New Delhi, 27 October (H.S.):

India’s efforts to foster innovation and nurture creativity among school students have received international recognition, with the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 officially entering the Guinness World Records as the “largest innovation solutions competition”. A total of 2,87,967 projects were submitted from across the country as part of the competition.

To mark the achievement, the Union Ministry of Education will organise the competition’s concluding ceremony and awards presentation in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 28. Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi will honour the national-level winning students and innovators. The event will also showcase the innovative solutions and models developed by the 10 national-level winning teams and innovators. The presentation of the official Guinness World Records certificate is also scheduled as part of the ceremony.

The Viksit Bharat Buildathon aims to encourage scientific curiosity, creative thinking, problem-solving skills and entrepreneurship among school students. Rather than limiting learning to textbooks, the initiative seeks to motivate students to identify solutions to real-world challenges and translate their ideas into practical projects.

The competition received 2,87,967 entries across its two tracks — Ideas and Prototypes. The substantial participation reflects students’ growing enthusiasm for innovation at the school level. The Guinness World Records recognition further highlights the creative potential of Indian students on the international stage.

The Buildathon is centred on four key themes: Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local and Samriddh Bharat. Through these themes, students are encouraged to develop ideas that address the country’s needs, find solutions to local challenges, and promote indigenous products, technologies and innovations.

The broader objective is to help students evolve beyond classroom learning into problem-solvers, future entrepreneurs and innovators. The initiative also seeks to equip them with the ability to develop ideas that could eventually take shape as useful technologies, products and services.

The Viksit Bharat Buildathon was organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The initiative is intended to strengthen India’s expanding ecosystem of school-level innovation and entrepreneurship.

The competition provided students with an opportunity to present their ideas, build models and develop practical solutions. It is also aimed at nurturing a generation of young innovators capable of contributing to the country’s scientific, technological and economic progress.

At Wednesday’s ceremony, the Department of School Education and Literacy will also release guidelines for teacher education institutions under the ULLAS–New India Literacy Programme. The guidelines are intended to provide a framework for implementing the programme in the institutions concerned.

In addition, the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education will present initiatives undertaken under Special Campaign 6.0. These efforts will include activities to raise awareness about electronic waste and promote its collection. The initiative seeks to underline environmental responsibility and the importance of proper e-waste management.

Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary is also expected to attend the ceremony. Other attendees are expected to include T. K. Anil Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy; Dheeraj Sahu, Additional Secretary; and Professor T. G. Sitharam, Chairman of AICTE, along with senior officials of the Ministry of Education.

Representatives from the education departments of various states and Union Territories, heads of autonomous institutions and representatives of partner organisations are also expected to participate.

The Buildathon’s achievement underscores ongoing efforts to cultivate a culture of innovation among school students and prepare them for future challenges. By encouraging students to transform ideas into practical solutions, the initiative seeks to promote creativity, scientific thinking and an entrepreneurial outlook from an early age.

The Guinness World Records recognition and the felicitation of the 10 national-level winning teams are expected to give the initiative further prominence, marking an important milestone in efforts to strengthen school education, scientific temper and grassroots innovation across India.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar