New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with students during the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon via video conferencing on Saturday.

The hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems people face in daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving, it said.

The first edition of Smart India Hackathon in 2017 saw participation of 42,000 students, which increased to 1 lakh in 2018 and to 2 lakh in 2019. The first round of Smart India Hackathon 2020 saw participation of more than 4.5 lakh students.

Here are the HIGHLIGHTS from PM Modi’s address:

• The awareness regarding women hygine reached us very late. We have been working on this for the past 6 years. Government heathcare intitutions are providing biodegradable pads at Re 1.
• It was very difficult to hold the event this year due to COVID-19, however, you have passed this challenge.
• Be it smart India hackathon, or India-Singapore hackathon, I got an opportunity to participate.
• Giving artificial intelligence a human touch is very important. Policing can be made effective with the help of artificial intelligence.
• In healthcare, data driven solutions are bringing huge transformation. We can provide world class and affordable health service to villages and remote areas with the help of technology.