SUSTAINOVATION CHALLENGE 2.0

India’s transition to clean energy is challenged by high deployment costs, limited access in rural and semi-urban areas, grid inefficiencies, and lack of scalable financing models. There is a need for MVP-stage, decentralized, and affordable clean energy solutions that can enable reliable energy access, efficient storage, monitoring, and financing—particularly for underserved communities and small enterprises.

Rapid urbanization and consumption have led to growing challenges in plastic, agro, and e-waste management, with limited material recovery and inefficient reverse supply chains. There is a pressing need for ready-to-deploy waste-to-value technologies, circular business models, and digital platforms that promote resource efficiency, traceability, and sustainable waste management at scale.

Water scarcity, poor water quality, and climate-induced variability pose serious risks to households, agriculture, and industries. Existing water management systems often lack affordability, monitoring, and scalability. The challenge seeks market-ready water conservation, recycling, monitoring, and climate-resilient solutions that enable efficient water use, real-time insights, and community-level implementation.

The shift to a green economy requires inclusive livelihood opportunities, yet many communities lack access to skills, jobs, and market linkages in emerging green sectors. There is a need for technology-driven platforms and tools that enable green skilling, job matching, climate-adaptive livelihoods, and sustainable income generation—especially for rural and vulnerable populations.

Accurate environmental data is essential for informed decision-making, compliance, and sustainability planning, but monitoring systems are often fragmented, expensive, or inaccessible. This challenge calls for scalable AI-, IoT-, and data-driven solutions that provide real-time environmental intelligence for air, water, soil, biodiversity, and emissions—supporting governments, enterprises, and communities.