Delhi Higher Education Minister Ashish Sood has officially launched the "Seva-First Innovation Challenge 2026" at Delhi Technological University, DTU. The 100-day competition features a total prize pool of ₹2 crore along with structured mentorship and government support to help young innovators build technology-driven solutions for real-world societal problems. The programme focuses on solving challenges across key domains, including agriculture, clean energy, waste management, education, and rural development. Check the complete article to know what is SEVA FIRST, what are the key highlights and the Process & Objectives.
What Is SEVA FIRST 2026?
The competition encourages people to find real-world problems, come up with ideas, build early versions of their products, and test them. Key areas include farming, education, recycling, healthcare, clean energy, and improving life in rural regions. DTU will lead the project, which is open to participants across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Ladakh.
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Key Highlights of the Innovation Challenge
- Anchor Institution: Delhi Technological University (DTU).
- Regional Coverage: Open to students, ITIs, polytechnics, schools, startups, and industries across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Ladakh.
- Duration: 100-Day structured incubation and prototype validation journey.
- Total Prize & Funding:₹2 Crore prize pool, backed by incubation funding support through the Delhi Startup Policy.
- Unicorn Mentorship: Guidance from prominent startup founders, including Viraj Bahl (Veeba), Akash Gupta (Zypp Electric), Swati Bhargava (CashKaro), and Puneet Gupta (AstroTalk).
Process & Objectives
- Problem Identification: Participants will identify pressing local or national issues in sectors like agriculture, clean energy, and waste management.
- Prototype Development: Teams will generate viable ideas, build functional prototypes, and receive validation from industry experts.
- Enterprise Building: Promising innovations will receive direct handholding, government incubation support, and venture network access to scale into sustainable startups.
