Jal Shakti Hackathon-2025 a national water movement: Centre

Srinagar, Dec 16: The Centre has described the Jal Shakti Hackathon-2025 as a national water movement aimed at mobilising India’s collective innovation capacity to ensure a secure, inclusive and technology-driven water future.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C R Patil, while launching the initiative, said water security is central to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and cannot be ensured by any single ministry alone.

He emphasised that coordinated efforts involving public participation, community initiatives, policy support and scientific innovation are essential to strengthen the country’s water resources.

The minister said the hackathon is not merely a competition but a nationwide movement to encourage citizens, researchers, industries and innovators to contribute practical and technology-based solutions for water management.

He added that the initiative adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to promote water-sector innovation as a matter of public interest.

The programme has been launched by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

It seeks to expand water research beyond traditional institutions by encouraging participation from start-ups, MSMEs, scientists, academicians, laboratories, incubators, young innovators, rural and women youth, the private sector and global institutions.

Under the initiative, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, has been designated as the Project Implementation Agency.

Director NIH, Y R S Rao, has appealed to youth, start-ups, researchers, engineers and citizen scientists across the country to submit their innovation-based proposals through the BHARAT–WIN portal.

Interested participants can register on the portal and upload water-related innovative ideas in not more than 500 words.

The last date for submission is January 14, 2026.

Proposals received within the stipulated timeline will be scrutinised, after which shortlisted candidates will be invited for online presentations.

Selected winners will receive an award of Rs 1 lakh for developing a proof of concept, covering the 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.

The hackathon invites proposals on themes including water resource assessment and management, wastewater treatment, climate resilience, water-use efficiency, circular economy, smart water grids, IoT-based surface and groundwater management, efficient irrigation, precision agriculture, rainwater harvesting, river basin and flood management, glacial lake outburst floods, urban hydrology and water quality.