HRD Ministry launches Atal rankings for Higher Education Institutions .

The Union government has introduced Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARRIA).

Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the ARRIA “will rank educational institutions for innovation output based on all major indicators and parameters used globally”, HRD minister minister Prakash Javadekar said.

To promote a culture of innovation and research in higher education, the human resource development (HRD) ministry on Thursday launched the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARRIA), Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced.

Speaking at the inauguration of an innovation cell at All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) in New Delhi, he said: “India lacks innovation. It is a challenge for us to innovate; innovation will make our country prosper. New thinking must be encouraged and every college must have an innovation cell.”

An HRD official said the cell has been established to systematically foster the culture of innovation in all higher education institutions across the country. “The primary mandate of the cell is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through a network of innovation clubs in higher educational institutions,” the official said.

Union minister of state for HRD Satya Pal Singh said innovation must not be limited only to the engineering students.