Source: PIB & San-Sadhan Hackathon website
The government called for applications for its latest initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission, called the ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon, an initiative to ease the lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier to use.
Key highlights of San-Sadhan Hackathon
- 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.
- 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 91springboard.
- 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 the 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.
About the Hackathon & initiatives of various agencies
- As per census 2011, about 2.68 cr. people in India fall under the category of Persons with Disabilities (PwD). The Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandates universal accessibility for PwDs in public-oriented premises and services such as health, transport, educational facilities as well as sanitation. Taking forward to enhance sensitivity and develop an ecosystem for creating a barrier-free environment, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) had also launched the ‘Accessible India Campaign’.
- The development of accessible toilets were driven in association with the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Now, with the growing participation of PwDs in routine jobs, it has become even more crucial that appropriately accessible, easy to use, hygienic and affordable toilets and sanitary services are made available. This calls for innovation in the sanitation paradigm which would be driven by accessibility, affordability, and scalability.
- Now the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) and Ministry of Jal Shakti in association with Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 91springboard present the SAN-Sadhan Hackathon – a nationwide initiative to bring out Early Stage Startups, Student Innovators, Technology Enthusiasts, Academicians and Industry Experts from every corner of the country to present solutions that address various issues in four core focus areas.
