The Gandhian Challenge

News:On the 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,Atal innovation mission(AIM), NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs(ATL) and UNICEF India, including Generation Unlimited has launched ‘The Gandhian Challenge’.

Facts:

About 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.
  • 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.”
  • The ideas and solutions to the Gandhian Challenge may be expressed through (a)Art (Letters, poems, painting, videos and photos) and (b) Science & Technology (Robotics, IoT, sensors and 3D printers, among others).
  • The contest is open for every child in India from 2 October to 20 October. 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. 

Additional information:

Atal innovation mission(AIM):

  • The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) was set up by NITI Aayog in 2016.
  • It aims to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.It seeks to create institutions and programs that enhance innovation in schools, colleges, and entrepreneurs in general.

Atal tinkering lab:

  • Atal Tinkering Labs are established across schools in India. 
  • The objective is to (a) foster curiosity, creativity and imagination among young children and (b) inculcate skills such as design mind set, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing among others.

UNICEF

  • UNICEF stands for United Nations Children’s Fund.It was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.It is headquartered in New York,USA.
  • It is a special program of the United Nations (UN) devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.

Generation Unlimited:

  • 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.