The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, in association with the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), has announced the launch of the Youth Ideathon (YI24). This school-level innovation and entrepreneurship competition is aimed at harnessing the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit among young minds.

According to ANI, the five-stage competition will be held online in the initial stages and is open to all school students across India in two categories:

- Junior (Class IV to Class VIII)

- Senior (Class IX to Class XII)

Students will compete in teams of three to five members from the same school. The competition will culminate in a grand finale on October 6, 2024.

The theme of this year's Youth Ideathon is iStartup a Good Thing for India. The Ideathon attracted over 1.5 lakh students from more than 8,000 schools in 2023, this year, it aims to have a participation of over two lakh students across ten thousand schools.

Speaking about this, Dr Biswajit Saha, Director (Skill Education & Training), CBSE, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said, "Entrepreneurship is an essential pillar of the New Education Policy 2020 and the Government of India has taken several steps to build entrepreneurial thinking in all students. Youth Ideathon platform allows students to think bravely and showcase their talents."

It is said that the participants will receive certificates, and top teams will compete for incubation grants of up to Rs 1,00,000. Special recognition will be given to teachers, mentors, and schools with high participation rates. Youth Ideathon is India's largest programme to promote start-up ideas among school students, ANI reported.