Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF

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UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2015 UPSC Prelims Current Affairs paper.

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Question

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF)?NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government.NIF is an initiative to strengthen the highly advanced scientific research in India's premier scientific institutions in collaboration with highly advanced foreign scientific institutions.Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: A — 1 onlyStep-by-step Solution:Statement 1 — NIF is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology: This is correct. The National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) was established in February 2000 as an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. It is based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and operates on the philosophy of the Honey Bee Network — a grassroots innovation network founded by Prof. Anil K. Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad that documents and promotes traditional knowledge and innovations of ordinary people, particularly in rural areas. ✓Statement 2 — NIF strengthens advanced scientific research in collaboration with foreign institutions: This is incorrect. NIF's mandate is fundamentally different from what statement 2 describes. NIF focuses on grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge from the unorganised sector of society — it documents, promotes, and provides institutional support to innovations by farmers, artisans, tribal communities, and traditional practitioners. It is not about collaborating with foreign scientific institutions for advanced research — that would describe bodies like DBT, CSIR, or institutions like IITs. NIF specifically targets innovations that emerge from the bottom of the economic pyramid. ✗Why other options are incorrect:Option B (2 only): Statement 2 is factually wrong about NIF's mandate.Option C (Both 1 and 2): Statement 2 is incorrect.Option D (Neither 1 nor 2): Statement 1 is correct.Key Concept: NIF-India: established 2000; under DST; headquarters — Ahmedabad; philosophy — Honey Bee Network (Prof. Anil Gupta); mission — to become a leading organisation to document, add value, and diffuse grassroots innovations; organises national and international competitions for grassroots innovators; maintains database of over 3 lakh innovations; has filed hundreds of patents for grassroots innovators; works with GIAN (Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network) to provide credit and marketing support; associated with the memory of APJ Abdul Kalam who championed people's innovations. NIF is often contrasted with CSIR (advanced scientific research) — they serve complementary but different purposes.

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