A Dialogue with Dr G S Toteja, Chief Executive Officer, Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation 

In Conversation 

A Dialogue with Dr G S Toteja, Chief Executive Officer, Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation 

— Madhura Panse 

Dr Toteja in his office at the Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) 
Image credits: JCKIF 

The Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) was launched in early 2021 as an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). Registered as a section 8 company under the Companies Act 2013, JCKIF has been conceptualised with a vision of creating self-sufficiency in the region through innovations in science and technology. It has IIT Jodhpur as its nodal agency.  

To understand JCKIF better, we spoke to Dr G S Toteja, its CEO. Before becoming the CEO of JCKIF in April 2021, Dr Toteja was the Director of ICMR-NIIR-NCD in Jodhpur. Later, he served as the Additional Director General of ICMR for a year. In this interview, he took us through JCKIF’s journey, right from its conceptualisation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its major accomplishments so far to its long-term vision and missions. He also talked to us about how his experience is helping him steer this JCKIF towards achieving future goals. 

Organisational Structure and Primary Focus Areas 

Reminiscing about JCKIF’s early days and the development of its different focus areas, Dr Toteja said, “When I joined in April 2021, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. So, it has been a difficult start. But this challenge has shaped what we do at the Cluster.” JCKIF started with four primary focus areas: water and environment, handlooms and handicrafts, medical technologies, and i-governance. Soon, on the advice of the Office of the PSA, it expanded and added two more verticals: artificial intelligence of things (AIOT), which acts mainly as a fabrication centre, and Thar DESIGNS.  

The projects under these verticals are handled by an efficient core team composed of 11 people, including program managers, assistant program managers, and the CEO. The program managers are allocated projects based on their expertise areas. The larger team is composed of a Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee that includes experts from academia and industry in the medical, technical, engineering, agriculture, and political spheres.  

Handloom and Handicrafts  

Jodhpur is a major hub of handlooms and handicrafts, so this is one of the major verticals that JCKIF works on. “Jodhpur exports handicraft products worth almost 3000 crores rupees annually, contributing to a major chunk of the handloom export revenues in the country,” Dr Toteja said. “And this is just the data collected by the Export Council of India. A lot of local artisans and craftsmen directly contribute towards the handicrafts industry.” It was quite natural for JCKIF to contribute to the projects revolving around this industry.  

The primary goal of these projects would be to help local artisans gain recognition and value for their work so that their economic condition can improve. One crucial project here is the automation of craft-making processes without compromising on the creativity and the signature elements of the craft itself. In this regard, Dr Toteja believes in “two P’s: Protecting the interests of the artisans and Preserving the Indian culture.”  

JCKIF also regularly organises informative sessions with artisans from the unorganised sector of the handloom industry. These sessions aim to understand specific problems this sector faces and the ways they can be solved through right marketing and promotion.  

Part of such promotion efforts in JCKIF’s regular exhibitions is meant to generate awareness among people regarding the value of locally manufactured handloom products and generate admiration for the work. JCKIF has also created a digital museum for this craft and their artisans and is developing e-commerce websites to reach customers worldwide.  

A table at the Bone and Horn exhibition held by JCKIF in July 2022 
Image credits: JCKIF 

Dr Toteja believes that the digital universe and automation can be leveraged to revive this industry after the initial hit it took during the COVID-19 pandemic and take it to the next level. He stressed that many youths among the local artisans are educated and well-versed in the latest technological advancements, and so they can play a significant role in using these technologies to expand their family businesses. JCKIF will provide them with aid and support as they do so. 

“With the tools we have today, if we keep working on the handloom and handicrafts industry, it will not only give people employment but also help preserve our traditional culture,” says Dr Toteja. 

The Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)  

The AIoT vertical has been added recently, in line with the Semiconductor Mission launched by the Government of India. Under this vertical, a fabrication facility has been developed in the technology park at IIT Jodhpur for the end-to-end design, development, prototyping, and pilot production of AIoT systems and AI-powered sensors. The facility was developed in collaboration with RajCOMP Info Services Limited (RISL)—acting on behalf of the Govt. of Rajasthan and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)—along with other industries and academia knowledge partners. Apart from being a manufacturing hub for sensors, the facility is also expected to function as a capacity-building platform and incubation centre for upcoming startups while providing them with research and development facilities.  

Dr Toteja said that all the projects under this vertical would be initiated and executed through a section 8 company which will be formed with the help of JCKIF and RISL members upon receiving approval from the Rajasthan cabinet. The goal here is to bring together the best minds from industry and academia to take cutting-edge innovation to where it is needed.  

JCKIF as a Base for Inter-Institutional Collaboration 

“Jodhpur is a hub of various institutions from different fields, from the medical sciences to agriculture, defence, and engineering. It is an opportunity for everybody to work together to create the future that we all envision,” said Dr Toteja. He highlighted the unique objective that JCKIF has of leveraging this fertile environment for skill and knowledge building through collaborations. He talked about the recently launched Master’s, PhD, and Master’s–PhD dual degree programmes in Medical Technologies offered jointly by IIT Jodhpur and AIIMS Jodhpur, which JCKIF supports. This unique program was conceptualised to combine the IIT’s technical expertise with AIIMS’ medical expertise to enable the in-house production of medical devices eventually. The program is open for students from medical and technical backgrounds and is available as a post-graduate degree option. The classes are organised at the institutions, and the research work is conducted mainly in collaboration with the startups, which will help design and develop the invented products. These will then be eventually pitched to the industry for scale-up.  

The Medical Technologies vertical has also launched a DeepTech Biodesign Centre at IIT Jodhpur to train, nurture, and transform clinicians and engineers into innovators in medical technology. It has also launched BioNEST, a startup incubator, supporting several unique initiatives, such as the one to develop cost-effective therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy disease and a pilot to test an AIoT-based hospital bed occupancy detection system.  

This collaboration is also what underlies the work in the Water and Environment vertical—under which water purification, treatment, and supply technologies have been built to ensure clean water for everyone, particularly the underserved sections of society—and the I-Governance vertical, where AI is being leveraged to improve efficiency in traffic surveillance and crime management systems across Jodhpur. 

Clay ceramic water filters called “G-Filters” were provided to households without access to piped water infrastructure to ensure clean drinking water. 
Image credits: JCKIF 

Thar DESIGNS (Desert EcoSystem Innovations guided by Nature and Selection)  

The work of JCKIF cannot be complete without a mention of the vast Thar desert. Thar DESIGNS was primarily initiated to study and understand the ecology of this desert, specifically its soil compositions and their relationship to the vegetation, such as plants that are involved in improving the natural microbial composition of the soil or those that harbour medicinal properties. This knowledge could be leveraged to improve existing healthcare, food security, and living conditions today and help navigate the effects of climate change in the region in the long term.  

Personal Learnings 

Dr Toteja is passionate about the work he does at JCKIF. This is not only because of its significance and potential to impact the nation but also because of how he perceives life. He said, he still “feels like a higher secondary school student” because learnings never end, no matter what position one reaches. “One common thing between when I started my career in 1984 and now is that I continue to work with complete dedication, and I enjoy my work, regardless of the amount or the responsibilities handed to me.” He stressed the importance of working together, the role of collective leadership, and the value of collaboration. Talking about preparing for the future, he spoke about the importance of motivating and promoting talent among the youth via different capacity-building activities.  

“One should always appreciate and motivate others and take them along while progressing in one’s life and career,” he concluded. “This is the key to success.” 

This value is perhaps one that underlies several JCKIF initiatives, from promoting handlooms and handicrafts to building capacity and equipping the nation's youth to take it forward. 

About the author 

Madhura Panse is an educator, career counsellor, and freelance science writer.