NIDHI

NIDHI

Subject: Governance

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has unveiled ‘Cool’ PPE Kits for Corona Warriors developed under National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI).

Concept:

What is ‘Cool’ PPE Kits for Corona Warriors?

• It is named as Cov-Tech developed by a student innovator Nihaal Singh Adarsh from Mumbai.
• It is a compact and frugal innovation which is a ventilation system for PPE kits.
• It takes the surrounding air, filters it and pushes it into the PPE suit.
• The design of the ventilation system ensures a complete air seal from the PPE kit.
• It provides a breeze of fresh air to the user in a gap of just 100 seconds.
• The Cov-Tech Ventilation System became a reality, thanks to a Rs. 10 lakh grant for prototype development and product innovation.
• The innovator received the funding from NIDHI’s Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring technology entrepreneurs (PRAYAS).

About NIDHI

• It is an umbrella program pioneered by the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
• It is aimed at nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups.
• The objectives of NIDHI are:
• To take forward student innovations in IEDC / NewGen IEDC programme to commercialization stage;
• To promote student startups; and
• To accelerate the journey of idea to prototype by providing initial funding assistance.