Grand ICT Challenge

The Jal Jeevan Mission’s Grand ICT Challenge is an initiative of the Government of India, launched in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to develop innovative, modular, affordable solutions for a ‘Smart Water Supply Measurement and Monitoring system’ to be used at the village level (for use across India).
Highlights:

• Aim: The aim of the challenge is to leverage India’s vibrant Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem to develop smart rural water supply systems to measure and monitor service delivery in rural areas.
• Participation: There were 213 proposals submitted by Indian tech startups, MSMEs, companies, and LLPs submitted for the challenge, showing a strong interest in participation.
• Support: The challenge provides support through various stages of the innovation process, from ideation, to development of prototypes, and deployment with a pilot implementation planned for 100 villages.
• Prizes: The best solution will be awarded ₹50 lakh, while runner-ups will receive ₹20 lakh each. Successful developers will also have the opportunity to potentially incubate their solutions with MeitY supported incubators.
• Relevant to National Initiatives: This challenge is consistent with the broader government initiatives of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India, and Make in India, as it encourages indigenous technology solutions.