Centre launches Jal Shakti Hackathon to boost water innovation

New Delhi: Union Minister of Jal Shakti, C. R. Patil on Thursday launched the ‘Jal Shakti Hackathon 2025 to strengthen scientific and technological solutions in India’s water sector.

The initiative is aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his emphasis on ‘Water Vision @2047’.

Addressing the gathering C. R. Patil described the Jal Shakti Hackathon 2025 as a national movement rather than a mere competition, designed to mobilise the country’s collective talent to build a secure, inclusive and technology-driven water future for India.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Patil said the Jal Shakti Hackathon–2025 should be seen as a national movement rather than a conventional competition, calling on students, researchers, start-ups and innovators to contribute their ideas to build a “secure, sustainable and technology-driven water future for India.”

He stressed that the country’s growing water challenges demand multi-disciplinary thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

The Bharat-WIN Portal, also unveiled alongside the hackathon, is designed to function as a central platform connecting innovators, institutions, industry and government agencies.

It will facilitate knowledge exchange, technology showcasing and access to real-time data to accelerate the development and deployment of scalable water solutions.

The Minister noted that the government is committed to empowering young talent and fostering breakthrough technologies in key areas such as groundwater recharge, wastewater treatment, river basin management, urban water systems, and climate-resilient water infrastructure.

He added that the hackathon will help mainstream cutting-edge tools, including AI, IoT, sensor-based monitoring and advanced modelling, to address India’s long-term water security.

The hackathon winners will receive a grant of ₹1 lakh for developing Proof-of-Concept (PoC). The priority areas include, water resource management, wastewater treatment, water-use efficiency, circular economy, precision agriculture, rainwater harvesting, river-basin , flood management, and hydrological modelling .