NEW DELHI : The National Statistical Office (NSO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, has launched “Statathon – A Data Journey Towards Viksit Bharat,” a national grand challenge aimed at transforming official statistics through emerging technologies.
Unveiled by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the competition marks 75 years of the National Sample Survey (NSS) and is hosted under MoSPI’s Data Innovation Lab initiative.
Participants will address five key problem statements across the data lifecycle — including API development, AI-powered survey tools, automated data processing, semantic search for occupations, and data anonymization. The challenge seeks to leverage AI and frontier technologies to enhance the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of statistical data.
Registrations are open at gc.mic.gov.in for one month. Fifty teams will be shortlisted for mentorship, with 25 advancing to receive ₹50,000 each. Category winners will earn ₹1 lakh; runners-up ₹50,000. The grand finale is scheduled for later this year.
Over 300 participants attended the launch event, including officials from MoSPI, MoE, AICTE, academic institutions, and startups.
