The 36-hour hackathon, titled “Hack the Future,” organized by the National Statistical Office (NSO) of India in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), concluded successfully at the IITGN campus, as per an official statement from the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Monday.

The event saw the participation of 18 teams representing leading academic institutions from across the country, including IITs, NITs, IIITs, and more. Teams tackled three innovative challenges with guidance from mentors from the Ministry and the institute. A panel of five jury members, consisting of experts from industry, academia, and the Ministry, evaluated the final solutions.

The valedictory session was graced by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI & Head NSO; P.R. Meshram, Director General, NSO India; and Dr. Rajat Moona, Director, IIT Gandhinagar. P.R. Meshram congratulated the participants, emphasizing that the hackathon aligns with the Ministry’s ongoing modernization efforts.

Dr. Moona encouraged participants to continue their work in data science and statistics, commending the Ministry’s innovative initiatives. Dr. Garg expressed satisfaction with the nationwide participation and congratulated all the finalist teams, encouraging them to contribute to nation-building efforts through their continued work in the field.

Prizes were awarded to the top three solutions in three categories. Plaksha University, Chandigarh, claimed the top spot in two categories, while Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology won in the third. Second place went to IIT Jammu, VIT Vellore, and NIT Goa in their respective categories, while NMIMS Mumbai, IIIT Vadodara, and IIT Kharagpur secured third place.