Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday, 25 September 2026, called on India's youth to direct their energy toward global innovation, not just domestic problem-solving, citing the demographic fact that more than 65 per cent of India's population is below the age of 35. He was speaking at the Seva First Innovation Challenge organised by the Ministry of Education at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

The Core Message

'We should work, we should innovate, we should provide solutions, not only for India, but for the world also. Innovate in India, Make in India, not only for India, for the world also,' Joshi said, framing India's demographic dividend as a strategic global asset rather than a domestic resource alone.

The minister urged students to channel their curiosity into tangible action. 'That curiosity should get an opportunity, and opportunity should convert into action, and action should serve the common person of the country and the common person of the world. That is why it is called Seva,' he said.

What the Seva First Innovation Challenge Is

The Seva First Innovation Challenge is a Ministry of Education initiative designed to encourage students and young innovators to identify real-world problems and develop practical solutions. The challenge draws participants from schools, ITIs, polytechnics, colleges and universities across the country, making it one of the broader student-facing innovation platforms under the current education policy framework.

Promising submissions, according to Joshi, will receive support beyond the prototype stage through mentoring, incubation, and clear pathways for real-life adoption. He confirmed that the final round of the challenge will be held in Delhi.

IISc's Role and the South Zone Nodal Mandate

IISc Bengaluru has been designated the South Zone Nodal Institute for the challenge, responsible for coordinating technical evaluation and mentorship across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. The institute's existing research infrastructure makes it a natural anchor for the region's innovation pipeline.

The minister also highlighted an example from IISc itself: researchers there have reportedly developed technology to extract 99 per cent pure green hydrogen from agricultural waste and biomass — a development he cited as a model for the kind of indigenous, real-need-driven innovation the challenge seeks to encourage.

Emerging Priorities: Energy and Viksit Bharat 2047

Joshi underscored the urgency of developing indigenous solutions for renewable energy storage and power grid stabilisation as solar and wind generation scales up across the country. He also connected the innovation push to the broader national goal of India becoming a developed nation by 2047, commonly referenced under the Viksit Bharat framework.

He pointed to everyday challenges — water wastage, garbage disposal, and traffic management — as examples of problems that are widely observed but rarely acted upon. 'First you should search for the problem and also find a solution,' he said, emphasising that innovation must begin with an honest understanding of people's real needs.

Broader Context

This comes amid a wider government push to embed innovation culture at the student level, building on the National Education Policy 2020's emphasis on research and experiential learning. The Seva First Challenge is notably broader in institutional reach than earlier focused schemes, spanning ITIs and polytechnics alongside universities — a signal that the Centre is attempting to democratise the innovation pipeline beyond elite institutions. With India eyeing a larger share of global technology and manufacturing value chains, cultivating ground-up innovators at scale is increasingly central to that strategy.