- Education Minister Honors 40 Participants Selected for the INSPIRE Standard Award
Education Minister Shri Gajendra Yadav expressed great pleasure that approximately 40 selected students from Chhattisgarh had the opportunity to participate in the national-level event held in New Delhi under the INSPIRE Award program, organized by the Department of Science and Technology. Driven by a Central Government initiative, the INSPIRE Award scheme is becoming a vital medium for promoting scientific temper, creativity, and innovation among children. He remarked that every child possesses some form of innate talent; the need lies in recognizing it and providing the right opportunities. Citing examples such as drone technology, solar energy, and various inventions useful in daily life, he inspired the students to work on new ideas.
He noted that around 80,000 innovative ideas have emerged from Chhattisgarh. Students are being encouraged to excel in education alongside innovation and to make their inventions beneficial for society. While congratulating the selected students and wishing them a bright future, he also expressed gratitude to the parents and teachers who support the nurturing of the children’s talent.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Kamalpreet Singh, Secretary of the Education Department, stated that students need to move forward with innovation, creative thinking, and self-confidence. Innovation does not merely mean inventing new things; it also involves performing existing tasks in new and better ways. Students should develop new ideas, experiment, and learn from their mistakes. He emphasized that regardless of whether students come from rural areas, tribal regions, or any social background, they should never underestimate themselves. Success is founded not on a person’s background, but on their capability, hard work, and mindset. Highlighting the importance of language, he remarked that English, Hindi, Chhattisgarhi, or any other language is simply a medium of expression. What truly matters is the understanding of the subject, knowledge, and the ability to execute tasks.
At a program held in the conference hall of the SCERT building—located within the BTI Ground complex in Raipur—forty students selected from various districts were honored. Also felicitated were the five state participants who had received the opportunity to visit Japan for a learning experience following the ‘INSPIRE-MANAK’ competition held in July. Participants Raman Das Manikpuri, Samiksha Sahu, Sunayana, and Saiyad Ali shared their experiences upon returning from Japan. The event was attended by Mr. Rituraj Raghuvanshi (Director, Department of Public Instruction), senior officials from the Education Department, selected students, and teachers.
It is worth noting that the INSPIRE-MANAK Award scheme is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation (NIF). The primary objective of this scheme is to foster scientific temper, creativity, and innovation among students in classes 6 through 12. Under the scheme, selected students are awarded an incentive of ₹10,000 to develop projects or models based on their original and innovative ideas. This platform enables students to showcase their talent and participate in competitions at the district, state, and national levels.