- The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, launched the Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) programxx in NITI Aayog, New Delhi on July 31, 2019.
- The programme aims at spurring community Innovation in underserved and unserved areas of the country.
- Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the ACIC program. Stressing upon the significance of innovation, he said that through innovation, India can become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024-25.
- According to the AIM Mission Director R Ramanan, the new initiative aims to encourage the spirit of innovation in the country’s specific areas that lack the required infrastructure and facilitating innovation ecosystem.The purpose of ACIC is to enable establishment of socially inclusive innovation ecosystem as well as to encourage equitable distribution of necessary infrastructure for stimulating innovation across the country, he added.
- Addressing on the occasion, VC NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar stated that the new initiative offers opportunity to talented youth and researchers in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities, Smart cities, Aspirational Districts, North East, J&K, Rural and Tribal regions of India, unserved and underserved regions of Tier 1 / Metro cities.
- CEO NITI Aayog Shri Amitabh Kant said that the ACIC programme would focus in over 484 districtslocated in unserved/underserved regions of India.
