In a remarkable display of youthful ingenuity, more than 1 crore students from Classes 6 to 12 across India enthusiastically participated in the Viksit Bharat Buildathon (VBB) 2025. The event, inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, featured a two-hour live innovation and tinkering session that captivated students nationwide.
This significant initiative saw over 3 lakh schools engage students, who worked in teams of three to five. They were tasked with ideating, designing innovative solutions, and building prototypes centered around four key themes: ‘Vocal for Local,’ ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), ‘Swadeshi’ (indigenous), and ‘Samriddh Bharat’ (prosperous India). This hackathon, described as India’s largest synchronized innovation event for school students, was a joint effort by the Department of School Education and Literacy and NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.
The enthusiasm was palpable, with Uttar Pradesh leading the participation with students from 78,206 schools. Maharashtra followed closely with 41,198 schools, and Gujarat contributed with 20,017 participating schools.
During the inaugural address, Minister Pradhan expressed his confidence that the innovative ideas generated would lead to new global models and solutions for pressing challenges. He emphasized that a developed and prosperous India would be built on the shoulders of its talented young students.
Minister Pradhan actively engaged with students during the event, visiting schools like PM SHRI Government High School in Khorda, Bhubaneswar, Delhi Public School in Mathura Road, and PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 in Delhi Cantt. He observed student projects and even participated in a Class 1 classroom session, learning the art of numbers.
Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, highlighted the event’s potential to enhance learning capabilities and strengthen students’ innovative thinking.
Schools have until October 31 to submit their entries for the Buildathon. These will be evaluated by a panel of experts from November 1 to December 31, with the top teams set to be announced and felicitated in January 2026. The Union Education Ministry has also announced a substantial prize pool of ₹1 crore to recognize and reward the most creative and impactful projects, with winners at district, state, and national levels being honored.