Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood launches 'Seva-First Innovation Challenge 2026' at DTU with Rs 2 crore prize pool

Delhi Higher Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday launched the Seva-First Innovation Challenge 2026 at Delhi Technological University (DTU), offering a Rs 2 crore prize pool, structured mentorship and government support to encourage young innovators to develop technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges.

Delhi Higher Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday launched the Seva-First Innovation Challenge 2026 at Delhi Technological University (DTU), offering a Rs 2 crore prize pool, structured mentorship and government support to encourage young innovators to develop technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges. According to a press release issued by the Ashish Sood's Office, addressing participants at the launch event, Sood said that the initiative aims to encourage students to identify societal challenges and create practical solutions through innovation and technology.

"The idea is simple: we want to serve society by finding solutions to real-world problems," Sood said. According to the release, the Seva-First Innovation Challenge is being undertaken with DTU as the anchor university and will cover the northern region, including Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Ladakh.

Students from universities, industries, startups, schools, ITIs and polytechnics across these states and Union Territories will participate in the 100-day challenge, where they will identify national and local challenges, generate innovative ideas, develop prototypes, get them validated and work towards implementing solutions. The Minister said the initiative is not limited to creating startups but aims to build a strong innovation and startup ecosystem in Delhi by providing young innovators opportunities to learn from entrepreneurs, startup founders and industry leaders.

"The Delhi Government will provide the necessary handholding and support. Promising ideas will be mentored and, wherever required, funding support will also be facilitated through the startup ecosystem and policies," he said. Sood also highlighted that under the Delhi Startup Policy, the government aims to create 10,000 startups and 4 lakh jobs in the national capital. He said the Seva-First Innovation Challenge will provide young innovators a platform to transform their ideas into viable solutions and enterprises.

The Minister said a Viksit Bharat by 2047 cannot remain only a government initiative and must become a people's movement. He said the programme draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance model, which focuses on a people-first approach and places youth at the centre of the nation's development journey. Highlighting India's startup growth, Sood said that from fewer than 500 registered startups before 2014, the country has emerged as the world's third-largest startup ecosystem. He said initiatives like Startup India and Digital India have encouraged youth to become job creators rather than only job seekers.

The Minister also emphasised agriculture and rural innovation, praising DTU's plan to send engineering students to villages from the 2027-28 academic session to identify local challenges and develop practical technological solutions. "If a farmer around you is struggling, don’t just notice it; solve it. Addressing clean-energy and agricultural challenges is Seva-First; that is true Seva," Sood said.

The release stated that the challenge will have mentorship from startup leaders and unicorn founders, including Viraj Bahl (Veeba), Akash Gupta (Zypp), Swati Bhargava (CashKaro), and Puneet Gupta (AstroTalk). During the event, the Rural Technology and Community Engagement Programme (RTCEP) on Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Social Transformation for Rural India was also announced. The programme, to be offered by DTU from the next academic session, will extend engineering and innovation support to rural communities.

Concluding the launch, Sood urged students and professors to focus on accountability and action, saying that serving the nation can be achieved by addressing real problems in universities, neighbourhoods and communities through active participation, the release added. (ANI)