NITI Aayog announces the launch of 'Atal New India Challenges' programme

The project envisions grants of up to Rs 1 crore for selected innovations, products in 17 focus areas.

NEW DELHI: NITI Aayog on Thursday announced the launch of the 'Atal New India Challenges' programme under the Atal Innovation Mission to provide grants of up to Rs 1 crore to innovative products and solutions to address challenges in 17 different fields that have been named.

"Applicants showing capability, intent, and potential to productize technologies will be awarded grants up to Rs. One crore. This grant support will be supplemented by mentoring, handholding, incubating and other support as needed at various stages of commercialisation while generating wider deployment," read a government statement about the programme.

The statement said the grants will not be mutually exclusive - multiple grants may be given in a focus area, based on the Selection Committee's perception of potential. Furthermore, the winning grantees would be supported with mentoring, go-to-market strategies by leading incubators, accelerators and experts, technical support, and other means. 

The programme is currently accepting applications at http://aim.gov.in/atal-new-india-challenge.php and the last date for applications is June 10, 2018. 

The Atal New India Challenge will be run in collaboration with five Union Ministries, and will invite prospective innovators, MSMEs and start-ups to design market-ready products, using cutting edge technologies or prototypes across the 17 identified focus areas listed below:

1.     Climate-smart agriculture
2.     Fog vision system for road and rail
3.     Prevention of Rail failure using emerging technologies
4.     Predictive maintenance of Rolling Stock
5.     Alternate fuel based transportation
6.     Smart Mobility     
7.     Electric Mobility
8.     Safe transport
9.     Instant Portable Water Quality Testing
10.    Affordable Desalination / Recycling Technology
11.    Waste management recycling / reuse
12.    Garbage composition devices
13.    Quality of compost
14.    Decentralized composting
15.    Mixing blades for composting
16.    Waste in public spaces
17.    Dissuading public littering

The grants will be awarded in up to 3 tranches within 12 - 18 months, contingent on achieving milestones. A total of 50 grants in fiscal year 2018 - 19 may be given out, the statement said.