NIF announced IGNITE Award

Valley student to receive Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam National IGNITE Award from President

Wasim Parvez

Srinagar: The valley student among 31 to receive Dr A P.J Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award (National Award) from the President of India Shri Pranub Mukherjee on 30th November 2015 at IIM Ahmadabad organised and sponsored by National Innovation Foundation (NIF)- India, Department of Science & Technology Govt.of India,an NIF handout said.

Mohammad Touseef Thokar a10th class student of Govt Higher Secondary School Nihama Kulgam who came up with an " Pebble indicating system for cooking vessel" which fetched him National IGNITE Award.Touseef is an average student aged 16 belongs to a middle class farmers family.Touseef is hailing from remote village Bagbal Khuri Batpora of Kulgam district of south Kashmir born in an agrarian family.

While talking to Touseef said, " I couldn't believe that I have been selected for National Award,I am very happy,many people including my classmates ,teachers are appreciating me for this great leap". My aim is to become an engineer,I want to do something for my society.

Mohammed Amin Touseef's father a farmer by profession said," I am very much pleased that my son has proved his matter and made his family and village proud,my prayers are always with him for bright future".

" Due to his continuous illness Touseef couldn't make it to school regularly,he is a good student who made history after nominated for national level award from a from flung backward area,we all are proud of him",said Nayeem Ahmad his teacher.

IGNITE is a national level competition sponsored by NIF in association with its partner Honey Bee Network, and other partners who are actively engaged in promoting creativity of children and grassroots innovators across country. It is a competition for school going children upto 12th standard to get technologically feasible ideas from students that can be converted into prototypes. Students from any stream can take part in it.

NIF received 28106 submissions from the students of 425 districts of all the states & union territories of the country for year 2015.There will be an exhibition of award winning ideas at the venue. NIF will file patents in all deserving cases in the name of students and engineers and designers will be engaged for fabrication of ideas to develop them into prototypes,an official statement of NIF said.

Pertinently the IGNITE award was given by Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam since 2008 to 2014. After the demise of APJ NIF dedicated IGNITE Award to Dr.APJ and named after his name Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award. Dr.Kalam continued to motivate the young and old innovators ,students alike, giving away 142 IGNITE awards to 202 children since its inception in 2008.Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award is an effort to focus primarily on the creativity of the children and promote inclusive and compassionate thinking among them.