Union MoS for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar inaugurates grand finale of 5th Smart India Hackathon at Galgotias University

Greater Noida, August 25th, 2022: Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving.

The Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon was inaugurated on Thursday morning at Galgotias University, with the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar as the Chief Guest.

 

Other dignitaries like the Chairman of AICTE, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, and Vice Chairman of AICTE, Dr. Punya, Dr. Abhay Jere, and Chancellor of Galgotias University, Suneel Galgotia were in attendance as well.

At Galgotias, 22 teams from different states of India including West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Kerala are participating and will create solutions for real-life problems faced by the government.

Sarkar in his inaugural address begins by expressing his gratefulness to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for such a unique initiative that provides students with a platform to solve real-life issues and showcase their abilities.

He adds that PM Modi interacts with the students every year and will do the same on Thursday evening via video conferencing.

 

“India is rapidly moving towards the path of development and the passion for innovation must be inculcated in all of us, especially the importance of start-ups. In this regard, our government launched Make in India in 2014, Startup India in 2015, and Smart India Hackathon in 2016. These initiatives fostered the spirit of innovation and creation. India has the potential to become the Startup Capital of the world”, he remarked.

Sarkar further mentions that the aim of SIH is to promote out-of-the-box thinking, innovation, radical thinking, and entrepreneurship.

 

“SIH has been acclaimed as the world’s biggest open innovation program which encourages problem solving and creativity among students since 2017,” he said.

The education minister also notes the introduction of Smart India Hackathon Junior for school students.

He remarks on the growth of participating students over the years, “Not only did we observe more than 2 lakh applications this year for SIH, but we also saw a greater number of female students which is a proud moment for us all”.

 

Lastly, Sarkar lauds the efforts of AICTE and SIH to continuously provide students with a platform that builds a culture of innovation and smart education and extends his best wishes to all the participating students.

Dr. Abhay Jere, the Chief Innovation Officer of the Ministry of Education and the driving force behind the SIH competitions was in attendance too.

Jere, in his speech, highly appreciates the ideology and efforts of PM Modi to bring the Smart India Hackathon to launch this initiative.

 

He also thanks Prof. Sahasrabudhe for his reforms and ideas that have completely turned around the AICTE.

Talking about the ministries, Jere says “I would like to thank all 53 government organizations that have provided more than 476 interesting problem statements to the students”.

 

He also expresses gratitude to the 75 nodal centers that are organizing the event and boosting the aims of SIH.

Lastly, Jere thanks all the students for their participation and support.

Smart India Hackathon hardware grand finale is scheduled from August 25th to 29th and the software grand finale is scheduled from August 25th to 26th.

Photo Highlights: Inauguration of 5th Smart India Hackathon Grand Finale at Galgotias University