New Delhi, Dec 11: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan virtually inaugurated the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2024 on Wednesday.

Addressing the occasion, Pradhan expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inspiring with the vision of SIH, which has become a hotspot of innovation and creativity where students from across the country put their minds to find solutions to contemporary challenges. Students are the drivers of a Viksit Bharat and their innovation and zeal can find solutions to the challenges of the world, he said.

The Minister also highlighted that the talent, vision, hard work, leadership and innovation of the youth of the country will pave the way for India to emerge as a 21st-century knowledge economy, a development model for emerging economies, as well as the growth engine of the world.

The Hackathon is taking place in 51 centres across the country concurrently, the Ministry of Education said. 

In line with the Prime Minister’s vision of youth-led development, the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve the pressing problems of Ministries and Departments of the Government, industries and other organizations.

Launched in 2017, the SIH has gained massive popularity among young innovators. In the last six editions, innovative solutions have emerged in different domains and stand out as established startups. Till date, SIH Alumni have established over 100 Startups, many of which have strong social dimensions, the Ministry said.

Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar; Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sanjay Kumar; Chairperson NETF, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe; Vice Chairman, AICTE, Dr. Abhay Jere were, among others, present at the event.

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