NEW DELHI: Over three lakh schools across the country participated simultaneously in the Viksit Bharat Buildathon (VBB) 2025 on Monday, which the officials described as the largest synchronized innovation hackathon in India’s history. The nationwide initiative, launched by the ministry of education in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission, aims to turn school classrooms into hubs of creativity and problem-solving.The Buildathon, open to students from Classes VI to XII, encourages them to ideate, design, and develop prototypes under four broad themes. Over one crore students from 2.5 lakh schools were mobilised for the day-long event, which featured a 120-minute live innovation challenge where teams of 3–5 students brainstormed and created working models.Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan at the inauguration called it “not just a competition but a movement to encourage innovation.” Addressing students connected virtually from across India, he said: “The innovative ideas germinated here will pave the way for global models and solutions to domestic challenges.”More than 150 schools from remote and aspirational districts also presented their ideas through live “School Spotlights”, connecting frontier regions to India’s innovation grid.Pradhan visited Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, and PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Delhi Cantt, to interact with students and teachers, observing projects that ranged from eco-friendly farming systems to AI-powered traffic management. “Your curiosity and creativity are the true engines of an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” he told the young innovators, urging them to “stay inquisitive and fearless.”Sanjay Kumar, secretary, department of school education , said the initiative is “a learning revolution” that will “strengthen the innovative mindset of students.”The Buildathon was launched on September 23 and will culminate with the announcement of winners in December 2025. Officials said top teams will be mentored to refine their ideas into scalable solutions that can contribute to India’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.