AMRIT MAHOTSAV SHRI SHAKTI INNOVATION PROJECT

Hello everyone! Today, we will be discussing the “Amrit Mahotsav Shri Shakti Innovation Project” recently launched by the Government of India, and provide you with knowledgeable facts.

On the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, MyGov, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Government of India, and UN Women have collaborated to launch the Amrit Mahotsav Shri Shakti Innovation Challenge 2021 to encourage technology solutions developed by Women Entrepreneurs that facilitate Women’s Safety and Empowerment. The main goal is Nari Sashaktikaran, to empower women and assist them in reaching their greatest potential.

MyGov is the one-of-a-kind, path-changing challenge announced in 2014 by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. It is the Government of India’s citizen-centric platform that allows individuals to engage with the government and contribute to effective governance. MyGov brings the Government closer to the common citizen by using online platforms, thereby creating an interface for a healthy exchange of ideas and views. MyGov’s ultimate goal is of contributing to the socio-economic transformation of India. MyGov is an important element of India’s policy and decision-making processes, and the platform has given individuals a voice in the governance process, allowing them to become stakeholders not just in policy development and suggestion, but also in policy implementation through concrete tasks. Discussion, Tasks, Talks, Polls, and Blogs based on various public policy problems are some of the key features.

As the UN agency with the mission to work on gender equality, UN Women is responsible for leading and coordinating United Nations system activities to ensure that gender equality and gender mainstreaming pledges are translated into action globally and at the national level. UN Women strives to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between men and women as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security, all of which are inscribed in the United Nations Charter.

The Government of India, led by the visionary Prime Minister, is dedicated to empowering women and has made several revolutionary measures in this regard. These include the “MUDRA scheme”, which provided interest-free loans to the poor, “the Ujjwala scheme”, which provided women with free gas connections to relieve them of the drudgery of smoke-filled cooking, “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” to educate the girl child, and the abolition of triple talaq to give women dignity. The government has also taken several steps to combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in its various forms, including domestic violence, sexual or physical violence by a partner, exploitation of children, sexual violence, abuse, and harassment, and at various sites, including private, public, work, and online. The UN Secretary-General has also appealed to the leaders of the Member States to prioritize ‘Women and Girls Safety,’ and to prioritize gender-responsive measures in their plans to meet the issue of COVID-19, to rebuild a better and more equitable society. India was one of 140 countries to support the appeal.

While the Indian government is focused on epidemic prevention and control, it has also increased its efforts to address the growing problem of safety (including cyber safety) and empowerment for women and girls through different programs run by its Ministers.

Recognizing the negative impact of technology on women and girls, MyGov, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and UN Women have joined forces to address this issue through their respective mandates, and have decided to launch the Shri Shakti Challenge 2021: Amrit Mahotsav Edition to encourage technology solutions that promote women’s safety and empowerment.

Objective

To encourage and support female entrepreneurs and female-led start-ups in their efforts to discover creative solutions in the field of women’s safety and empowerment. In continuation of last year’s Covid-19 Shri Shakti Challenge, MyGov and UN Women have collaborated once more, this time with a special focus on women entrepreneurs-driven solutions. The solutions are intended to make use of technology that may be used to assist women and girls with challenges related to women’s safety and empowerment.

Stages

This Project will be having 3 stages – The registration Stage, the Ideation Stage, and the Proof of Concept (POC) Stage.

STAGE-1: Program Launch and Registration

The Program will begin on August 17, 2021. Individuals and organizations can register until September 17th, and the deadline for submitting ideas is September 17th, 2021. To promote involvement from both academics and business, participants are not required to be registered start-ups to apply for the challenge. However, if selected, the teams will be required to register as Start-ups/Companies if they have not previously done so. If this is not done, the shortlisted persons will be eliminated from the program.

STAGE-2: Ideation Stage

The goal of this stage is to invite people to make proposals.

During the Ideation Stage, 10 entrepreneurs will be chosen based on the following criteria:

• Innovation
• Usability
• Objectivity about the subject

The solution’s impact on society, that is, how useful it is in addressing concerns related to women’s safety and empowerment amid the present COVID-19 crisis.

The 10 shortlisted entrepreneurs will each get INR 1,000,000 (total INR 1,000,000) to build a Proof of Concept (POC) for their concept. Mentors will also be appointed to the entrepreneurs to assist in the development of the project.

The concepts will be reviewed, and the top ten (10) teams will be chosen to be groomed to develop the Proof of Concept.

STAGE-3: POC Stage

Based on the POC, the submitted solutions will be evaluated again on the following parameters:

• Replicability
• Scalability
• Ease of deployment/implementation

Potential hazards associated with the solution’s deployment

Based on the review, five entries will be chosen for a prize of INR 500,000 each for final development and rollout.

Registration on MyGov Portal

All participants must create an account on the MyGov Portal. Following registration, participants’ registered Email IDs will get an email recognizing their MyGov Registration. Users can participate in the challenge after enrolling on MyGov Portal.

4 Evaluation Steps

Step I: Organizing Team’s First Level Quality Check & Review

Step II: Assessment & Screening Shortlist 20-25 submissions for presentation

Step III: Entries for the Final Stage are presented and shortlisted

Step IV: Final Stage Presentation by 10 Entries

Eligibility Criteria

1. The Prizes will only be available to female entrepreneurs.

The competition is available to the following organizations: 

• Start-ups,
• Indian Legal Entities
• Individual / Team

1. If an Applicant (Individual) is not yet registered as a Start-up, they may still submit ideas, but they must be registered in India as a private limited company (as defined in the Companies Act, 2013), a partnership firm (registered under Section 59 of the Partnership Act, 1932), or a limited liability partnership (under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008).

1. The COVID19 Shri Shakti Challenge is only open to organizations or entities registered in India.

1. Participants must be Indian citizens or companies/start-ups with a majority interest owned by Indian citizens.

1. If any IPR/Patent is utilized in the development of the product as part of the Challenge, the contesting company must have the lawful rights to use the IPR/Patents.

1. The product for the Challenge must be conceived and produced in India.

1. An entity must be regarded as a “start-up” as defined by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in G.S.R. order no. 127(E) dated February 19, 2019.

Rules & Guidelines

• The winner(s) will keep the solution/product created as part of the Challenge. The winner/s must, however, adhere to the terms and conditions defined for the Challenge both during the competition and after receiving the award.

• The solution must not violate/ breach/ copy any idea/ concept/ product that is already copyrighted, patented, or in the market. 

• Anyone found to be non-compliant may have their participation canceled.

• In the event of a disagreement, the Secretary’s (MEITY) decision will be the last word on the subject.

• If people are affiliated with any firm, they must obtain a NOC from their company indicating that the particular company will have no right on the Prize Money and or IPR. Furthermore, the person must notify the employer of the registration of the new company by NOC or otherwise. 

• The funds provided during the ideation stage should be used solely for the development of the solution/PoC. 

• The Teams will be required to produce a Fund Utilization Certificate before proceeding to the Next Stage on the date determined and announced by the Organizing Team.

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