NEW DELHI: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog hosted a ‘Mentor India Round Table’ today to acknowledge the contributions of the Top 35 exemplary Mentors of Change (MoC). The top mentors from across the country were invited to participate in the event.

Mentor India is a strategic national building initiative of the AIM, NITI Aayog which onboards professionals, academicians, industry experts to mentor students in Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and startups. These professionals facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship activities in ATLs and mould a new generation of neoteric innovators in India.

A handbook called ‘The Gems of Mentor India’ was launched during the event held inside the NITI premise. The book captures best practices that the mentors have been following to foster tinkering among school students.

With the help of ‘Mentor India’ community, students get to acquire technical and entrepreneurial skills to develop their digital product every year under Atal Tinkering Lab’s flagship bootcamp known as ‘Tinkerpreneur’.

Under Tinkerpreneur, Top 100 ATL students each year receive mentoring from prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB) for 8 months in Atal Catalyst Program conducted in collaboration with AIM. Last year, top 20 students got the chance to pitch their ideas in front of investors and 10 of them have received funding to develop their prototype. A Coffee Table Book “The Ingenious Tinkerpreneurs” to celebrate these 20 students was also launched during the Mentor India Round Table.

Speaking about the AIM’s Tinkerpreneur initiative during the event, CEO NITI Aayog Shri Parameswaran Iyer said “It is fabulous to see that girls are at a forefront of this particular campaign. I think that they are taking a lead on most other fronts as well.”

“I am glad that Mentor India program has also a great participation of women and today I congratulate all the mentors who have made it to our top list,” he added.

Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director - Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog said “Our mentors have shown outstanding commitment to mentoring especially over the last 12 months by helping schools navigate through the pandemic and after getting back to normal to ensure continued tinkering and learning through both physical and virtual means.It is through this event that we are able to express our gratitude to them and also get a chance to know them better and inspire them to keep carrying out the great work of mentoring and taking forward the spirit of tinkering, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The event was graced with the presence of celebrated Indian athlete Ms Anju Bobby George and Prof. Bhagwan Chowdhry, Faculty Director I-Venture, ISB. They congratulated the mentors and students and, encouraged the students to keep their spirit up and always be at the forefront.

Additionally, Pratik Gauri - CEO, 5ire - Blockchain Unicorn; Utkarsh Amitabh, CMO of 5ire and CEO of Network Capital; Madhura DasGupta Sinha, Founder - Aspire for Her; Abhilasha Sinha CPO - Open Secret; Saket Agarwal - Founder and CEO, Onnivation Ventures also graced the occasion and conducted various workshops. Source: PIB