The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) successfully concluded the national-level hackathon "STATATHON – A Data Journey for Viksit Bharat" on June 19, 2026. The event was organized by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in collaboration with the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education, bringing together 25 teams of young innovators to develop data-driven solutions for challenges in official statistics across five different domains.
Winners were announced across five categories with two prizes awarded in each. In Category 1, start-up Airavata Technologies from Maharashtra secured the top prize followed by Sri Sairam Engineering College from Tamil Nadu. Category 2 winners were Bharat Institute of Engineering & Technology (Telangana) as first prize and Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science (Tamil Nadu) as second prize. Category 3 saw Institute of Technical Education & Research (Odisha) emerge victorious with R.M.K. Engineering College (Tamil Nadu) as runner-up.
In Category 4, Bhagwan Parshuram Institute of Technology (Delhi) won first prize while Chennai Institute of Technology (Tamil Nadu) secured runner-up position. Category 5 was won by Jai Parkash Mukand Lal Innovative Engineering and Technology Institute (Haryana) with Kongu Engineering College and start-up Matrix Labs (both from Tamil Nadu) jointly finishing as runners-up.
Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary of MoSPI, interacted with the winners on June 19, 2026, in the presence of Director Generals and other senior officers. Students shared their experiences and insights from the competition. Shri P.R. Meshram, Director General (Data Governance), encouraged participants to continue pursuing innovation and applying their talents to real-world challenges. Dr. Garg commended the dedication of both students and evaluators, noting that the current era offers unprecedented opportunities for young talent due to rapid digital transformation creating new avenues for innovation and societal progress. The Ministry views hackathons as an effective means of engaging with young innovators and plans to continue strengthening such interactions in the future.