The Viksit Bharat Buildathon, an event aiming at developing innovation and self-reliance among students, began today, Monday, October 13, 2025, at 10 am and finished at 12 pm. 

The event was live-streamed nationwide and featured teams of three to five students from Classes 6 to 12, with a prize pool of Rs 1 crore. 

Participants were invited to select one of four subject areas, identify a real-world problem, and provide an innovative solution. The event was chaired by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, NDTV reports. 

These themes were: 

• Atmanirbhar Bharat: Building self-reliant systems and solutions

• Swadeshi: Encouraging indigenous ideas and innovation

• Vocal for Local: Promoting local products, crafts, and resources

• Samriddhi: Creating pathways to prosperity and sustainable growth

During the event, speakers described how problems might arise from ordinary events, such as a recent event that made someone happy, a news report that caused concern, or an incident that looked like it required more attention.

An exercise of innovation

Each team must submit a two to five-minute video that describes the problem they want to tackle, their unique solution or prototype, how it works, and its potential impact. They must complete it between October 14 and October 31, 2025.

A panel of experts will evaluate students' projects and select the best. Winning schools and students will also receive long-term support, such as business mentorship, adoption opportunities, and access to resources to help them advance their innovations.

The results, awards, and felicitation ceremony for the top teams will be announced in January 2026.

The Viksit Bharat Buildathon encourages students to collaborate and innovate through hands-on, experiential learning, making it one of the largest live innovation events in the world.