Analysis of the features attributed to grassroots innovation shows them to be common to all innovations whether in rural, industrializing or industrial locations and does not justify splitting innovation into one with the suffix ‘grassroots’ and another without it as done in India’s current innovation policy. Examples and experience from industrialized countries bring out that innovation policies should adopt an integrated approach for all innovations irrespective of the location or process they emerge from. Enforcing the rural/non-rural duality that is inherent in India’s S&T and R&D policy on innovation is misleading. The innovation agenda should shift from presenting grassroots innovation as a divider of the national innovation wealth to a provider of it.