Genesis
In the Gandhian vision of "Gram Swaraj", self-reliant villages constitute the
basic building blocks of sustainable economy and a humane civilization. In such
a model, "Gramodyog" or village industries are expected to be
the main engine of economic development. However,
inspite of past 60 years of planned development and phenomenal growth in S&T
institutions, and National Laboratories in the country, there is as yet, no
tangible mechanism to support Rural Industrialization through adequate and
appropriate inputs of Science, Technology, Management etc. The need for such a
mechanism is being felt even more acutely in view of the growing globalization
and liberalization of economies. The thrust on promoting Rural Industrialization
has also become imperative for providing large scale employment in the rural
sector.
To make this possible, it is
essential that quality inputs of science, technology and managerial skills be
integrated with the traditional skills and knowledge base to develop efficient
means of decentralized production of quality goods. Centralized Energy-intensive
industries have resulted in widespread ecological degradation and rapid resource
depletion. This has led to global interest in sustainable development through
decentralized production systems involving the community. For ushering in such a
scenario it is essential to evolve a strategy for S&T intervention to make the
community scale products & services globally competitive.
The present initiative in
the form of setting up an autonomous National Institute named Mahatma Gandhi
Institute of Rural Industrialization (MGIRI) at Wardha, together with a number
of "technical interfaces" in the major S&T institutions in different regions of the country is a significant step in the
direction of creating such a mechanism. Through this network, it is expected to
harness the available R&D expertise as well as facilities in the country to
provide a strong backup of Science, Technology & Management to the Rural
Industry sector.
The nodal Institute at
Wardha has been developed during the past 7 years by the collaborative efforts
of KVIC and IIT Delhi. It was decided to set up this National Institute at the
historical premises of Maganwadi, Wardha where Mahatma Gandhi initiated the All
India Village Industries Association (AIVIA) way back in 1934, involving
prominent scientists and technologists like Sir C V Raman, Dr J C Bose to
contribute towards Rural Industrialization. Great Gandhian stalwarts such as Dr
J C Kumarappa, Dr Devendra Kumar, Dr G Ramachandran and others had substantially
contributed in this direction during the initial phase. The Jamnalal Bajaj
Central Research Institute (JBCRI) was established in 1956 under the KVIC to
promote Rural Industrialization through innovative S&T inputs. It was needed to
revamp this historical Institute to cope with the changes and challenges of the
nineties and MGIRI is an outcome of this revamping process.
MGIRI has been developed
through a project sponsored by KVIC to IIT Delhi in 2001 resulting in the
development of appropriate vision, methodology, and adequate infrastructure
facilities as well as model R&D projects. The infrastructure development work
envisaged by this project was completed in January, 2006. The collaboration
between KVIC and IITD continued during 2007-08 and the advisory role of IIT
Delhi has been extended till the end of XI five year plan.