When innovation begins with a real human need and leads to a practical solution, it becomes an act of ‘Seva’: Pralhad Joshi
Union Minister for Education inaugurates Seva First Innovation Challenge at IISc Bengaluru
Union Minister for Education, Pralhad Joshi, today urged the youth to combine the spirit of ‘Seva’ with innovation to identify real-life challenges and develop practical, scalable solutions. This would enable their participation and contribution in fulfilling the vision of Viksit Bharat, 2047. The Minister stated this while inaugurating the Seva First Innovation Challenge (SFIC) for the South Zone at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The Minister also launched the website and registration portal for SFIC.
The Minister said, “Seva must find expression in action,” adding that understanding a problem and finding an innovative solution to address it at scale was an important expression of service. Highlighting India’s demographic dividend, Shri Joshi noted that nearly 65 per cent of India’s population was below the age of 35. He said India had a generation that was curious, confident, and comfortable with technology. He added that there was a responsibility to give young people opportunities to turn that curiosity into useful action.
Referring to the role and importance of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Shri Pralhad Joshi mentioned that NEP placed critical thinking, creativity, experiential learning and problem-solving at the heart of education. He noted that this vision was being translated into opportunities for students to experiment, build and innovate from an early age. He also highlighted the Government’s efforts to build a strong innovation ecosystem through more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, 17,300 odd Institutions Innovation Councils and initiatives such as Smart India Hackathon.
The Minister emphasised that innovation guided by the spirit of Seva could contribute meaningfully to the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. He also called upon start-ups and industry partners to engage with young innovators emerging from the Challenge and encouraged the creation of a national repository through the SFIC website to support future mentoring, adoption, and scaling of promising solutions. He congratulated IISc Bengaluru, participating institutions, faculty members, start-ups and all stakeholders associated with the Initiative and said that he expected to see the strongest solutions from across India at the National Finale in New Delhi in December 2026.
IISc Bengaluru will serve as the South Zone Nodal Institute, supporting technical evaluation and mentorship across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
SFIC will bring together students and young innovators from schools, ITIs, polytechnics, colleges and universities across five national themes (1. Clean and Sustainable Bharat, 2. Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous Bharat, 3. Healthy and Inclusive Bharat, 4. Educated and Skilled Bharat and 5. Secure Bharat) and two solution tracks (Track A — Product or Technology Solution and Track B — Business Model or Governance Solution). The Challenge aims to take promising ideas beyond submission through mentoring, incubation and pathways for real-life adoption. The Challenge will remain open for registration from September 25 to October 24, 2026, with the National Finale scheduled in New Delhi in December 2026.
Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Prof. Govindan Rangarajan; Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Shri Anandrao V. Patil; and Secretary, University Grants Commission, Prof. Shyama Rath, along with Directors and representatives of NITs and other institutions; faculty members; representatives from industry and the start-up ecosystem; students and young innovators, attended the event.
