NITI Aayog has introduced the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) initiative as a part of its flagship programme – the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). As part of a crucial effort to efficiently implement the initiative, NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Intel India.
The key objectives of setting up Atal Tinkering Laboratories is to build relevant skill sets among youngsters and to provide access to technology that will enable solutions. Intel will co-lead the creation and management of ten ATLs as State Hubs. These laboratories intend to impact 250,000 youth with innovation skills & skills for the future across 500 communities & schools.
Intel will support NITI Aayog in building capacities of mentors and developing linkages with Maker ecosystem for quality improvement of projects made by youth, facilitating ideation, design thinking and prototyping workshops through industry experts and co-lead an innovation festival which reaches out to 500,000 young innovators.
The SoI between NITI Aayog and Intel was signed in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, Dr. C. Muralikrishna Kumar, Vice President – Corporate Affairs at Intel Corporation, Ms. Rosalind Hudnell and Kishore Balaji, Director of Corporate Affairs Group, Intel South Asia.
CEO, NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said that If India needs to grow consistently at 9 to 10 percent over the next three decades, it is absolutely essential that we are able to build innovative solutions to our unique problems. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission, especially the Atal Tinkering Labs, will enable the creation of millions of child innovators who will bloom into young entrepreneurs, thus enabling India’s unprecedented growth.
On this occasion President, Intel Foundation & Vice President, Intel Corporation Ms. Rosalind L. Hudnell said, Intel believes that it is more important than ever to invest in youth and innovation. That’s why we are proud to be a part of the Atal Innovation Mission to launch tinkering labs throughout India, which will ultimately help millions of children across the country develop the skills they need to be competitive as tomorrow’s workforce.
Earlier in the day, NITI Aayog, organised an ‘Expert Consultative Group Meeting’ to help create and put in place a framework for operationalizing the Atal Tinkering Labs that will be established in schools all across the country. The technical support was provided by Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd.
The maker community deliberated on the type of equipment (must have, good to have) in a lab, success indicators and engagement with the community. It was brought out that the Atal Tinkering Labs in all schools should be entirely student-centric and ought to function with critical involvement of all stakeholders at the school level – teachers, parents, makers and other private organizations – to make the initiative a grand success.
CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD, Dr. S. C. Khuntia, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, Dr. C. Muralikrishna Kumar and Director of Corporate Affairs Group, Intel South Asia Kishore Balaji makers, practitioners, schools and civil society attended the meeting.