<span style="color: #222222;">In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the NITI Aayog will be establishing 1000 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) of which 187 will be established by the end of this financial year. The ATL is an initiative to boost cognitive development in children where they are given avenues to experiment and widen their understanding of phenomena on scientific ideas. Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a meeting on Thursday to take stock of arrangements for opening ATLs in various Educational Institutions of J&K. Worth to mention, from 187 of this year's target, 31 ATLs are being established across Government schools of the UT, whereas 50 will come up in various educational institutions including KVs, JNVs, and private schools. <br />''<br />''The process for establishing the remaining 106 labs will also be initiated shortly. The CS directed the School Education Department to fix timelines for establishing these laboratories in various districts of the UT and also emphasize the nomination of trainers/champions against suitable incentives. Besides, the department was also asked to ensure regular maintenance of infrastructure and equipment of these centres in convergence with other Government departments. He impressed upon the department to promote scientific temper among the students in areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence by proactively engaging them in various experiments and scientific activities. Dr. Mehta added that these centres should be viewed as innovation hubs to expose the children to scientific experiments, stir innovation in the young minds, and encourage them to contribute to the scientific advancement of the nation.</span><br />