In News:

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a nationwide school innovation movement aimed at nurturing creativity, entrepreneurship, and technological problem-solving among young students.
• The initiative seeks to transform school campuses into innovation hubs, empowering youth as the architects of a self-reliant and developed India.

About Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025

• Organisers: Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• Culmination: January 2026, with felicitation of over 1,000 winners.
• Participants: School students across India — the largest school-level hackathon ever conducted.

Objectives

• Promote Grassroots Innovation: Cultivate a problem-solving mindset and creative thinking among school students.
• Foster Self-Reliance: Encourage innovation aligned with the principles of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local.
• Celebrate Swadeshi Innovation: Build indigenous solutions addressing real-world challenges.
• Enable National Development: Channel student ideas into tangible solutions for Samriddhi (prosperity) and Viksit Bharat (developed India).
• Create Global Impact: Project India as a global innovation capital and potential record-holder for the world’s largest synchronized innovation event.

Themes of the Buildathon

The competition revolves around four guiding themes that reflect India’s developmental vision:

• Vocal for Local – Promoting indigenous products and local entrepreneurship.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat – Encouraging technological self-reliance and innovation.
• Swadeshi – Leveraging traditional knowledge and indigenous technologies.
• Samriddhi – Designing solutions for inclusive and sustainable prosperity.

Structure and Timeline

Building on Previous Success

The Buildathon builds upon the momentum of the School Innovation Marathon 2024, which led to:

• The Student Innovator Programme (SIP) and Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP).
• Multiple patents and startup ventures emerging from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).

This continuum strengthens India’s school innovation ecosystem, linking student creativity to research, incubation, and entrepreneurship.

Significance

• Grassroots Empowerment: Encourages innovation at the school level, making every student a potential problem-solver.
• Integration with NEP 2020: Supports the National Education Policy’s emphasis on experiential learning, design thinking, and skill development.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision: Aligns student innovation with national priorities of self-reliance and sustainable growth.
• Innovation Pipeline: Provides pathways for students to transition into formal innovation ecosystems — from idea to patent to startup.
• Global Positioning: Aims to showcase India’s youth-driven innovation capacity on international platforms.