Context

The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 – Software edition, was recently held at 49 different centers simultaneously across India where more than 34,000 ideas were evaluated.

About

• The Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve some of pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving.
• It is the largest ever Hackathon in the world and the only one to be held at the national level involving 1 Lakh+ technical students, 3000+ technical institutions, 200+ organizations from across India this year.
• In SIH 2019, the students also have the opportunity to work on challenges faced within the private sector organizations and create world class solutions for some of the top companies in the world, thus helping the Private sector hire the best minds from across the nation.
• In order to make development a comprehensive mass movement and innovate on all fronts, MHRD, AICTE, i4c, and Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini and Persistent Systems have come together to organize Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2019 - a unique Open Innovation Model for identifying new and disruptive technology innovations to solve the challenges faced in our country. It's a non-stop product development competition, where problem statements are posed to technology students for innovative solutions. It can help to:
  • Harness creativity & expertise of studentsfrom IISc, IITs, NITs and AICTE/UGC approved institutions.
  • Spark institute-level hackathons
  • Build funnel for 'Startup India' campaign
  • Crowd source solutions for improving governance and quality of life
  • Provide opportunity to citizens to provide innovative solutions to India's daunting problems
• The Nodal Center for Grand Finale Hackathon 2019 was IIT Kanpur.
• With 96 industries and 18 Central Government Ministries and Departments, SIH 2019 is much bigger than its previous editions. It includes 2 sub-editions –
  • Software edition, which is a 36-hr software product development competition to be held on Mar 2 - 3, 2019 to build innovative digital solutions for problems posed by different industries and Central Ministries and Departments.
  • The Hardware edition, involving building of hardware solutions will be held later this year.