AIM, NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs and UNICEF India launches ‘The Gandhian Challenge’

On the 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, AIM, NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and UNICEF India, including Generation Unlimited, have launched ‘The Gandhian Challenge’. This innovation challenge provides a platform for every child across India to ideate innovative solutions for a sustainable India of their dreams, using Gandhi’s principles.

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The winners of The Gandhian Challenge will be awarded in New Delhi by NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF on the occasion of Children’s Day in November. The contest – open for every child in India from 2 October to 20 October – also celebrates 70 years of partnership between Government of India and UNICEF India to enable Every Right for Every Child.

“Through this partnership, AIM and UNICEF recognize every child’s ability and right to voice their dreams for a world of their choice, following Gandhi’s principles. Our aim is to support them to thrive as young innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Mr. R Ramanan, Mission Director AIM.

The problem statement for the Gandhian Challenge is: “Share your innovative solutions/ideas to create a futuristic and sustainable world of your dreams, following Gandhi’s principles.”

Ideas and solutions to the Gandhian Challenge may be expressed through broad categories: Art & Innovation (Letters, poems, painting, videos and photos, among others) and Science, Technology & Innovation (Robotics, IoT, sensors and 3D printers, among others).

All applications must be submitted on the challenge page on https://innovate.mygov.in/the-gandhian-challenge/ , Government of India’s citizen engagement portal. All applications must have an ATL code. Children in schools without an ATL can obtain the ATL code by visiting or calling the nearest ATL school. The list of nearest ATL schools in every district can also be accessed on the challenge page mentioned above.

“Participation is a core right of every child and enabling their meaningful participation is of critical importance,” said Dr.Yasmin Ali Haque, Representative, UNICEF India. “Challenges like this help us understand children’s point of view with a willing to re-examine our own opinions and attitudes, and envisage solutions through a child-rights lens.”

The most innovative, sustainable solutions/ideas will be showcased as a symbol of a larger movement by children taking root in every district of India. Children across India can access to more than 8000 Atal Tinkering Labs across all districts to support their innovative ideas.

In ATLs, students of class 6th to 12th acquire a problem-solving attitude, develop innovative solutions leveraging technologies like 3D printers, robotics, miniaturised electronics, IOT and programming and DIY kits, with support from teachers and mentors.

About AIM:

AIM is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. AIM’s objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platform and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, create awareness and create an umbrella structure to oversee innovation ecosystem of the country.

Six major initiatives of AIM:

1. Atal Tinkering Labs-Creating problem-solving mindset across schools in India.
2.  Atal Incubation Centers-Fostering world class start-ups and adding a new dimension to the incubator model.
3.  Atal New India Challenges-Fostering product innovations and aligning them to the needs of various sectors/ministries.
4. Mentor India Campaign- A national Mentor network in collaboration with public sector, corporates and institutions, to support all the initiatives of the mission.
5. Atal Community Innovation Center- To stimulate community centric innovation and ideas in the unserved /underserved regions of the country including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
6. ARISE-To stimulate innovation and research in the MSME industry.

About UNICEF India and Generation Unlimited:

UNICEF, an integral part of the United Nations, works with governments, communities, civil society organizations, the private sector, and other partners worldwide to advance children’s rights, and is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Generation Unlimited is a new UNICEF-led global partnership that aims to ensure that every young person age 10-24 is in some form of school, learning, training, self-employment, or age-appropriate employment by 2030. It aims to co-create and scale up proven solutions related to secondary age-education, skills for learning, employability and decent work, and empowerment, with a focus on girls.