ATL stands for Atal Tinkering Lab. In a bid to make its impact on the world with a vision to ‘cultivate 1 million children in India as neoteric innovators’, the think tank of India, NITI Aayog, has established a network of ‘Atal Tinkering Labs’ (ATL) under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) with the objective to endorse STEM system of education, by cultivating curiosity, creativity, and imagination in the young India. An ATL is a workspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through a do-it-yourself approach and inculcate skills such as adaptive learning, computational thinking, physical computing, and rapid calculations, among many others.

Schools (Grades VI – X) that come under the central/state government, local bodies (municipality/Nagar Nigam), private trusts/society, or the tribal/social welfare department can apply for setting up ATLs in their campus.

Note: Applications have been closed for the year 2018-19.

₹ 20.00 lakh in total – A one-time establishment charge of up to ₹ 10.00 lakh is provided for each ATL in the first year for instruments, prototyping equipment like do-it-yourself kits, 3D printer, electronic tools, etc.

The remaining ₹ 10.00 lakh is provided over a maximum period of 5 years for operating the ATL, maintenance of equipment, purchase of consumables, organizing popular science lecture series, innovation events, scientific activities, and competitions, and for payment of honorariums to the faculty and mentors involved.

Applications will be accepted from eligible schools to establish ATL.

The selection criteria are:

The parameters to be used for the  evaluation of schools:

Selection Process Timeline:

For schools in hilly regions or in islands, the minimum area requirement has been reduced to 1000 sq. ft. The schools need to mention the same by stating in the Letter of Principal that they are located in a hilly region/island and need a space concession.

Schools that wish to set up an ATL in their premises must visit http://www.niti.gov.in and submit their application online. Furthermore, a declaration form on the school letterhead must be submitted online by the school.

The list of the documents along with complete instructions is mailed to the selected schools on their registered e-mail id.

Using the Grant for Setting Up the ATL

• An establishment cost (one-time) of up to Rs. 10 lakh is granted to each ATL, which can be used for the following:
• Up to Rs. 7 lakh for procuring equipment as mentioned in the ATL list of equipment in the first 2 to 3 months after receiving the grant.
• Up to Rs. 1.5 lakh for purchasing laptops and a projector in case there isn’t any prior arrangement in the ATL/school.
• Up to Rs. 1.5 lakh for refurbishing the ATL: repairing/replacing the electrical fittings, internet facility, acquiring furniture such as tables and chairs, storage boxes, printing banners, boards etc

Using the Grant for Operation and Maintenance

Rs.10.00 lakh is provided to each ATL in instalments of Rs.2.00 lakh per year (over a period of 5 years). The O&M grant can be used for the following purposes:

• Repair & Maintenance of ATL equipment
• Purchase of consumables/spares
• Travel allowance to the ATL faculty and/or ATL students for attending events, meetings, and training programmes organized by AIM
• Organising intra and inter-school ATL related events such as the ATL Tinkerfest, ATL Marathon, ATL mentor sessions, competitions, guest lectures, hands-on workshops for students, training workshops for teachers, and community outreach
• Payment of token honorarium to one ATL-in-charge (only) up to maximum Rs. 5000 per month.

The school cannot use the grant for:

• Paying the salaries of the ATL-in-charge, teachers, assistants, equipment vendors, and mentors

Up to Rs. 1.50 lakh from the grant can be used for this purpose. As per the Grant Utilization guidelines, the grant can be used for renovating the ATL in the matter of:

Electrical fittings, Internet facility, painting and whitewashing, arranging furniture, storage boxes, printing banners and boards, etc.

Yes, the school needs to have a separate bank account for the ATL. The bank account should be in the school’s name in a nationalised bank or any bank having CBS (Core Banking Solution) facility. The school can maintain its existing account only if the account is in the school’s name. If the school doesn’t have a bank account in its name then it needs to open a bank account in the name of :

<Your School name as per NITI List + ATL GRANT> (No abbreviation allowed) either with State Bank of India or with another nationalised bank or with a bank having CBS (Core Banking Solution) facility.

Schools with ATLs must use the PFMS system (https://pfms.nic.in/) for all transactions in connection with the ATL grant.

It is also advised to the schools to list down their vendors on PFMS and use this method for all kinds of payments and advances given to them.

Rs. 500 is the upper limit on cash transactions on an appropriate cash voucher(s) and/or bills.

Transactions via PFMS online transfer (PPA mode) are a must in case they are above Rs. 500. Bills must be provided for the same.

In case the Internet and the PFMS system are not available, the school can use either a cheque or NEFT.

The school, after receiving the grant, must arrange the equipment to make it functional.

The school is obligated to set up the ATL, inaugurate it, and make it viable within 3 months of acquiring the grant and the guidelines.

Below are the guidelines for the process of procuring the equipment:

All schools with ATLs are obligated to purchase equipment as per the following two ATL Equipment lists:

http://aim.gov.in/pdf/ATL-Equipment-Batch-of-60.pdf
http://aim.gov.in/pdf/ATL-Equipment-Batch-of-90.pdf

All the equipment considered necessary as suggested by experts have been classified into the following four packages:

P1 – Electronics Development, Robotics, Internet of Things, and Sensors
P2 – Rapid Prototyping Tools
P3 – Mechanical, Electrical, and Measurement tools
P4 – Power Supply, Accessories and Safety equipment

The schools can take help of resources on http://aim.gov.in/resources.php to understand about components and equipment.
An indicative list of vendors has been announced by NITI Aayog. The list, however, is neither exhaustive nor mandatory; it is indicative and suggestive. Schools can obtain material from other sources as well in accordance with their convenience, quality, and pricing. This decision can be taken at the school’s discretion.

The suggestive list of vendors is mailed to all selected schools on their registered e-mail id.

Yes, the schools can change their registered e-mail id. The concerned school must send a formal mail from their new e-mail id at atlhelp-niti@nic.in requesting a change and stating the reason for the same. Please mention your school name and unique id in all such e-mails.

If any students from the nearby schools or the community are interested in accessing the ATL or working with the students of the concerned school, then the school with the ATL must permit them to do so. The schools are not allowed to charge anyone for accessing the ATLs.

It is possible for any external organization including NGOs to partner with a school with an ATL. However, no financial transactions of any kind are allowed from the ATL grant.

All schools with ATLs are obligated to put up the ATL banner outside the main gate of their premise and at the entrance of their ATL. The banner can be downloaded from http://aim.gov.in/guidelines-for-school.php.

They must also put up the ATL posters inside the lab. The posters can be downloaded from http://aim.gov.in/guidelines-for-school.php.

AIM’s logo can be used on posters, banners, and standees which are created for intra and inter-school events related to ATL such as:

• ATL Tinkerfest
• ATL Marathon
• ATL mentor sessions
• ATL School of the Month
• ATL Community Day
• ATL Hands-on workshops for students.
• ATL Teacher Training Workshops

The logo can also be used on the certificates given to students during such events.

The following points are to be kept in mind when using AIM’s logo:

• The logo must be prominently displayed with no interferences from other text or design.
• The dimensions of the logo must remain unchanged i.e. the aspect ratio must not be distorted.
• The logo cannot be used as a watermark with text or any graphics over it.
• The logo must be displayed at the top-centre of all banners, posters, standees and other such creatives. When using multiple logos, the AIM’s logo may be displayed at the top right corner.
• Getting an explicit permission from NITI Aayog is mandatory for any additional use.
• All the files must be deleted once the work is complete in order to prevent their ill-usage. In case it occurs, the original recipient of the logo will be held accountable.

Resources:

http://www.aim.gov.in/