*_India’s First Agriculture Hackathon Launched in Pune – Tech Meets Krishi Innovation!_* 🔟 Key Points: 1️⃣ Historic Launch: India’s first Agriculture Hackathon was held at Sinchan Nagar Grounds, College of Agriculture, Pune, Maharashtra – a first-of-its-kind event to promote agri-tech innovation. 2️⃣ Organising Institutions: Jointly organized by: *State Agriculture Department (Maharashtra) *Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) *College of Agriculture, Pune 3️⃣ Purpose: To encourage technological solutions in agriculture through collaboration between students, startups, farmers, and institutions. 4️⃣ Key Focus Areas: Themes include: *Smart irrigation *Soil health monitoring *Supply chain management Crop disease detection Market linkage tech 5️⃣ Multi-Stakeholder Participation: The Hackathon symbolizes a collaborative effort involving farmers, scientists, tech experts, industries, and government bodies. 6️⃣ Digital Agriculture Boost: Promotes Digital India’s goal of Agri-Digitalization – empowering agriculture with tech like AI, drones, IoT, and remote sensing. 7️⃣ Skill Development & Innovation: Encourages youth and agritech startups to solve grassroots farming problems through innovation and entrepreneurship. 8️⃣ Alignment with Agri-Reforms: Supports Indian government’s goals under: *PM-Kisan *Digital Agriculture Mission *Doubling Farmers' Income 9️⃣ Regional Significance: Maharashtra takes a leadership role in agricultural innovation, positioning Pune as a tech-agriculture hub for the future. 🔟 Future Model: This Hackathon could serve as a template for nationwide agri-tech events, nurturing public-private partnerships and innovation ecosystems. *_📘 UPSC Relevance:_* 🟢 Prelims: → Agri Hackathon, MPKV, Pune, Agri-tech, Digital Agriculture, State initiatives 🟡 GS Paper II – Governance: → Government Schemes & Institutional Roles, Public-Private Collaboration 🟠 GS Paper III – Agriculture & Tech: → Agri-Tech, Startup Ecosystem, Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Innovation *_#examlife_*