Community Innovator Fellowship launched by AIM, NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP


 Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF): Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India launched the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF)

  • CIF was launched to mark the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

About International Day of Women and Girls in Science:

  • In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to achieve equal access and participation of women and girls in science.
  • It also aims at achieving gender equality and women empowerment.

About Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF):

  • The Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF) has been developed as a pre-incubation model.
  • It will facilitate the youth to establish their social enterprise focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) based solutions for solving community issues.
  • This is going to be a one-year-long intensive fellowship program wherein an aspiring community innovator can apply irrespective of their socio-economic background.
  • During the course of this fellowship, each fellow would be hosted at an Atal Community Innovation Centre and would acquire SDG awareness, entrepreneurial skills and life skills while working on their idea.

About Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs):

  • ACIC programme is an initiative under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
  • The Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs) aims to nurture youth-led innovations by providing suitable resources in terms of operating facilities, co-working space, maker labs and a dynamic business network to the innovator.
  • ACICs have been established with a focus to develop the start-up and innovation ecosystem in the underserved regions of the country.
  • Currently, there are 12 ACICs across 9 states in the country and the target is to establish 50 such centres in the country.

Note: India’s 1st Atal Community Innovation Center (ACIC) was inaugurated at Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur (VGU).

Collaboration with UNDP:

  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working in India since 1951 in areas of human development.
  • It has collaborated with various ministries and organisations in India to take up different issues.
  • In Odisha, UNDP has partnered with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to harness the potential of springs to meet the water scarcity issues.
  • Other UNDP India projects include Plastic Waste Management Programme (2018-2024) aiming towards developing a sustainable model for plastic waste management in India, North East India Conservation Initiative (NEICI) and more.

About UNDP:

  • The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations organization.
  • INDP was founded in 22 November 1965 in United States.
  • It tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development.
  • It is headquartered in New York City.
  • It is the largest UN development aid agency, with offices in 170 countries.

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