New Delhi: Several government programs instill in children the confidence to think innovatively, to seek out-of-the-box S&T solutions for many problems and also to break down barriers and initiate their scientific adventures.
“Innovation is the key to realizing the dream of the new India,” Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said at a recent conference, and schoolchildren in remote areas are taking advantage of many government programs to provide innovative solutions to the problems daily.
Navshri Thakur, a student from Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, developed a multi-use food processor which she presented at the INSPIRE MANAK AWARDS, a program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and won the top prize. In the same competition, a stretcher equipped with shock absorbers by Owais Ahmed from Karnataka won the second prize.
The MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) awards program as part of the INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) program, a DST flagship program aimed at generating a million original ideas / innovations rooted in science and societal applications to promote a culture of creativity and innovative thinking among schoolchildren, particularly between 6th and 10th grade. He invites schools to participate every year. The awards are executed by DST with the National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF), an independent body of DST. In the year 2020-2021, he brought 6.53 lakh ideas from over 2 lakh high schools across the country. The best of these are shortlisted to be featured at the district, state, and then the national exhibition and project competition.
Rashmi Kumari, from rural Uttar Pradesh who previously lacked confidence and decision-making about her future, is keen to pursue a career in STEM, through DST’s VigyanJyoti program.
The program encourages around 10,000 girls in class IX-XII in 100 districts of the country to pursue graduate studies in under-represented fields of STEM, at institutions of higher education of excellence. It offers scholarship, visits to nearby scientific institutions, science camps, guest speakers from eminent women scientists, and career counseling.
Kishore VaigyanikProtsahanYojana (KVPY), Science Olympiad Program and India Innovation Growth Program (IIGP) are other programs designed to inspire science learning in children.
The Kishore VaigyanikProtsahanYojana (KVPY), mentorship and scholarship are provided to pursue basic science studies. This program, administered and implemented by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, identifies talented and research-capable students, helps them realize their potential to attract exceptionally motivated students to study science and pursue careers in the search.
The National Science Olympiad program aims to promote excellence in science and mathematics among pre-university students. The HomiBhaba Center for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai, is the central organization for the selection and training of students through the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) for student participation at various international Olympiads.
The India Innovation Growth Program (IIGP) is a tripartite initiative of DST, Lockheed Martin and Tata Trusts and aims to select innovations to create large-scale social impact and bring industrial transformation to India. It aims to support the Indian government‘s ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives. Grants to winners are intended to enable them to prototype the proposed technological solutions and to begin the process of evaluating and applying these technologies and solutions to industrial advantage.
All of these have played a vital role in inspiring young minds to find creative solutions through S&T and make the New India dream come true.
