Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today inaugurated the Viksit Bharat Buildathon (VBB) 2025, India's largest hackathon for school students, in which over three lakh schools participated.

The Minister, during the inaugural session, interacted with the students of PM SHRI Government High School from Odisha.

Pradhan complimented the schools and students from across India for their enthusiastic participation in this mega school innovation initiative.

He expressed his confidence that the innovative ideas germinated from here will pave the way for creating new global models and finding solutions to pressing domestic and global challenges.

The Minister stated that a Viksit and Samriddh Bharat will be built on the shoulders of talented school students and urged students to play an active role in shaping the nation’s future.

Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education in his address, praised the participation and efforts of the students.

Kumar asserted that this one-of-a-kind movement enhances the learning capabilities and will strengthen the innovative approach of students.

Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, Deepak Bagla, underlined the growing significance of the VBB, and said that the Buildathon will make innovation a mass movement, connecting schools in remote villages to those in bustling metros.

Pradhan also visited Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, and PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 in Delhi Cantt., to interact with students and teachers. The minister observed a range of innovative student projects and gained insights into their learning processes.

Commending their creativity and enthusiasm, he encouraged the students to remain inquisitive and applauded their exceptional creativity which will contribute actively towards the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The inaugural session was followed by a 120-minute live innovation challenge. Over 1 crore students attended the two-hour-long live tinkering session, in which students from class 6 to 12 worked in teams of 3–5 to ideate and build prototypes around four themes- Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local, and Samriddhi.

A special highlight of the event was the School Spotlights, where over 150 schools from remote regions, aspirational districts, hilly states, and frontier areas were connected directly to share their progress and their experiences.