CHENNAI

The complexity of administering society has increased exponentially in the last 75 years, said IT and Digital Services Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan at the valedictory function of the Smart India Hackathon 2024 held at Rajalakshmi Engineering College here.

He said, “On an average across India, the average vacancy in government sanctioned posts are roughly 40% and it has remained over 30% for the past 10–15 years, we cannot afford to take on more people financially and we need to deliver better services. We need to apply old and new technologies to profoundly improve the performance of the government and impact the lives of people.”

Urging students to not stop at just arriving at the solution, K.M. Suceendran, head-global Academic Alliance, Tata Consultancy Services, said, “Each idea presented in this hackathon has the potential to create a ripple effect of change. You’re not just solving today’s problems but shaping tomorrow’s India.”

Participants were given four problem statements to tackle.

Each statement allowed teams to demonstrate their problem-solving skills. Five teams won prizes. Winners received ₹1 lakh per team.

Abhay Meganathan Vice-Chairman, Thangam Meganathan Chairperson, S.N. Murugesan principal of the college, and Joel Andrews D, Nodal Head of Ministry of Education were also present.

Another event

A two-day Smart India hackathon was organised at Sairam Engineering College. Prizes to winners were presented on Thursday by the IT Minister.

“Platforms such as Smart India Hackathon play a vital role in driving technological progress and inspiring innovation among the youth,” said the Minister, expressing amazement at the ingenuity and dedication of the participants’ practical solutions to pressing, real-world problems.

Media: Hindu Tamil