Sunday, 13 Oct, 2024
By: Deepak Maggu
India has increased patents significantly in the last 5 years. In 2019-20 out of a total of 56,267 applications filed, the number of applications filed by Indian applicants was 20843, which shows a 22.6% increase over the last year's figure of 17,005.
According to the recently released NITI Aayog India Innovation Index 2021, Karnataka emerged as the top state for innovation in the country. The index, which is into its third edition, ranks the states and the union territories on their innovation performance to build healthy competition amongst them. Among the major states, Karnataka, Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu made it to the top 5, while Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh remained in the bottom 5. Among the Union Territories, Chandigarh and Delhi have emerged as the best, and Ladakh, which recently became a Union Territory, came in last place. If we talk about North Eastern and hilly states, then Manipur stood first and Nagaland came last in the India Innovation Index 2021.
The index, released by NITI Aayog's Vice Chairman Suman Bery in the presence of Chief Executive Officer Parameswaran Iyer on Thursday, has been developed on the lines of the Global Innovation Index. It examines innovation capacities and ecosystems at the sub-national level.
The think tank uses 7 pillars to prepare the index: 5 enablers (50 indicators) and 2 performance pillars (16 indicators). It compares different states through 66 different indicators. One of the key indicators is the patent file number. The number of patents in a country shows the level of research and innovation in that country.
India has increased patents significantly in the last 5 years. In 2019-20 out of a total of 56,267 applications filed, the number of applications filed by Indian applicants was 20,843, which shows a 22.6% increase over the last year's figure of 17,005. Domestic filing 37.05% of the total applications filled, as compared to 33.6% in 2018-19. Thus, in consistent with the growth trend in past years, this year too, applications filled by Indian applicants have shown a remarkable increase.
Data demonstrates For the past ten years, India's patent applications (or innovations) have had a direct impact on its GDP. The number of patents granted in 2011 was 15,914, and the GDP was $5,501.13. When the number of patents reached 18,250 in 2012, the GDP rose to $5,801. The number of patents reached 37,880 by 2020. The GDP rose concurrently to $8,443.36. Accordingly, innovation is the only source of economic prosperity if a nation wants to grow consistently over a long period of time. The structure of the country's economy is defined by advances, particularly in the current technological era. Additionally, the proliferation of new ideas necessitates the necessity for intellectual property rights (IPR), which is why they are significant.
India's ranking in the Global Innovation Index rose from 81 in 2015–16 to 46 in 2021 as a result of the growth in patent filing. Additionally, it aligns with India's current startup boom.
The government offers incentives to entrepreneurs to encourage them to file additional patents; startups recognised through the Startup India programme receive up to an 80% discount on patent filings and a 50% discount on trademark registrations.
