Jal Shakti Hackathon-2025 launched, minister calls it a 'national movement' for water-secure India

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil on Tuesday launched the Jal Shakti Hackathon-2025 and the Bharat-WIN Portal here, calling the initiative a "national movement" aimed at securing India's water future.

Speaking at the launch, Paatil said the hackathon was aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Water Vision @2047.

"This is not a mere competition. It is a national movement to mobilise the country's collective talent for a secure, inclusive and technology-driven water future," he said.

The hackathon has been positioned as a public good, encouraging nationwide participation, according to a statement.

The Bharat-WIN portal at Jal Shakti's platform will serve as the central hub for submissions and collaboration, inviting ideas from citizens, researchers, industry experts, startups, and youth innovators, the ministry said in a statement.

Officials said the initiative aims to generate practical, scalable, and field-ready solutions for farm-level water conservation, rural water quality, smart monitoring, revival of traditional water systems, and flood and drought management.

By opening the platform to startups, MSMEs, academia, laboratories, women-led enterprises, the northeastern region, and global institutions, the government hopes to expand water-sector research beyond a limited pool of institutions and drive grassroots innovation, it said.

The hackathon will conduct periodic challenges and calls for proposals in such areas as wastewater treatment, water-use efficiency, circular economy, climate resilience, IoT-based smart water grids, precision agriculture, hydrological modelling, and river-basin and flood management.

Submissions will be evaluated through a transparent system that tracks proposals end-to-end.

Under the ministry's research and development Programme in the water sector, selected innovators will receive grants-in-aid, while the winners of the hackathon will be awarded Rs 1 lakh to develop proof-of-concept models.

The National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, has been appointed to scrutinise all proposals and facilitate approvals from the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. PTI UZM VN VN