SAMRIDH INITIATIVE

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The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new partnership under the Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) initiative.
The collaboration aims to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, rural and tribal regions.

About

In 2020, USAID, IPE Global, and stakeholders from the Indian government, academia, and the private sector developed the SAMRIDH initiative.
The initiative blended finance facility to combine public and philanthropic funds with commercial capital to create and rapidly scale market-based health solutions.

Significance of the new collaboration

The new partnership aims to enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations by leveraging AIM’s expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.
AIM and SAMRIDH will leverage philanthropic capital, and public sector resources to offset barriers for commercial investments in small and medium health enterprises to invest in and scale healthcare solutions.
The collaboration will focus on innovations across the healthcare landscape with the common goal to mount an effective response to the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 and build health system preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks and health emergencies.

Atal Innovation Mission

With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission, an initiative of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Government Of India, is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.

AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.

Eligibility

Schools (minimum Grade VI - X) managed by Government, local body or private trusts/society to set up ATL.

The applicant school would have to provide at least 1,500 Sq. Ft. of built up space. Applicant schools from hilly / Himalayan and island states, UTs would have to provide atleast 1,000 Sq. Ft. of built up space. The existing facilities for meeting rooms and video conferencing among others can be used to supplement the laboratory.