Himachal Offers Innovation Funding of Up to Rs. 10 Lakh, Says Rajesh Dharmani at Smart Hackathon 2026.
Shimla:
The Himachal Pradesh government has made provision for an innovation fund offering financial assistance of up to Rs. 10 lakh to support promising ideas and encourage technological development, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani said while inaugurating the third edition of the State-Level Smart Hackathon 2026 at Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College (JNGEC), Sundernagar, on Friday.
The event brought together 64 students representing 16 teams from engineering institutions across Himachal Pradesh. Participants presented technology-based solutions to various real-world challenges, including disaster management, transportation and safety in hilly areas, healthcare services, assistance for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, digital communication, digitisation of land records and renewable energy.
Dharmani, who holds the portfolios of Town and Country Planning, Housing, Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training, inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. He also released the souvenir of the State-Level Smart Hackathon 2026. Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sohan Lal Thakur attended the programme as a special guest.
Addressing the participants, the minister said the Smart Hackathon was an effective platform for nurturing creativity, strengthening technical skills and developing problem-solving abilities among young people. He encouraged students to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical situations and develop innovative solutions to problems faced by society.
He emphasised that dedication, commitment and continuous effort were essential for achieving success in any project. He also urged students to explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while actively participating in other academic and creative activities.
Highlighting the state government’s efforts to promote innovation, Dharmani said the innovation fund had been introduced to help promising ideas progress beyond the conceptual stage. Innovative proposals with potential would be evaluated by experts, and eligible projects could receive financial assistance of up to ₹10 lakh to support their further development.
He encouraged students to come forward with new ideas and contribute to technological advancement, entrepreneurship and employment generation. He also called upon them to use their creativity to promote Indian culture.
The minister said the Smart Hackathon, which was launched three years ago, had gradually emerged as an important platform for broadening students’ perspectives and encouraging them to develop practical solutions to public problems. By transforming their ideas into technology-based models, students were learning to identify challenges, work collaboratively and explore innovative approaches.
He expressed hope that some of the projects presented at the event would eventually develop into startups and contribute to the creation of useful technologies and processes for society.
The state government has announced cash prizes of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 16,000 and Rs. 12,000 for the teams securing first, second and third positions, respectively. All other participants will receive an incentive of Rs. 1,000 each in recognition of their participation.
The initiative aims to encourage healthy competition, strengthen teamwork and build an entrepreneurial mindset among students. Such platforms also provide aspiring innovators with opportunities to demonstrate their technical capabilities and explore ideas that could be developed into practical applications.
Technical Education Director Rohit Rathour, JNGEC Director-cum-Principal Prof. Rajiv Khanduja, Dr. Mridul Sharma, Dr. Nitasha Bisht, Dr. Dinesh Bhatia, Dr. Ankush Sharma and students from various engineering institutions were present at the event.
