Singapore-India joint hackathon underway at IIT Madras

The Singapore India Hackathon, an initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is the first of its kind joint international hackathon between India and any other country, started on Saturday and will conclude on Monday.

Twenty teams are taking part in the 36-hour long hackathon. Each team will have three students from both countries for exchange of culture and ideas.

"I think Indian students are very creative. They have many ideas that they are willing to share with us. While working together, their advice has been very helpful for us," a student of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore said.

Speaking about the event, Anil Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said: "Singapore-India hackathon started in 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested this idea. He believes solutions for India's problems will come from young minds."

Sahasrabuddhe said that problem statements were handed out a long time back.

"Students' ideas were invited and based on their out-of-the-box ideas, teams were invited. This is not about winning or losing but about finding better solutions to the problem statements," he said.

Sahasrabuddhe elaborated that the hackathon is focussed on three areas -- good health and well-being, quality education, and affordable and clean energy.

"In this hackathon, there are three areas and five problem statements. One area is good health and well-being for everyone, while the other two areas are quality education and sustainable clean energy. If students bring new ideas for problem statements related to these areas, it will be beneficial not just for our country but the entire world," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the second edition of the joint hackathon on September 30.