IIT-Jammu to host Smart India Hackathon grand finale

Jammu, Dec 7 (PTI) IIT-Jammu will host the grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon, a nationwide initiative that brings together the brightest young minds for developing innovative solutions to critical issues.

This year, 30 teams will compete in the grand finale to address vital cybersecurity challenges posed by the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center (NCIIPC), an IIT-Jammu spokesperson said.

The seventh edition of the Smart India Hackathon (Software Edition), organised by the Union Ministry of Education, will commence on December 11 across 51 nodal centres nationwide, with IIT-Jammu playing a prominent role as one of the hosts, he added.

The event will be inaugurated virtually by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Smart India Hackathon is a unique platform that aims to promote a culture of product innovation and problem-solving among students, enabling them to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the nation, the official said.

The teams will be working on problem statements provided by various ministries, departments and industries, or they can propose their own ideas under the student innovation category across 17 diverse themes, he said.

In addition to hosting the grand finale, IIT-Jammu students have also earned recognition by representing the institute in various Smart India Hackathon centres across India, the spokesperson said.

Three teams from IIT-Jammu have been selected to compete in different categories, he added.

These teams are working tirelessly on their innovative projects, which have the potential to significantly impact their respective fields, the official said.

The hackathon serves as a vital platform for nurturing the next generation of engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs who will lead India into a new era of technological advancement, he said.

The Smart India Hackathon has consistently proven to be a gamechanger, fostering collaboration between students, government agencies, and industry experts, according to the official.

It has contributed to developing cutting-edge solutions that address real-world problems, empowering students with the skills and confidence to shape India’s future, he said and added that this year’s focus on cybersecurity for NCIIPC emphasised the importance of securing critical infrastructure in an increasingly digital world.