1.
FinTech and Financial Inclusion
Problem Statement 1: Voice-First Rural Banking Assistant
The Problem:
In many rural and semi-urban regions, individuals are digitally hesitant due to low literacy
levels, language barriers, and complex banking applications. As a result, they depend
heavily on physical bank visits or third parties for basic financial services, increasing costs,
delays, and risks of misuse or fraud. Limited access to intuitive digital banking tools
restricts financial inclusion and prevents users from independently managing their
finances.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with building a secure, scalable, and voice-first AI banking assistant
that enables users to perform essential banking operations—such as checking account
balances, transferring funds, and paying bills—using natural language. The system should
support multiple local dialects, operate efficiently on low-end smartphones, and prioritize
security through voice-biometric authentication to ensure safe and inclusive access to
digital financial services.
Problem Statement 2: Real-Time Digital Billing for Small
Businesses
The Problem:
Many small retail shops and service-based businesses continue to rely on manual billing
methods or delayed transaction recording. This often results in billing errors, incorrect
pricing, long customer queues, and disputes. Additionally, when business owners are not
physically present, monitoring real-time sales and transactions becomes challenging. The
absence of accurate and instant billing systems negatively impacts customer trust, revenue
tracking, and overall business efficiency.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with designing a simple, reliable, and real-time digital billing and
transaction tracking solution tailored for small businesses. The system should enable
instant recording of sales, minimize billing errors, and allow shop owners to remotely
monitor business activity. The solution should be easy to use, affordable, and scalable to
improve transparency, operational efficiency, and trust in day-to-day business transactions.
2. AgriTech and Sustainable Agriculture
Problem Statement 1: Digital Contract Farming Platform
The Problem:
Farmers frequently face uncertain market access, fluctuating crop prices, and the absence of
guaranteed buyers for their produce. This uncertainty results in unstable income, heavy
dependence on intermediaries, and delayed or unfair payments. Such challenges increase
financial risk for farmers and reduce transparency across the agricultural supply chain.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with developing a digital contract farming platform that directly
connects farmers with buyers. The solution should enable transparent contract agreements,
fair price negotiation, and secure, timely payments. The system should aim to reduce
dependency on middlemen and provide farmers with a reliable and stable market for their
agricultural produce.
Problem Statement 2: Climate-Aware Crop Stress Monitoring
The Problem:
Tenant and small-scale farmers often lack access to localized, actionable insights related to
weather stress and crop health. Due to limited data availability, they rely largely on
intuition rather than evidence-based decision-making. This leads to delayed responses to
droughts, heatwaves, irregular rainfall, and other climate anomalies, ultimately affecting
crop yield and income stability.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with developing a lightweight, user-friendly web application that
allows farmers to log sowing dates, basic soil conditions, and periodic crop observations.
The system should integrate farmer-provided inputs with open weather data to identify
abnormal climate patterns. It should generate an easy-to-understand crop timeline
highlighting stress periods and recommend simple, farmer-friendly actions or indicate
when expert consultation is required.
3. HealthTech Innovation
Problem Statement 1: Intelligent Maternal Health Registry
The Problem:
Maternal mortality continues to be a critical challenge in rural and underserved regions
where access to medical specialists is limited. Early identification of high-risk pregnancies is
often missed due to health records being maintained in paper-based formats or fragmented
across disconnected digital systems. This lack of integrated and actionable data prevents
timely intervention and continuity of prenatal care.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with creating an Intelligent Maternal Health Registry that
consolidates maternal health data into a unified digital system. The solution should apply
predictive analytics to identify women at risk of prenatal care dropout or complications
such as pre-eclampsia. The system should support early alerts, assist frontline healthcare
workers, and enable timely medical intervention to improve maternal and neonatal
outcomes.
Problem Statement 2: AI-Driven Blood Donation Management
The Problem:
Thalassemia patients depend on regular blood transfusions, yet timely access to compatible
donors remains a major challenge. The absence of real-time coordination between patients,
hospitals, and donors—along with limited visibility into donor availability—often results in
treatment delays and increased stress for patients and caregivers. Current systems lack
predictive planning and seamless integration across stakeholders.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with building a real-time blood donation management system that
connects patients, hospitals, and blood donors on a unified platform. The solution should
leverage AI to predict donor availability, track donor contribution history, and enable
proactive planning for transfusion needs. Integration with existing platforms such as e-
RaktKosh and Blood Warriors should be supported to enhance coordination, reduce delays,
and improve reliability of blood supply.
4. Women Safety and Empowerment
Problem Statement 1: AI-Enhanced Safe Route Navigation
The Problem:
Conventional GPS navigation systems prioritize the fastest or shortest routes without
considering user safety. As a result, users—especially women—may be directed through
poorly lit areas, deserted streets, or locations with limited public presence. The absence of
safety-aware routing increases vulnerability and reduces confidence while traveling,
particularly during late hours.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with building a safety-aware navigation tool that overlays AI-
generated safety data onto digital maps. The system should analyze factors such as street
lighting (using publicly available images), proximity to police stations and open commercial
spaces, and real-time community-based safety check-ins from other women. The solution
should recommend safer routes while maintaining usability and real-time performance.
Problem Statement 2: Intelligent Anomaly-Based Safety System
The Problem:
Most existing women safety applications depend on manual SOS activation, which may be
difficult or impossible during high-stress emergency situations. Additionally, frequent false
alarms reduce trust and responsiveness from emergency contacts and authorities. These
limitations hinder the effectiveness of safety solutions when they are needed most.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with creating an intelligent women safety application that learns a
user’s regular commute routes, schedules, and movement patterns. The system should
automatically detect significant deviations or abnormal behavior and trigger alerts only
when genuine risk is identified. It should escalate incidents to trusted contacts by sharing
live location and status updates, thereby minimizing false alarms and improving reliability
and response effectiveness.
5. AI for Social Good
Problem Statement 1: AI-Powered E-Waste Recycling
The Problem:
Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally, with a significant portion
ending up in landfills. Improper disposal leads to the release of toxic chemicals into soil and
water, posing serious environmental and public health risks. Most households lack
awareness about the recyclability, value, and toxicity of old electronic devices, making
responsible disposal inconvenient and uncommon.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with designing an AI-based image recognition system that enables
households to identify the material value and toxicity level of discarded electronic items.
The platform should further use AI to optimize collection routes for certified local recyclers,
simplifying the recycling process and making responsible e-waste disposal as seamless and
accessible as everyday on-demand services.
Problem Statement 2: Video-Based Skill Verification Platform
The Problem:
Traditional resume-based hiring methods are ineffective for blue-collar workers such as
carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and daily wage laborers. Their practical skills—such as
work quality, speed, and technique—are difficult to represent on paper, leading to
underemployment, skill mismatch, and lack of trust between workers and contractors.
Objective:
Participants are tasked with building a video-based skill verification platform where
workers upload short videos demonstrating real-world tasks. The system should apply
computer vision techniques to evaluate work quality, precision, and efficiency, generating a
verified Skill Score (e.g., Gold / Silver / Bronze). This score should serve as a trusted digital
skill identity, enabling contractors to quickly and confidently hire skilled workers without
relying on traditional resumes.
5. Open Innovation
Under the Open Innovation theme, teams may choose to work in (but are not limited to)
the provided domains.
Participants are free to innovate beyond these domains as long as the solution aligns with
the Open Innovation spirit and delivers tangible social or community impact.