New Delhi: Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil recently launched the Jal Shakti Hackathon–2025, describing it as a national movement aimed at harnessing India’s collective innovation potential to build a secure, inclusive and technology-driven water future for the country.
Addressing the inaugural programme, the Union Minister said water is an indispensable resource for all sectors and will play a critical role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. He emphasised that water security cannot be ensured by any single ministry or department, but requires coordinated efforts involving public participation, community initiatives, policy interventions and scientific innovation. To realise the government’s Water Vision @2047, he said, the Centre is prioritising technological innovations and practical, citizen-driven solutions to strengthen water resource management across the country.
The Jal Shakti Hackathon–2025 has been launched by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti as a visionary national initiative. The Minister underlined that the hackathon is not merely a competition, but a platform to mobilise the country’s collective talent and position the water sector as a matter of public interest, ensuring equitable access to water for all stakeholders.
The initiative follows a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach and seeks wide participation from citizens, researchers, start-ups, MSMEs, industries, scientists, academicians, laboratories, incubators, private sector players, rural and women youth, as well as global institutions. By expanding the scope of water-sector research beyond traditional institutions, the hackathon aims to foster innovation-driven and scalable solutions to pressing water challenges.
Under the programme, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee has been designated as the Project Implementation Agency. NIH Director Dr Y.R.S. Rao appealed to youth, start-ups, researchers, engineers and citizen scientists from across the country to submit their innovation-based proposals through the BHARAT–WIN portal. Participants can register and upload their water-related ideas in a maximum of 500 words in a simple and fast process. The last date for submission of proposals is January 14, 2026.
All proposals received within the stipulated timeline will be scrutinised, after which shortlisted applicants will be invited for online presentations. Selected hackathon winners will receive an award of ₹1 lakh to develop a Proof of Concept, including a defined problem statement, methodology, deliverables and potential real-world applications. Outstanding proposals may also be considered for grant-in-aid support under the Research and Development Programme in the Water Sector and Implementation of the National Water Mission scheme of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Innovative proposals may be submitted on a wide range of themes, including water resource assessment and management, wastewater treatment, climate resilience and adaptation, water-use efficiency and circular economy, smart water grids, IoT and data-driven surface and groundwater management, efficient irrigation, precision agriculture and rainwater harvesting, river basin and flood management, glacial lake outburst floods, urban hydrology, water quality and related issues.
