Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI, invites innovative solutions for Consumer Issues under Smart India Hackathon 2025

Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI, invites innovative solutions for Consumer Issues under Smart India Hackathon 2025

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India is partnering with Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025 to involve students in finding innovative solutions to six consumer-related problems. The problem statements are available on the website- https://sih.gov.in/. of SIH 2025, launched by the Ministry of Education. The initiative aims to promote innovation and practical problem-solving by providing students with a platform to develop and present creative solutions.

The deadline for one problem — “Improved Onion Storage Technology for Enhancing Shelf Life of Onions” — expired on 7th October 2025. The remaining five problems are still open for submission until 15th October 2025. Explanatory video links of problem statements are also available with the problem statements. As the hackathon not only offers students an opportunity to showcase their skills but also encourages collaboration with industry experts, government agencies, and other stakeholders, maximum participation in this exercise is expected.

The details of six problem statement are as follows:

1. Improved Onion Storage Technology for Enhanced Shelf Life

As 65% of onions are harvested in the rabi season, they must last until the kharif harvest. However, 30–50% losses occur due to rotting, sprouting, and weight loss. Most Indian farmers use naturally ventilated onion stores prone to heat and humidity, causing high post-harvest losses. Affordable technologies for temperature and humidity control can reduce spoilage and stabilize prices. Smart storage using solar or plasma systems, nanotech, IoT, and AI/ML can minimize wastage and ensure stable prices and better farmer returns.

Expected Solution: Longer shelf life with minimal storage loss.

Reliable MCBs are vital for electrical safety. Stringent short-circuit breaking capacity tests ensure MCB performance under fault conditions. Manual or semi-automated testing leads to inaccurate R–XL circuits, long test cycles, and safety risks at high fault currents (up to 10,000A), affecting accuracy, repeatability, and operator safety.

The proposed automated system tests MCBs, integrating an Automated R–XL Circuit Module for precise power factor control, a transformer-based 10,000A source, and a universal, safety-equipped test station. PLC/Industrial PC control enables automated waveform capture, data analysis, and report generation through an intuitive HMI.

Expected Solution: High-accuracy, repeatable, and safe automated testing with reduced human intervention and shorter test cycles, ensuring reliable MCB certification and improved electrical safety.

3. Automated Specimen Preparation System for Cable Testing

Consistent cable specimen preparation is essential for accurate testing as per IS standards covering conductor resistance, insulation/sheath thickness, and flame tests. Manual specimen preparation—cutting, shaping, and stripping—is time-consuming, inconsistent, and prone to errors, affecting test reliability. The proposed automated system uses motorized feeding, precision programmable blades, and auto diameter sensing for accurate specimen cutting and stripping. A PLC/HMI-based control manages operations, test selection, and safety interlocks, ensuring efficient and consistent preparation.

Expected Solution: Delivers uniform, high-quality specimens with reduced time, cost, and human error, improving accuracy, efficiency, and safety in cable testing.

4. To explore new/alternative assaying methods to the fire assay method for testing of gold jewellery and artefacts through non-destructive testing

Hallmarking of gold jewellery ensures accurate determination and official recording of precious metal content. It is mandatory in India since 23 June 2021, and covers 373 districts. India’s jewellery is diverse—cast, handmade, hollow, plated, or studded—making many items heterogeneous. Fire assay ensures homogeneity by melting the sample, but its destructive nature drives demand for reliable non-destructive alternatives.

Expected Solution: Develop a non-destructive assay method for jewellery that matches fire assay accuracy (ideally ±0.5 ppt), handles heterogeneous compositions, and eliminates harmful emissions. The resulting method must be validated for regulatory and commercial use.

5. Automated Compliance Checker for Legal Metrology Declarations on E-Commerce Platforms

Rapid e-commerce growth demands strict adherence to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. Persistent non-compliance with mandatory details (manufacturer, MRP, net quantity, etc.) calls for an AI-based automated verification system.

The proposed AI-powered tool will scan e-commerce listings and validate product declarations as per Legal Metrology norms. It will:

Expected Impact: Automates compliance checks, reduces manual inspections, supports fair trade, and enables data-driven enforcement. Future integration with national enforcement portals will enhance real-time regulatory oversight.

6. Detection and Prevention of Tampering in Weighing and Measuring Instruments

Fair trade depends on accurate weighing and measuring devices (scales, fuel dispensers, meters, POS systems). Tampering through hardware, firmware, or remote manipulation causes consumer loss and undermines regulatory trust.

The idea is to develop an intelligent system to detect, prevent, and alert against both physical and digital tampering in real or near-real time. The solution should feature secure embedded hardware, logging, remote verification, and use of AI/ML, digital forensics, tamper-evident seals, blockchain audit trails, or sensor-based checks.

Expected Outcome: Real-time, reliable tamper detection ensuring trade integrity, consumer protection, and effective regulatory oversight.

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