Gujarat cm bhupendra patel emphasizes youth participation at smart india hackathon 2023

Gujarat cm bhupendra patel emphasizes youth participation at smart india hackathon 2023

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel attended the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2023, emphasizing the importance of combining science and spirituality for holistic development.

The event, held in Ahmedabad, showcased the state's commitment to fostering innovation and problem-solving among the youth.

In his address, CM Patel stated, "Science is good up to a level but spirituality is one level above science.

The world's most popular leader PMNarendra Modi has shown us the dream of a developed India. Hackathon is the name given to real-life problem-solving. A hackathon is a group of students for problem-solving. Smart India Hackathon is a great example of youth participation."

The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell.

It provides students with a platform to address critical problems faced by the government, ministries, departments, industries, and other organizations.

Regarded as the world's biggest open innovation model, SIH nurtures a culture of product innovation and problem-solving among students.

SIH is conducted annually in two formats- SIH Software and SIH Hardware Editions for higher education students.

In 2022, Smart India Hackathon - Junior was introduced for school students, aiming to instil a culture of innovation and a problem-solving attitude at the school level.

The scope of the Smart India Hackathon has expanded since its inception in 2017, with growing enthusiasm among participating students and organizations providing problem statements.

Each year, SIH impacts lakhs of students, offering them a national platform to apply their educational learnings to real-world problem-solving.

The event aligns students' interests towards innovation and entrepreneurship.

The grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2023 is scheduled from 19th to 23rd December 2023.

The event has garnered substantial participation from ministries, departments, public sector units (PSUs), and private organizations, providing 231 problem statements across 51 departments of 25 ministries.

This year's SIH grand finale will see the participation of over 12,000 participants at the national level.

These SIH teams, supported by 2,500+ mentors, will converge at assigned nodal centres to collaboratively work on problem statements, showcasing the power of collaborative innovation in addressing real-world challenges.