24 Hour Hackathon Building AI Solutions for Rural India

The Students Change Initiatives Festival (SCIF) 2025 marked the launch of a new space for youth-led innovation, bringing together some of the most curious and driven young minds to explore how technology can be used for meaningful impact. Hosted at the IIT Delhi campus, the festival was designed as a 24-hour hackathon focused on building solutions for rural India using AI.

The journey began much before the on-ground event, with outreach through platforms like Unstop and Devpost, receiving over 650 registrations from across the country. After multiple stages of evaluation, 26 teams were selected to participate in the final offline round.

The hackathon opened with a fireside chat featuring Sanjeev Bikhchandani, in conversation with Yashveer Singh, setting the tone for thoughtful innovation and responsible leadership. Over the next 24 hours, participants worked intensively on their ideas, supported by continuous mentorship, peer collaboration, and a series of engaging activities that kept the energy high throughout. From building prototypes to refining their solutions, teams explored real challenges across domains such as agriculture, health, and rural livelihoods. SCIF concluded with recognition of outstanding ideas, celebrating not just innovation, but intent.