITI Aayog, has been widely accepted as a major step in the direction of decentralization of innovation across all the states of India. 

A constant thrust in monitoring and evaluating India’s position in the global rankings has been provided by the NITI Aayog, including in the GII.

“As we progress further towards saving lives and livelihoods and shaping the national economic growth trajectory, the GII-2021 will be a significant reference point for all the countries to assess their innovation capabilities and readiness, which will go a long way in boosting economic recovery,” said Niti Aayog.