Hackathon launched in state

SHILLONG: In its bid  to  make Shillong a clean and liveable city, the state government has now launched the first ever Hackathon in the state.
Speaking to media persons here on Friday, Senior Technical Director, NIC Timothy Dkhar,  said that under Hackathon, ideas and corresponding solutions are being solicited from interested citizens, to resolve the given problems as submitted by various departments/agencies.
Citizens may register as a team in the  cleanshillong.nic.in portal.
“The ideas will then be evaluated by a multidisciplinary jury, and will be adjudged according to creativity, practicality, social impact, innovation and tools for developing the product/prototype,” he said.
So far, five teams have responded to participate in the event. The solution could range from a Web based solution/Mobile App/IoT/Machine Learning/etc.
The last date for registration is August 31 and the top three solutions will be presented with cash  awards of Rs. 50,000, Rs.30,000 and Rs. 15,000 respectively which will be given on October 2.
He added that the government and the line departments would look into the solution of the participants if it is implementable.
  The Hackathon assumes significance as the idea was initiated by Supervisory Committee headed by the Chief Secretary with members from all stakeholders, to actively monitor, improve and maintain cleanliness in Shillong which is in line with the Court’s intervention.
As waste management in the Shillong Urban agglomeration is currently being handled by multiple public agencies including traditional local institutions, the solutions arising out of Hackathon would bring about a coordinated effort and to streamline the management of waste.