Bhubaneswar City Knowledge Innovation Cluster Foundation inaugurated a RuTAGe Centre at K Nuagam Village, Chikiti Block, Ganjam, Odisha, on 15th Jan 2026. RuTAGe (Rural Technology Action Group – extension) is a flagship initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, aimed at enabling last-mile technology delivery for rural livelihoods.
The centre was inaugurated in the presence of Keerthi Vasan V, IAS, District Magistrate & Collector, Ganjam, Govt. of odisha; G A K Kumar, Director, ICAR- National Rice Research Institute; and Sanjay Kumar Talukdar, CGM, NABARD – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Initially, the centre will focus on 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, using modern food processing technologies to support value addition, quality, and market readiness.
With a strong emphasis on 𝐒𝐇𝐆-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, the centre will engage women and rural entrepreneurs from five nearby villages. It will also act as a 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐛, enabling access to startup-led frugal innovations across agriculture, healthcare, water, and sanitation.
This initiative is an important step towards 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, translating innovation into real-world outcomes.