The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) in its 7th edition in 2024 recorded 150% increase recorded in internal hackathons at the institute level, making this the largest edition so far and further cementing its role as a beacon of innovation, collaboration, and opportunity.
SIH 2024 received an impressive 254 problem statements, categorized into 186 software-related and 68 hardware-related challenges. These problem statements were developed by various ministries and industry partners to address pressing issues. Through the Smart India Hackathon 2024, the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) tried to crowdsource solutions for improving governance and quality of life and provide young citizens with an opportunity to co-create and present innovative solutions to India’s pressing needs.
This year, an impressive 150% increase has been recorded in internal hackathons at the institute level, growing from over 900 in SIH 2023 to over 2247 in SIH 2024, making this the largest edition so far. More than 86000 teams participated in SIH 2024 at the institute level and around 49,000 student teams (each consisting of 6 students and 2 mentors) were recommended by these institutes for the national level round.
The challenges identified and addressed cover 17 major areas/themes linked to sectors of national importance and national priorities. These are Healthcare, Supply chain & Logistics, Smart Technologies, Heritage & Culture, Sustainability, Education & Skill Development, Water, Agriculture & Food, Emerging Technologies, and Disaster Management.
Announced in August this year, the SIH 2024, moved through various stages to culminate in December. From 11 December 2024 to 15 December 2024, the Software Edition ran nonstop for 36 hours and the Hardware Edition ran all these days concurrently at 51 centres nationwide bringing together the brightest young minds to showcase innovative solutions. In all 315 teams were announced as winners.
https://www.sih.gov.in/sih2024/sih2024-grand-finale-result
The Intellectual Property (IP) of the solution resides with the students who have developed and deployed the solution post-Hackathon but the concerned ministry will have lifetime access to the solution for free. This has been done to encourage Startups to be created out of the developed solutions while also keeping in mind the interest of the involved ministries. After the Ministry of Education/AICTE shares the contact details of the winning teams with the respective ministry/department, they initiate direct communication with the winning teams to discuss further development and implementation roadmap of the winning ideas. Ideally, Ministry/ Department may identify an appropriate autonomous/technical agency/institution under its aegis for the overall coordination, development, and implementation of the proposed winning idea. In case the ministry/department does not have any autonomous/technical agency/institution under its aegis capable of handling this task, then a panel of experts may be appointed to oversee the development and deployment of the SIH-winning solution.
Since its inception in 2017, SIH has positively influenced the lives of over 13.91 lakh students, providing a platform to showcase their ideas and talents. With almost 2 lakh teams participating in the hackathons, it has led to a 7x increase in idea submissions over the years, reflecting the growing interest and enthusiasm among students. The SIH has gained significant popularity among students, offering valuable career advancement opportunities. India is ranked 39th out of 139 countries in the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII). With its growing participation, SIH has had a broad, both direct and indirect, impact. It has not only directly addressed problem-solving but has also fostered a hackathon culture across the country, encouraging various government departments and higher education institutions to organize their own hackathons.
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Team Pact from CMRIT emerged victorious under the “Student Innovation” category, presented by the AICTE-MIC Innovation Cell. The team secured a cash prize of ₹50,000. Their project, an AI-powered application designed to simplify complex End User License Agreements (EULAs) and Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) into user-friendly summaries, was lauded for its practicality and creativity. The solution also features an overlay function, enhancing clarity and transparency for app users.
In a stellar display of innovation and teamwork, Team Pact, comprising students from the CSE, ISE, and ECE departments—Bhaavan Prabhakar (Team Lead), Ashwin Jose Thomas, Celia Rose Thomas, Christopher Mark D’Souza, GLK Abhiram Reddy, and Abhay Margabandhu—secured a top position under the “Student Innovation” category at SIH 2024. The team was guided by their mentor, Mrs. Navaneetha M, Assistant Professor, whose expert guidance played a pivotal role in their success.
Team ‘Manthan 1’, Master of Management Studies (MMS) students from MET IOM, Mumbai emerged victorious competing in a 36-hour coding Hackathon. The MET IOM team (Manthan 1) successfully tackled a challenging problem statement from the Ministry of Law and Justice. Their solution focused on simplifying and gamifying the learning process for key aspects of the Indian Constitution, including the Preamble, Fundamental Rights (Part 3), Directive Principles of State Policy (Part 4), and Fundamental Duties (Part 4A). The innovative platform they developed gears toward to make constitutional literacy engaging and accessible to citizens.
The team developed innovative solutions, creating two main games and four mini-games to make learning engaging and impactful. The main games, Samvidhan Manthan, a 3D role-playing game with immersive storytelling, and Samvidhan Mandal, a digital board game exploring concepts of law, rights, and imprisonment, captivated the judges. The mini-games, including Shasn, a monopoly-style game on constitutional concepts; Snakes & Ladders (Beginner) and Snakes & Ladders (Advanced), featuring MCQs of varying difficulty levels; and Samvidhan Explorer, a 2D animated game, provided a creative and interactive learning experience.
