- The government has invited applications for its latest initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission, called the ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon.
- Objective: It is an initiative to ease lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier to use.
- In this hackathon, the government is looking for smart, scalable and innovative solutions for economical toilets for individual and community use in rural and urban contexts.
- Organisers: The initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and 91 spring board.
- The Hackathon invites researchers, start-ups, student innovators, technology enthusiasts, and industry experts to participate. This hackathon is a great opportunity to win exciting prizes and get handholding and mentoring support by ministry, industry experts and ecosystem enablers.
- The shortlisted applicants will work to develop their prototype during the two-day Hackathon scheduled to be held in the month of September in New Delhi. The applicants will be showcasing their innovations on the final day of the hackathon and the winners shall be felicitated during the valedictory function which is slated to be held in mid-September.
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti:
- The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation manages the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) and is the coordinating department for the overall SBM. Since the launch of the SBM, India’s rural sanitation coverage has increased from 39% in 2014 to over 99% as of August 2019, and the Mission is on track to achieve its goal of an ODF India by 2019.
- The Department also manages rural drinking water supply, and is responsible for the Jal Jeevan Mission, aiming at providing piped water supply to all rural households.
Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment:
- In order to give focused attention to Policy issues and meaningful thrust to the activities aimed at welfare and empowerment of the Persons with Disabilities, a separate Department of Disability Affairs was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on May 12, 2012.
- The mission of this department is to empower Persons with Disabilities, through its various Acts/Institutions/Organizations and Schemes for rehabilitation and to create an enabling environment that provides such persons with equal opportunities, protection of their rights and enables them to participate as independent and productive members of society.
Atal Innovation Mission:
- Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative of Government to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
