Centre’s IDEAS scheme invites students to find solutions to various problems

The Centre is set to launch a scheme for students from higher educational institutions to volunteer to offer innovative, original and practical solutions to problems facing the country and get rewarded for their efforts.

The Human Resource Development Ministry has identified a handful of areas pertaining to which the problem-solving skills of students will be tested.

These are affordable healthcare, computer science and ICT, energy (making solar/renewable resources cheaper, energy efficiency, etc.), affordable housing, healthcare, agriculture, education, water resources and river systems, affordable infrastructure, defence, cybersecurity and information security, and environment and climate change. The scheme that will invite students to find solutions to problems in these fields — and offer a prize of Rs. 1 crore to the best solution in each field — is to be called IDEAS, or Innovations for Development of Efficient and Affordable Systems.

“The IDEAS is an initiative to challenge young minds with problems of society in general, to come up with innovative, original, practical and economical solutions,” says a note prepared for the scheme.

Problem statements

Under each of the above areas or themes, 10 problem statements will be prepared and widely publicised. All higher educational institutions will be eligible and encouraged to participate, but participation of IITs, NITs and CFTIs will be mandatory.