Union Minister of State for Education & Development of the North Eastern Region, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, today interacted with the finalists of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025, encouraging and motivating young innovators participating in the country’s largest student-driven innovation initiative.
He lauded the commitment of the finalists in developing creative solutions to real-world challenges of national importance and reiterated the significant role of youth-led innovation in advancing India’s development journey. Dr. Majumdar highlighted that SIH exemplifies the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, as students from across states travel and collaborate on one integrated platform of technology and ideation.
He engaged with participants by asking detailed questions regarding their problem statements, proposed solutions, and their application relevance to various ministries, industries, and departments. During the one-on-one interaction with participants across the seven nodal centres, Dr. Majumdar listened attentively to the innovative solutions developed by student teams for their respective problem statements.
Seven nodal centres had the opportunity to directly engage with the Minister and share the objectives, impact, and technical approach of their projects. The Manipur team at NEHU Shillong briefed the Minister about their AI-enabled geo-fencing tourist safety system designed to provide real-time monitoring, high-risk alerts, and live incident reporting to enhance tourist safety.
At IIT Kharagpur, students from Hyderabad explained their portable gold purity testing device developed for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to ensure fast and highly accurate assessments. Similarly, participants from Tamil Nadu at BHU Varanasi showcased their AI-based classification ecosystem, which supports the Ministry of Textiles and also assists in micro marine biology studies.
Meanwhile, the team from Indore at VSSUT Sambalpur highlighted their digital land records management solution aimed at benefitting more than 51,63,000 forest-dwelling tribals and strengthening Adivasi land rights. The interaction continued with the Bilaspur team at Oriental University, Indore, who presented Prashikshan, a secure, scalable, and government-verified digital training platform for NDMA volunteers, enabling efficient capacity building.
At Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Erode, students from Kolkata shared details of their device designed to remotely uproot the invasive Parthenium hysterophorus weed from a two-metre distance and convert the biomass into alcohol, turning a harmful plant into a beneficial resource.
Concluding the live engagement, the VGTI Mumbai team at IIT Jammu introduced their automated cybersecurity solution developed to protect websites from hacking attempts and prevent data breaches. The Minister appreciated each team’s effort and emphasised the significance of continuous innovation and technological advancement in safeguarding India’s digital and development landscape.
Addressing the participants, he said, “Smart India Hackathon is a visionary initiative inspired by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. He reminds us that India is not merely a nation but a timeless civilisation rising again to reclaim its global leadership.
Our greatest strength is our youth their innovation, resolve, and belief in India’s ethos.” The Grand Finale of SIH 2025, which commenced on 8th December 2025, is being conducted simultaneously across 60 nodal centres nationwide, strengthening its position as India’s largest collaborative innovation event in the education sector.
The 8th edition of the Smart India Hackathon has witnessed record-breaking participation this year. A total of 271 problem statements were received from 58 Central Ministries & Departments, 15 State Government Departments, and 7 PSUs & Corporate Partners, demonstrating the growing trust of the government and industry in student-led solutions.
From across the country, 68,766 student teams submitted 72,165 ideas, reflecting the increasing interest of students in innovation, entrepreneurship, and nation-building. After a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, 1,360 top-performing teams have qualified for the Grand Finale.
These include 8,160 student finalists representing 727 institutes across 201 cities, mentored by 1,365 experts from academia and industry. A key highlight of SIH 2025 is the significant rise in women’s participation, with 2,993 female finalists, including 53 all-women teams, underscoring the expanding role of women in India’s innovation landscape.