Bengaluru, Sep 25 Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday urged young people to identify problems around them and develop practical solutions to improve people’s lives.
He was speaking at the launch of the Seva First Innovation Challenge (SFIC) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here.
Joshi said innovation should stem from understanding “a real human need” and ultimately aim to serve the common person.
“It begins by understanding a problem and finding a solution. The speciality of the Seva First Innovation Challenge is that it encourages our young people to look closely at the needs around them,” he said.
The SFIC will cover five states and three Union Territories: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
The minister urged young people to combine the spirit of ‘Seva’ with innovation to identify real-life challenges and develop practical, scalable solutions, saying this would enable them to contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
“Seva must find expression in action,” Joshi said, adding that young innovators should first understand the problems around them, identify wastage and shortcomings, and develop solutions based on people’s needs.
Citing everyday concerns such as traffic violations, garbage disposal and water wastage, Joshi said they required closer observation and could be addressed through technological or administrative interventions.
Highlighting India’s demographic dividend, Joshi noted that nearly 65 per cent of the country’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 provide young people with opportunities to turn that curiosity into useful action.
He called for indigenous solutions to emerging challenges, saying innovation would be crucial in areas such as green hydrogen, mobility and manufacturing.
Joshi referred to the National Education Policy 2020 while stressing the importance of critical thinking, creativity, experiential learning and problem-solving.
He said students should be encouraged to experiment, build and innovate from an early age.
“The National Education Policy 2020 places critical thinking, creativity, experiential learning and problem-solving at the heart of education. So, that is the idea of the new education policy. It is not being accepted in Karnataka, which is most unfortunate. It has been discontinued,” Joshi said.
The minister noted that more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs were actively engaging students across the country, describing them as an example of efforts to encourage innovation among schoolchildren.
He said young people should be allowed to experiment, even if it meant that equipment was damaged in the process.
Joshi called upon start-ups and industry partners to engage with young innovators emerging from the challenge. He encouraged the creation of a national repository through the SFIC website to support future mentoring, adoption and scaling of promising solutions.
Joshi urged young people to innovate not only for domestic needs but also for the global market.
“Work, innovate, provide solutions not only for India, but for the world,” he said, calling for an approach of ‘Innovate in India, Make in India’.
Joshi said such initiatives could contribute to the broader goal of building a ‘Viksit (developed) Bharat’ by 2047, with young innovators playing a central role in addressing problems faced by people in India and beyond.
He congratulated IISc Bengaluru, participating institutions, faculty members, start-ups and other stakeholders associated with the initiative, and said he expected to see the strongest solutions from across India at the National Finale in New Delhi in December 2026.
According to the Ministry of Education, the challenge will bring together young participants from schools, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics, colleges and universities. It will have three levels of participation: Junior, Technical and Open. School students from Classes 6 to 12 can participate at the Junior level.
The challenge will focus on five national themes: ‘Clean and Sustainable Bharat’; ‘Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous Bharat’; ‘Healthy and Inclusive Bharat’; ‘Educated and Skilled Bharat’; and ‘Secure Bharat’.
IISc Bengaluru will serve as the South Zone Nodal Institute, supporting technical evaluation and mentorship across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Registration for the challenge will be open from September 25 to October 24, 2026. It will culminate in the National Finale in New Delhi from December 10 to 17, 2026.
(PTI News)
