Smart India Hackathon 2024: A National Innovation Platform

The Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2024, an initiative to promote innovation and problem-solving among students, will host its grand finale from 11th to 15th December 2024. The event will feature 1,300 teams and over 10,800 participants at 51 nodal centers nationwide.

This year’s edition includes 254 problem statements contributed by 54 Ministries, Departments, State Governments, PSUs, and Industries. Key problem statements include ‘Enhancing Images of Darker Regions on the Moon’ by ISRO and ‘AI-Driven Ganga Water Quality Monitoring’ by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Participation and Scale

SIH 2024 has seen record-breaking participation, with over 86,000 teams competing at the institute level and 49,000 advancing to the national round. Internal hackathons at the institute level increased by 150%, from 900+ in 2023 to over 2,247 in 2024.

Impact on Innovation
Since its inception, SIH has played a significant role in fostering innovation, contributing to India’s improvement in the Global Innovation Index (GII), where the country now ranks 39th globally. The initiative has encouraged collaboration between government and academia, driving advancements in education, skill development, and grassroots problem-solving.

Key Contributions

• Ministry of Education: 130 problem statements, 754 solutions developed.
• ISRO: 103 problem statements, 273 solutions.
• Ministry of AYUSH: 39 problem statements, 164 solutions.

SIH 2024 represents a national platform for addressing real-world challenges and engaging young minds in innovation. With its Software Edition (36 hours nonstop) and Hardware Edition (5 days), the event is expected to deliver practical solutions to pressing issues.