The seventh Smart India Hackathon started concurrently on December 10 at 51 centres nationwide, Union Ministry of Education officials said. This year, SIH is being held simultaneously across 51 centres nationwide, with IIT Hyderabad (IITH) serving as the host for the first time. This year, IIT Hyderabad (IITH) will host the grand finale of the edition of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) - Software Edition on December 11 and 12 under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and AICTE. The event will be inaugurated virtually by Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan. Dr Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director of NAARM, will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest at IITH. The programme will be led by Prof B.S. Murty, Director of IIT Hyderabad, along with Prof C. Malla Reddy, Dean of Innovation, Translation, and Startups. "For SIH 2024, more than 250 problem statements have been submitted by 54 ministries, departments, state governments, PSUs and industries. This year, an impressive 150 per cent increase has been recorded in internal hackathons at the institute level, growing from over 900 in the 2023 edition to over 2,247 in SIH 2024, making this the largest edition so far," the ministry said in a statement. "More than 86,000 teams have participated in SIH 2024 at the institute level and around 49,000 student teams (each consisting of six students and two mentors) have been recommended by these institutes for the national-level round." The challenges identified and addressed cover 17 major areas and themes linked to sectors of national importance and national priorities - such as health care, supply chain and logistics, smart technologies, heritage and culture, sustainability, education and skill development, water, agriculture and food, emerging technologies and disaster management. Participants will tackle four key problem statements: 1. Mobile App for Direct Market Access for Farmers 2. AI-Driven Crop Disease Prediction and Management System 3. Sustainable Fertilizer Usage Optimizer for Higher Yield 4. Assured Contract Farming System for Stable Market Access A total of 26 teams, consisting of over 200 participants and mentors from across the nation, will collaborate to address these challenges. Four winning teams will be honored with a cash prize of one lakh rupees each, which will be awarded by the Chief Guest during the valedictory function on December 12. Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is a nationwide initiative designed to engage students in solving some of the most pressing challenges faced in everyday life. Launched to foster a culture of innovation and practical problem-solving, SIH provides a dynamic platform for students to develop and showcase their creative solutions to real-world problems. By encouraging participants to think critically and innovatively, the hackathon aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical application.
