New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS): The government Tuesday launched the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to encourage higher education institutions to work with people in rural India for identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate technologies.

The initiative was launched on the occasion of National Education Day, which also marks the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first education minister.

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said the initiative will help realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of inclusive development.

"Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan will connect our institutions of higher education to develop technical solutions to address challenges in rural India," she said.

Coordinated by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi, as a network of IITs and other academic and professional institutes, the scheme would help evolve appropriate technologies for rural development, with focus on water management, organic farming, renewable energy and also rural livelihood.