Delhi has launched a new youth innovation challenge with a ₹2 crore prize pool, giving students, researchers, startups and other eligible participants a chance to work on real-world problems and take their solutions from an idea to a tested prototype. The SEVA FIRST - Rashtriya Youth Innovation Challenge 2026 was launched at Delhi Technological University (DTU) on September 19 by Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood. DTU is serving as the anchor university for the Northern Region.
The challenge is planned as a 100-day innovation journey. But this is not simply an idea-submission contest. Participants are expected to identify a problem, develop a solution, build or improve a prototype and demonstrate that it can work in a real setting.