Bhubaneswar, Dec. 6: Three schools from the state have been selected to set up Atal Tinkering Laboratories under the Niti Ayog programme.

The DAV public schools at Chandrasekharpur, Pokhariput and Unit-VIII will receive Rs 20 lakh each for five years to set up the labs that aim to encourage innovation among students.

The funds will be utilised for development of the laboratories and other infrastructure.

The students will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The labs will have do-it-yourself kits and equipment on science, electronics, robotics, open source micro controller boards, sensors, 3D printers and computers. Other desirable facilities include meeting rooms and video conferencing facility. It will also conduct various activities ranging from regional and national-level competitions, exhibitions, workshops on problem solving, designing and fabrication of products and lecture series.

Students from Class VI to XII can use the laboratories to give shape to their ideas.

"The labs would provide the students with a unique opportunity to cultivate their spirit of creativity and innovation," said regional director of DAV Group of Institutions, Odisha, K.C. Satpathy.

"Our students had presented science projects on smart sewage system and another on an alert for railway level-crossings," said Debendra Pati, a teacher of DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur.