NITI Aayog
15-December, 2017 19:50 IST
NITI Aayog celebrates ATL Community Day
Community Drive Initiative aimed at extending innovation to over 200 children not enrolled in the formal education system
Atal Innovation Mission under the aegis of NITI Aayog, celebrated the Community Drive Initiative as part of ATL Community Day today. As a part of the unique initiative, 25 young mentors interacted with over 200 children not enrolled in the formal education system through brief sessions conducted at four locations in New Delhi. The idea is to extend innovation to children in the community so they can become problem solvers.
The Mission Director of the Atal Innovation Mission, R. Ramanan said that through the ATL Community Day Initiative, Atal Innovation Mission Mentors will inspire in these students the spirit of innovation and problem solving through tinkering with emerging technologies and provide opportunities to realize their creative abilities.
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with multiple partners has completed 1 year of Atal Tinkering Labs in India. During the year, 900+ ATLs have been announced, covering 388 districts across India, 79 smart cities, with more than 40% of these labs in government-funded public schools.
AIM targets to have at least one Atal Tinkering Lab in every district and proposed Smart City of India.
According to NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant the Young mentors are disrupting education system in India with ATLs. New thoughts, new ideas and new solutions will emerge to bring India to a global platform in terms of innovation.
Earlier this July, 600 students from more than 50 schools across the Delhi National Capital Region took part in a two-day Tinkering Fest, which was a 48-hour ideathon for school students to introduce and expose them to the world of Tinkering and Innovation.
In order to ensure that the Atal Tinkering Labs In-Charge understand the philosophy of the labs, and are suitably technically equipped to guide the students, AIM organized training workshops across India. Called Unbox Tinkering, supported by two large technology firms, these workshops lasted over 100 days and were conducted at 10 locations. 500+ teachers have been trained and hundreds of prototypes created by teachers from different streams of science, mathematics, history etc.
Several other initiatives, including ‘ATL School of the Month Challenge’, are conducted frequently to engage the ATLs. Additionally, a two-month long ‘Atal Tinkering Marathon’ was conducted across 6 focus areas that align with the national mission – Clean energy, health, smart mobility, smart agriculture, waste management and water resources. It is a platform to identify and showcase best performing ATLs. An estimated 30000+ students participated, 650+ innovation entries submitted. Mentors will work closely with top 100 to refine their solutions.
With all this activity and engagement, some of the top performing ATLs participated at multiple external events including World Robotic Olympiad, and Maker Faire.
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New Delhi, DH News Service, Dec 15 2017, 22:27 IST
Apple to take major hit; may assemble more in India
In a bid to promote Make in India, the government on Friday increased the import duty on a number of electronic items such as mobile phones, television sets, microwave ovens, LED lamps and water heaters. Representational image. Photo credit: Reuters
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/648348/govt-hikes-import-duty-electronic.html
In a bid to promote Make in India, the government on Friday increased the import duty on a number of electronic items such as mobile phones, television sets, microwave ovens, LED lamps and water heaters.
Customs duty on television sets has been hiked to 15%, and on push button telephones or mobile phones to 15%. These mobile phones attracted no charges earlier.
The import duty on mobile phones is expected to hurt US-based iPhone maker Apple the most as the company imports close to 90% of its devices into India. The move is expected to prompt Apple to assemble more in India.
Apple had earlier demanded a 15-year custom duty exemption on manufacturing and raw materials, components and capital equipment for smartphone manufacturing in India.
The technology major had also announced it would set up a manufacturing unit in Bengaluru and had made presentations to the Commerce Ministry officials.
The import duty on monitors and projectors, water heaters and hair dressing instruments has been doubled to 20%, the notification said. Customs duty on microwave ovens has been doubled to 20% and that on video recording equipment has been hiked to 15% from the current 10%.
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http://www.thehindu.com/business/In...free-basics/article21822796.ece?homepage=true
PTI
New Delhi, December 16, 2017 19:24 IST
Updated: December 16, 2017 19:24 IST
Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said he had denied permission to Facebook’s Free Basics platform when he was handling portfolio of the communications ministry.
“Right to access of internet cannot be denied. Therefore, I said earlier when Facebook came to India with Free Basics when I examined it, (and) I was handling communications department then, I found it will be free only when you enter from my gate. India does not believe in one gate and I did not give them permission for that,” Mr. Prasad said while speaking at the Digital India Summit.
He said it is for the USA to decide their stand on net neutrality but “our stand from day one is very clear - right of non-discriminatory access to internet is not negotiable”.
The sector regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, had issued a regulation in February 2016 on discriminatory pricing over internet access which led to ban of platforms like Free Basics and Airtel Zero.
TRAI ruled against discriminatory pricing for different data platforms or content and said operators cannot enter into pacts with internet companies to subsidise access to some websites. As per ruling, the companies violating the rules will be fined ₹50,000 per day for the duration of contravention, subject to a maximum of ₹50 lakh.
Facebook was offering free internet access to some websites that were available on its Free Basics platform. Following debate over net neutrality, Mr. Prasad as the Telecom Minister had set up a panel of officers from the Department of Telecom (DoT) to examine the matter and come up with recommendations.
Mr. Prasad had then said the government would take a holistic view on net neutrality after the DoT panel and TRAI finalise their recommendations. The DoT panel too had recommended bar on platforms like Free Basics as it will act as gatekeeper to the internet.
Last month,
TRAI finalised its recommendations on net neutrality in which it prohibited internet service providers from making any discrimination in traffic while providing web access by either blocking or throttling some apps, websites and services or by offering ‘fast lanes’ to others.
“I believe internet is one of the finest creation of mankind and must be available for all. If internet is a global platform it must have link with local,” Mr. Prasad said. The DoT has to now take call on TRAI recommendations over net neutrality.
He said the government is making efforts to make India a USD 1 trillion digital economy in coming 5 years which include IT, IT enabled services, shared economy etc. He further said the government recently provided “duty shield” to electronic and mobile sectors to promote domestic manufacturing.
Mr. Prasad said there were two companies that were making mobile phones in the country when he took over as IT and communications minister.
“I am happy to announce today, India today is home to 108 mobile factories in the last three years,” he said.
He added that the government has also decided to bear the charges on transactions up to ₹2,000 made through debit cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems to promote digital transactions.