Dharmendra Pradhan Launches Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025: India’s Largest School Innovation Movement

New Delhi: Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, today launched the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a pioneering nationwide innovation movement designed to engage school students across the country in building ideas for India’s development journey. The initiative is being organised by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). At the launch, the Minister also unveiled the official jingle and logo of the Buildathon.

The launch event was attended by senior officials including Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL; Dhirendra Ojha, Principal Director General, PIB; Prof. T G Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE; Dr. Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman, AICTE; Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, AIM, NITI Aayog; and Dhiraj Sahu, Additional Secretary, DoSEL, alongside representatives from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS).

Speaking at the occasion, Pradhan said that the Buildathon, envisioned as the largest-ever school hackathon, will instill a culture of innovation at the grassroots level. “Through this initiative, we are encouraging students to ideate and build products on four themes — Vocal for Local, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, and Samriddhi. This will mark the beginning of an innovation renaissance in India and empower our young minds to become the key drivers of a self-reliant and prosperous nation,” he said.

Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL, provided a comprehensive overview of the initiative, underlining its role in fostering creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial thinking among students. He said the Buildathon would help project India as a global innovation capital, while also providing a platform to celebrate student talent at both national and international levels.

The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 builds upon the success of the School Innovation Marathon 2024, which had spurred the creation of initiatives like the Student Innovator Programme (SIP), Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP), and even led to patents and startups emerging from Atal Tinkering Labs.

The timeline for the Buildathon begins today, September 23, with registrations open until October 6 on the official portal (https://vbb.mic.gov.in/). Schools will then have a preparation period from October 6 to October 13, during which teachers will guide teams through the registration and idea development process. Students will submit their ideas and prototypes ahead of the Live Synchronized Innovation Event on October 13. Final entries will be accepted until October 31, followed by an expert evaluation process from November 1 to December 31. The results and felicitation of the top 1,000+ winners are scheduled for January 2026.

Highlighting the vision behind the initiative, Pradhan concluded, “Every idea nurtured under this Buildathon has the potential to shape the future of our nation. This is not just a competition — it is a celebration of young India’s creativity and commitment to building a Viksit Bharat.”