PM Modi to give awards to ‘India-Singapore Hackathon 2018’ winners Thursday

Team Udayavani, Nov 13, 2018, 9:51 AM IST

Singapore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give awards on Thursday to winners of the first “India-Singapore Hackathon 2018”, a 40-team competition which began here Monday.

Singapore Education Minister Ong Ye Kung will be present at the award ceremony.

The Prime Minister will visit Singapore on November 14-15 for a series of regional summits related to East Asia and will have a breakfast meeting with ASEAN leaders.

During his official visit to Singapore on May 31-June 2, Modi had proposed to his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong that India and Singapore should organise a joint hackathon. Lee had welcomed the proposal.

Singapore has designated the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and its innovation and enterprise arm – NTUitive — to conduct the Hackathon.

India has designated the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

High Commission of India in Singapore facilitated the event in collaboration with Singapore’s Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.

Twenty teams, each from both the countries comprising university and college students selected on nationwide basis, are participating in the hackathon to harness and showcase the innovation potential of the youth.

Each of these teams has three students and one mentor.

From India, an 83-member delegation comprising 60 students, 20 mentors and three officials of the AICTE is visiting Singapore for the hackathon, said the Indian High Commission in Singapore Monday night.

“Sowing the Seeds of Future Partnership”, the 36-hour hackathon began 9 am Monday at the NTU and ends 9 pm Tuesday.

On Wednesday, top six teams (three each from India and Singapore) will be announced after a final pitching session.

First prize of SGD 10,000, second prize of SGD 6,000 and third prize of SGD 4,000 have been announced for each of the three winners from India and Singapore.

The ‘Problems Statements’ presented to the participants are in the areas of mapping, synchronised output of diverse social media, shared digital identity verification, effective number estimate, space management and allotment, effective learning and personal security.

These are based on campus scenarios which students can easily relate to. The solutions will act as seeds to address larger problems in these areas in society, said the High Commission in the statement.