Goa hackathon promotes collaboration between startups and government

The Goa government is encouraging startups and innovators from across India to join a new hackathon. This event, called the Goa Open Innovation Challenge, aims to find solutions to problems faced by government departments. It will launch on March 28 and last for two months. The government has not listed specific challenges, but key areas for focus may include tourism, law enforcement, agriculture, and sustainable energy. A government official mentioned that they hope startups can use new technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain to help solve these local issues. The initiative seeks to strengthen partnerships between government, businesses, and the startup community. Startups will tackle real-world problems identified by government departments. One area that might be explored is smart policing. The government hopes this hackathon will build a culture of problem-solving among innovators. They aim to address various issues, including governance, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and environmental concerns. Through this effort, the government plans to connect bureaucratic challenges with technology-based solutions.