Secretary Department of Science and Technology (DST) Professor Abhay Karandikar highlighted the far-reaching societal, national, and global impact of nurturing curiosity and passion in young minds while speaking at the 11th National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) of INSPIRE– MANAK winners felicitation ceremony in New Delhi. He said that ideas from the young minds can lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
Professor Karandikar felicitated the winners of the NLEPC and said, “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these students receive the necessary resources, support, and opportunities to continue their remarkable journey.”
“The young innovators would go on to take leadership roles in shaping the future of the nation and with such sustained efforts, India has the opportunity to break into the top five innovative nations globally by 2047,” he pointed out.
"The young winners of INSPIRE-MANAK can use the vast resources of Atal Tinkering Labs for developing their skills. Such collaborations would help leverage the entire strength of the initiatives from various Government of India programs and maximize the potential of our youth," Professor Karandikar added.
The 11th NLEPC of INSPIRE– MANAK was inaugurated on 17th September 2024, where innovative ideas of 350 selected students from schools across the country were displayed. Top 31 young innovators were felicitated on September 19, 2024 at a prestigious ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan.
While congratulating the winners of the INSPIRE MANAK programme, Prof. Karandikar emphasised that the INSPIRE MANAK programme is designed to foster creativity among young minds by inviting innovative ideas from students across the country.
It was also announced that from next year class 11 and class 12 students will also participate in the annual competition.
Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairperson, NIF mentioned that here is a strong need for more innovative tools and instruments in schools, which can be achieved through collaboration between schools and Atal Tinkering Labs. “We also have the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which introduces a foundational and exciting curriculum called ‘Jadui Pitara’, incorporating STEM education,” he added.
Dr Namita Gupta, Head – INSPIRE- MANAK DST, Dr. Arvind C. Ranade, Director of NIF India, and other senior officials from DST and NIF were present at the winner’s felicitation ceremony and appreciated the efforts of the young innovators.
The INSPIRE– MANAK is a flagship scheme under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) with the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India, an autonomous institute of DST, as its implementing organization.
The scheme received a total of 7.96 lakh applications during the 2022-23 cycle, from all States and Union Territories, representing 777 districts of the country. Notably, 52% of the participants were girls, further underlining the inclusive nature of the initiative. The INSPIRE– MANAK continues to strive for greater gender and geographical diversity, with the majority of participating schools coming from rural settings.
The exhibition, held from September 17-18, 2024, witnessed a wide participation from school students, teachers, officials, and the general public, creating an inspiring environment for young innovators to share their ideas and learn from each other. The event marked another successful year for the INSPIRE– MANAK, as it continues to promote innovation among young students and help shape the future of India's scientific community.
The first prize was won by Deepak, class 10 from Govt. High School Udotgarh, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh for Safe Vision Distance Sensor in Smart Phone; the second prize won by Aanay Dwivedi, class 10 from The Manthan School, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh for Pothole Repair System using Plastic Trash & the third prize by Amulya Hegde, class 9 from GPUC Kukkuje, Udupi, Karnataka for Flood Detecting Pole.
