Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Vijay Rupani has announced the forming of the Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) to promote innovation by children in the state. This centre will identify children who have good ideas and then support and guide them.

What will this Innovation Center do?  

The centre will work with schools and other organisations to find children who are innovative and who have great ideas and the potential to carry them out. The centre will conduct proper programs where they will be supported by mentors. This centre will also find ways to fund (that is get money) to carry out the ideas that the children have. The initiative is supported by the state government which encourages student start-ups. There is also a joint partnership between Gujarat University and UNICEF for this initiative.

Who was Vikram Sarabhai?

Vikram Sarabhai was an award-winning physicist and innovator. He is considered the Father of the Indian space programme who helped develop nuclear power in India – he set up the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. Not only that, Mr. Sarabhai also established the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1972. He was also one of the main people responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.