Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan

Sewa First
Innovation
Challenge

Young Indians solving the everyday problems of their villages, wards and cities — carrying solutions from observation to prototype, pilot and adoption.

Indian students building a practical prototype together in a community workshop
Launch
19 Sept 2026
National scope
5 Themes
Equal standing
2 Tracks
Participation
3 Levels

About the Challenge

Why this
challenge?

Viksit Bharat @2047 calls for problem-solving at a scale no government can achieve alone. This Challenge turns the energy and spirit of service of India's youth towards problems ordinary citizens face.

Young innovators collaborating on a prototype

Programme film coming soon

  1. 01

    Mobilise every learner

    From school classrooms to research institutions, participating regions can enter the students they believe in.

  2. 02

    Reward demonstrated impact

    Entries are judged on evidence of impact and readiness for adoption, not on presentation polish alone.

  3. 03

    Equal standing for both tracks

    Technological solutions and institutional or delivery innovations are assessed on their own strengths.

  4. 04

    A pathway beyond the prize

    Strong solutions are connected with mentors, laboratories, pilot funding and the institutions that can adopt them.

Thematic framework

The five
national themes

View all themes

Two tracks, equal standing

Not every national problem needs a new product

Track A

Track A — Product or Technology

A device, prototype, material, process, software system or engineering solution that can be built, demonstrated and deployed.

Assessed on: Technical soundness, cost, reliability, manufacturability and readiness for field use.

Track B

Track B — Business Model or Governance

A new delivery model, service design, financing mechanism, community institution, process re-engineering, or governance and regulatory innovation.

Assessed on: Institutional feasibility, financial sustainability, ease of adoption by an implementing agency and evidence from a pilot.

Participation dashboard

Innovation across participating regions

Follow institution participation and student solutions across the seven participating States and Union Territories.

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Institutions

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Entries

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Districts

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Shortlisted

Showing aggregate figures for All participating regions.

Selected region

All participating regions

MizoramTamil NaduMadhya PradeshMaharashtraChhattisgarhGujaratOdishaAndhra PradeshKarnatakaGoaKeralaTelanganaWest BengalDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuPuducherryLakshadweepArunachal PradeshAssamNagalandMeghalayaManipurTripuraAndaman and Nicobar IslandsUttar PradeshRajasthanDelhiHaryanaSikkimBiharJharkhandLadakhJammu and KashmirHimachal PradeshPunjabUttarakhandChandigarh
Select a region on the map or use the list to update participation figures.

Open at every level of learning

See what to prepare

Level 1

Junior

School students up to Class XII and introductory-level learners.

Clear observation of a local problem and a simple working solution, or a well-reasoned service or governance idea. A prototype is encouraged but not mandatory.

Level 2

Technical

Students of Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics.

Hands-on engineering, fabrication, electronics or process solutions. A working prototype under Track A; a costed and field-tested delivery model under Track B.

Level 3

Open

Undergraduate students and above, including postgraduate students and research scholars.

A demonstrated prototype or pilot with a credible pathway to deployment, supported by cost, beneficiaries, timeline, impact and scalability.

Indicative schedule

Key dates

  1. Official launch & portal goes live19 September 2026
  2. Submission window19 September – 5 October 2026
  3. State screening by NITs8 October 2026 onwards
  4. Exhibition, showcase & finale30 November – 15 December 2026

Partners

Building the network together

Government
To be announced
Academia
To be announced
Industry
To be announced
Incubators
To be announced
Labs
To be announced
Communities
To be announced

Awards & recognition

Celebrate ideas that serve India

Recognition details

Award categories, citations, showcase opportunities and partner recognition will be announced with the formal notification.