From reusable sanitary napkins to AI, PM Narendra Modi talks innovation at Hackathon

New Delhi: From reusable sanitary napkins to a real-time facial recognition system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heard about the inventions of students during his interaction through video conferencing with the finalists of the Smart India Hackathon 2020.

A student who is working on a biodegradable sanitary napkin, spoke to the Prime Minister. PM Modi said that the government is already providing sanitary pads at Re 1 each. "The introduction of reusable sanitary napkins will be of great help to the girls. I congratulate you for being so thoughtful," Modi said.

A student from MLR Institute of Technology talked about real-time facial recognition. The student informed that even if one covers his or her face, Artificial Intelligence will recognise the eyes, the space between the eyes and nose which does not change. Modi stressed the need of AI in policing to make it interactive.

Much of agrarian India's fate is sealed by the proper predictions of rain. A finalist told the Prime Minister, during the interaction, that with the help of satellites, a model will be prepared which will predict rainfall. Modi appreciated the effort saying that it will help India's farmers.

The Prime Minister, who asked questions to a few finalists during his interaction with them on Saturday, tweeted on Friday that, "Young India is filled with talent! The grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2020 showcases this very spirit of innovation and excellence."

The Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems faced daily. It inculcates a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving, says the government.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced that the winner will get a Rs 1 lakh cash prize.

The first round of Smart India Hackathon 2020 saw the participation of more than 4.5 lakh students. More than 10,000 students are competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 central government departments, 17 state governments and 20 industries.