Context:

Recently, the Finance Minister (FM) announced that 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) will be set up in Government schools in the next five years to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and scientific temper in young minds.

More on the News

• It has been announced as a part of the Union Budget 2025-26 for a major push for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. 
• This move is part of the government’s larger vision for a technology-driven and innovation-led economy, ensuring that students from an early age get exposure to coding, robotics, AI, and 3D printing, among other emerging technologies.
• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), which sets up the labs, has been allocated ₹400 crore for 2025-26, an almost four-fold increase from the revised estimates of the current financial year. 

What Are Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs)?

Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) are innovation spaces set up in schools (between grades 6th to 12th) under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). These labs provide students with access to:

• Do It Your Self kits for electronics, IoT, 3D printing, and robotics
• Tools for coding and artificial intelligence
• Mentorship programs with experts
• Innovation challenges and competitions

ATLs aim to foster a culture of creativity and problem-solving, helping students develop practical skills beyond traditional classroom learning.

Why Are ATLs Important?

• Bridging the Digital Divide: ATLs give students, especially in rural and government schools, access to advanced STEM learning resources they might not otherwise have.
• Encouraging Problem-Solving: The hands-on approach promotes creativity, critical thinking, and innovation, preparing students for the future job market.
• Supporting India’s Startup Ecosystem: By introducing entrepreneurial thinking early on, ATLs contribute to India’s growing startup culture.
• Supporting 'Make in India' and 'Digital India': ATLs help create a skilled workforce equipped with the technological skills needed for India’s digital and manufacturing goals.
• Boosting Global Competitiveness: With countries like the US and China investing in STEM education, ATLs ensure that Indian students stay competitive worldwide.

About the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

Launched in 2016, AIM is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote a culture and ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country via interventions at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.

It aims to ensure the creation of a problem-solving innovative mindset in schools.

It has the following programs: -

• Atal Incubator Centres 
• Atal Community Innovation Centres 
• Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges. 

All the initiatives of AIM are monitored and managed by using real-time Management Information Systems (MIS) and dynamic dashboards. 

The AIM 2.0 initiative with an enhanced scope of work and an allocated budget of Rs.2,750 crore is approved for the period till March 31, 2028.

Similar Schemes: 

School Innovation Marathon (29 July 2024):  It is envisioned as India's largest school innovation challenge organized jointly by the Ministry of Education, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell (MIC).

• Under this initiative students from all schools of the country identify community problems of their choice and develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes. 

Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA) (2015): It is a convergent framework across the school and higher education systems that encourages children to learn and develop their interest in Science, Mathematics and Technology (SMT) through observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, rational reasoning, testability etc.