Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Delhi’s youth possess immense potential to bring major a change to governance if provided with the right platform, proper guidance and suitable opportunities. She said her government sees young people not merely as participants in a competition but as equal partners in good governance.
Gupta was chairing ‘Delhi Next – Code, Create and Change’, country’s largest civic-tech innovation programme, at the secretariat on Thursday. The programme was aimed at bringing together young people, startups, researchers, and innovators on a platform to develop technology-based solutions for Delhi’s real time civic and urban challenges.
Speaking on the occasion, Gupta said governance today cannot remain confined to policymaking. The need of the hour is to develop effective and lasting solutions through technology, innovation and public participation.
She described ‘Delhi Next’ as more than a hackathon, calling it a bridge between governance and innovation that will connect young minds directly with the government system.
Gupta further said that youth are not only the future of the country but are also the brightest asset in the mission to build a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
While the conventional hackathons often end with prize distribution, the biggest strength of Delhi Next is that the selected solutions will not remain limited to demonstrations, and instead, they will be implemented as pilot projects. Successful models will then be integrated into the government system in a phased manner so that citizens receive direct benefits.
The participants developed innovative solutions in areas such as urban infrastructure, waterlogging, traffic management, smart parking, air pollution, waste management, the electric vehicle ecosystem, citizen grievance redressal, digital governance and public services.
The top 60 teams selected under Delhi Next will continue to receive dedicated support and guidance, and each team will be linked with the relevant government department and mentored by experts.
CM Gupta said her government is looking to to establish the capital as the country’s civic-tech capital, where the government, startups, industry, educational institutions and citizens work together continuously to create new models of good governance. The governments of the future will not merely administer, but will deliver more effective, transparent and accountable governance through data, AI, digital innovation and citizen participation.