Winners of Gandhian Challenge announced to mark 150th birth anniversary

The Gandhian challenge sought innovative solutions based on Gandhian principles for new world challenges such as global warming, increasing violence, and intolerance, etc.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in association with UNICEF and MyGov today announced the top 30 winners of the Gandhian Challenge, which was organized to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Gandhian challenge sought innovative solutions based on Gandhian principles for new world challenges such as global warming, increasing violence, and intolerance, etc. Entries were sought from students studying in classes 6-12 across two categories – Art & Innovation and Science and Technology & Innovation and the list of winners can be found at - https://blog.mygov.in/the-gandhian-challenge-winners-announced-accolades-for-30-children/

It saw the participation from more than 3,800 children and nearly 3,000 Atal Tinkering Lab schools as well as community schools.

The aim of the challenge was to encourage children to read and understand Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and apply them to come up with innovative solutions for New World challenges.

Some of the innovative ideas that the students have sent in include the design of low-cost mechanical equipment to clear blockages in sewage pipes, which would ease the work of sewage workers. Another entry uses IoT solutions to monitor the health of aging parents. This information can be accessed remotely via a mobile app.

Mission Director AIM, NITI Aayog Shri R Ramanan said, “The Gandhian challenge was to stimulate the latent creativity and innovative thinking of every student be it in art, science or technology. This challenge proved that children are extremely observant of the pain and problems around them and think out-of-the-box to depict and ideate solutions to solve some of these problems.”

The Challenge is timed to link with the global celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). On 20 November 1989, world leaders united around a common cause and adopted the CRC, an international agreement on childhood that helped transform children’s lives. Each year, 20 November is celebrated as World Children’s Day.

Congratulating the winners, UNICEF India Representative, Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, said, “The Ghandian Challenge is a fitting celebration of Article 12 of the CRC, which guarantees every child the right to be heard, to participate, and to play a role in the civic life of their society,”

Shri Abhishek Singh, CEO MyGov while congratulating the winners and participants said that the overwhelming response from the children all over proves the commitment and Gandhian values amongst the society. “Very often, the question is raised as to whether the values of Mahatma Gandhi that inspired the world are still relevant in a world dominated by technology, global warming, and sadly, beset by strife? The answer is a resounding yes if the recent Gandhian Challenge is any indication," he said.

He thanked Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF for The Gandhian Challenge Campaign which has proved to be amongst one of the most successful citizen engagement campaigns of MyGov.

The winners from the challenge will be awarded certificates by Mission Director – AIM, UNICEF Representative in India and CEO, My Gov.

(With Inputs from PIB)