PM Modi to interact with young innovators at Smart India Hackathon '24 grand finale today

New Delhi [India], December 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2024 via video conferencing on Wednesday.

According to the Prime Minister's office, PM Modi will join the event at 4.30 pm today via video conferencing.

The Prime Minister, in a post on X, expressed his delight in joining the event and said, "I am looking to join a very special programme today at 4:30 PM via video conferencing - the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2024. It will be a delight to interact with pioneering young innovators who will surely enhance India's growth trajectory in the times to come.""Over the years, the Smart India Hackathon has emerged as a vibrant forum of encouragement for our youth," he added.

During the event, the Prime Minister will interact with the participants and address the gathering, offering encouragement to the next generation of problem-solvers, as per the PMO.

This marks the 7th edition of SIH, a flagship initiative designed to empower students to tackle real-world challenges through innovation.

The Software Edition of the Grand Finale will be an intensive 36-hour nonstop competition, while the Hardware Edition will span five days, ending on December 15, 2024.

The event will take place across 51 nodal centres nationwide, featuring over 1,300 student teams competing in various domains of national importance.

This year's hackathon has set a new benchmark, recording a 150 per cent increase in institute-level internal hackathons, growing from 900 in 2023 to an impressive 2,247 in 2024.

This expansion has made SIH 2024 the largest edition to date, with over 86,000 teams participating at the institute level.

From these, around 49,000 teams, each comprising six students and two mentors, have progressed to the national-level competition.

Participants will tackle more than 250 problem statements submitted by 54 Ministries, Departments, State Governments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and industries.

These challenges span 17 themes linked to sectors of national importance, including Healthcare, Smart Technologies, Heritage and Culture, Sustainability, Water Management, Education, and Disaster Management.

Some of the notable problem statements include enhancing images of darker regions on the moon, presented by ISRO; developing a real-time Ganga water quality monitoring system using AI, satellite data, IoT, and dynamic models, presented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and creating a smart yoga mat integrated with AI, presented by the Ministry of AYUSH.

The Smart India Hackathon has become a platform for young innovators to collaborate with government and industry stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions to pressing challenges.

By fostering a culture of creativity and problem-solving, SIH continues to nurture India's future innovators and reinforces the country's position as a global hub of technological advancements and talent. (ANI)