New Delhi, Aug. 22 -- Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday lauded the city's youth for their innovative solutions at the Grand Finale of the Industrial Ideathon 2025, organised by the Delhi government's Industries Department. The event, held at The Ashok Hotel, marked the culmination of a month-long competition that saw 1,147 registrations, 652 valid entries, 124 qualifiers, and 40 finalist teams, ultimately producing 12 winners across four categories.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said, "We must not blindly follow traditions. Today's youth have shown us the power of new ideas. For years India's population was seen as a burden, but today it is our greatest asset. Our young innovators have proved they can 4x the speed of Delhi's development if we work together." She added, "Delhi's challenges are immense, water, sewerage, schools, infrastructure as a whole, but if we see these not as obstacles but as opportunities, we can turn rubble into gold."
The winning ideas ranged from AI-powered warehouse and logistics management (ParkNLoad) to Smart SEZs for Ease of Doing Business, an AI-enabled waste-to-fuel recycler (TARAL), and a Web3-based MSME growth platform (Nexora). A total prize pool of Rs 40 lakh was distributed among winners. Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa emphasized the scale of Delhi's challenges, noting, "Delhi is larger than many countries; managing its growth is a challenge we have embraced. With youth ideas, industrial reforms, and teamwork, we are strongly moving towards fulfilling PM Modi's dream of Viksit Bharat." He also announced plans to hold similar ideathons across other government departments.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.