In recent news, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has embarked on a new initiative known as ‘YUKTI 2.0’. This venture is aimed at enabling a systematic way of incorporating technologies with commercial potentials and information regarding startup incubations within higher education institutions. Notably, YUKTI 2.0 is an advanced extension of ‘YUKTI (Young India combating Covid with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) Portal’, which was initially set up to identify ideas that could be useful in the prevailing Covid pandemic.
Creation of A Comprehensive Database
A notable aspect of this initiative is the creation of a comprehensive database. The Ministry has extended an invitation to stakeholders including students, faculty members, startups, and others from higher educational institutions, urging them to register on the YUKTI portal. Here, they are encouraged to share their unique innovations and cutting-edge technologies. The primary aim of creating such a database is to showcase these innovations to the investor community.
The Importance of the Database
The impending database has significant importance. For one, the submitted innovations will be showcased to various groups within the investor community such as businessmen, farmers and industrialists. This provides an avenue for students to sell their innovative ideas. However, it’s worth noting that only ideas with commercialisation potential will be displayed on the YUKTI 2.0 platform, rather than preliminary innovations.
This database not only paints a clear picture of the state of innovation within our higher education institutions, but also aids the government in identifying bottlenecks within the system. This ultimately leads to the formulation of appropriate policies that, in turn, bolster the innovation ecosystem within the country. Furthermore, the database offers viable solutions to problems that the country is currently facing.
Aligning with Atmanirbhar Bharat
YUKTI 2.0 is aligned with the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat, as it fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship within academic institutions.
Additional Initiatives to Bolster Innovation
In addition to YUKTI 2.0, several other initiatives have been launched to further enhance innovation within the country. The Institutions of Eminence (IoE) Scheme, for instance, aims to establish or upgrade 20 institutions (10 from the public sector and 10 from the private sector) into world-class teaching and research institutions.
Several amendments have also been made to the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme to spur research within the country. Moreover, the government, through the Atal Innovation Mission, has established Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across the country. This scheme is dedicated to fostering curiosity, creativity and imagination within young minds, ultimately promoting skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computing.
