NEW DELHI : The National Statistical Office (NSO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, today launched “Statathon – A Data Journey Towards Viksit Bharat,” a national grand challenge aimed at transforming India’s statistical systems through emerging technologies.
Unveiled by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the challenge commemorates 75 years of the National Sample Survey and is part of MoSPI’s Data Innovation Lab (DI Lab) initiative.
The competition invites tech innovators, students, and researchers to develop AI-driven solutions across five key problem areas: data collection, processing, and dissemination. Highlights include an AI-powered survey tool, semantic search for occupation codes, and enhanced data anonymization practices.
Top 50 teams will receive mentorship in Phase 1, while 25 will advance with ₹50,000 grants in Phase 2. Final winners will be awarded ₹1,00,000 each, with runner-ups receiving ₹50,000.
Registrations are open for one month at https://gc.mic.gov.in/home.
Over 300 participants, including officials, researchers, and startups, attended the launch event. Leaders from MoSPI, MoE, and AICTE emphasized Statathon’s role in fostering innovation and building robust digital public goods for a developed India.
