The Indian Railways has set up an innovation promotion group (IPG) looking forward to make a coordinated effort to face challenges in its stride and incorporate new techniques and views in its working. The group will be a platform for the railway employees, industry and international organisations to interact with the railways and give suggestions to it.
?The group is open to all. The ideas or suggestion of any person, organisation or institution, which are for the betterment of the organisation, are most welcome,? said RK Bhatnagar, coordinator, IPG.
The group will interact with national and international railway organisations, industries universities, railway men, customers and citizens to promote innovations. It will target improvement in system efficiency and productivity of resources along with enhancement of throughput capacity of the existing system. On the customer front, the group will work towards attaining better customer satisfaction with value-added services. Improvement in reliability and reduction in maintenance cost are the other goals that the group aims at accomplishing.
An executive director will work as the IPG convener. Among the other members of the group will be executive directors from information technology, traffic, civil engineering, electrical and mechanical. In an all-encompassing effort, the group will imbibe ideas via open innovations, co-creation of innovations in liaison with reputed institutions and industries, in-house innovations and various national campaigns and seminars.
?IPG has got an encouraging response. We have received hundreds of suggestions from public regarding toilets and ticketing system among others. The defence ministry has contacted us to work upon management change. An oil company has shared with us an idea to save fuel. Also, we have been contacted by the American Embassy for clean fuels,? he said.
?As far as liaison with institutions is concerned, IPG is coordinating with the IIT Kanpur and Rurkee. It has plans to rope in IIMs as well. Around 4 to 5 universities have offered to cooperate with the railways,?he added. IPG is also looking at roping in industry bodies like CII and Ficci. On the in-house innovation front, the railway men will be encouraged to come out with innovative suggestions. Zonal railways and production units will be involved in developing and promoting innovations. IPG will also co-ordinate with the international bodies and leading global railways systems to adopt their strategies.
The Swiss government has an innovation promotion agency for the last 60 years with an objective of ?science to market?. The UK?s department of innovation, universities and skills coordinates with various agencies such as Commonwealth offices and the UK trade and investment departments. The World Intellectual Property Organisation also has its innovation promotion activities.
On the domestic front, the department of science and technology has set up a national innovation foundation to promote grass root level green innovations for sustainable development.