Get All Access for $5/mo

NITI Aayog - Government of India NITI Aayog organizes India's first ever 'TinkerFest' in schools which are part of the Atal Innovation Mission

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Govt of India

New Delhi: In a one-of-its-kind initiative, NITI Aayog'sAtal Innovation Mission conducted a two-day "TinkerFest' for children in its Atal Tinkering Labs across the National Capital Region on July 12th and 13th.

An international community of innovators mentored over 600 students from 12 Atal Tinkering Lab schools, as part of the TechTop Innovation Summit held at the IIT Delhi from July 15th to July 19th. Handheld by students from top engineering colleges and innovator communities, students created innovative solutions to unique problems plaguing their neighbourhoods/communities using the Tinkering Labs.

The TinkerFest was aimed at encouraging students to use Atal Tinkering Labs for innovative thinking, learning to make product prototypes and developing problem solving and entrepreneurial skills. They were also trained hands-on in ideation methods, mechanical design and fabrication, microprocessor programming, basic electronics and presentation skills. In its next phase, NITI Aayog will take the TinkerFestto more than 1000 Atal Tinkering Labs being established all over India.

"Atal Innovation Mission's Tinkering Labs and Incubation Centres will energize Indian youth and entrepreneurs into creating an innovative India at the school, university and industry levels in a holistic manner," said R. Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission.

The mentors at the TinkerFest comprised 48 engineering and business students from top institutes in India and abroad, including MIT in USA, ASB in Kuala Lumpur and IITs. The TinkerFestprovidedthese students an opportunity to mentor school studentson a range of topics includingbasic skills in ideating, designing, making and product presentation.

"TinkerFest is designed to reach out to children early and help build their self-efficacy. I believe that we can create significantly higher number of entrepreneurs in a community if we can intervene in the early ages of students through training on making skills and problem solving," said Rajesh Nair, Founder of TechTop, Visiting Scholar at MIT and Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Asia School of Business, Kuala Lumpur.

The schools participating in the TinkerFestinclude DAV VasantKunj, Indirapuram Public School, Sadhu Vaswani School, DL DAV, Sneh International School, GyanMandir, Blue Bells, ASN Public School, RajkiyaVikas, DAV SresthaVihar, Salwon Government Girls School, and KulachiHansraj Model School. These schools also hosted students from nearby schools along with their own students for the TinkerFest.
News and Trends

Tech Burner's Anarc Smartwatch Achieves INR 3 Cr Sales with USD 1 Mn Investment

Anarc features a patented octagonal design by Thought Over Design and Seymourpowell, with a medical-grade stainless steel body. It includes advanced technology like a Hisilicon chipset, AMOLED display, and seven-day battery life.

Diversity

5 Ways You Can Create a More Inclusive Workplace Immediately -- and Why You Should

The more diversity you bring to your team, the greater your chances of finding groundbreaking insights and solutions.

Starting a Business

He Started a Business That Surpassed $100 Million in Under 3 Years: 'Consistent Revenue Right Out of the Gate'

Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Bartesian, had run a few small businesses on the side — but none of them excited him as much as the idea for a home cocktail machine.

Marketing

4 Neuromarketing Hacks to Reach More People and Maximize Results

You don't need to be a neuroscientist or have a big budget to start upping your conversions immediately.

News and Trends

Fintech Start-Up CredFlow Secures $3.7M Pre-Series B Funding

CredFlow said that the funding proceeds will go towards "optimizing and scaling the startup's financial services and lending verticals, as well as towards improving its tech and innovation capabilities."

News and Trends

Insurtech Player Zopper Raises $25M in Series D Funding

With 40 insurance companies and 2500+ ecosystem players, Zopper will utilize the fresh capital to ramp up digital infrastructure, by strengthening its Insurance Distribution platform