Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan has said that the private sector in India should come forward to support unheralded innovators in rural areas. <br/><br/>Inaugurating the first edition of the India International Science Festival at IIT-Delhi yesterday, he said we need an inclusive approach to entrepreneurship and there is a lot of potential in the informal sector that the private sector too can tap.<br/> <br/>Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, the National Innovation Foundation in Ahmedabad has identified a number of grassroots-level solutions, some of which have been developed by innovators from tribal communities, that can be scaled up. <br/> <br/>The minister added that the value of scientific research to the country's economy is estimated to be at between 1 lakh crore to 2 lakh crore rupees every year. <br/><br/>He said an independent study by the National Council of Applied Economic Research has shown that weather forecasts by IMD alone have benefited the fisheries sector to the tune of 34,000 crore rupees annually. Science Festival is open to the public from 10.30 am to 7 pm till Tuesday.