Online Hackathon on Data-driven Innovation for Citizen Grievance Redressal-2024

About

We welcome you to participate in the Online Hackathon on Data-driven Innovation for Citizen Grievance Redressal organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.

DARPG invites the participants to address challenges related to citizen grievance redressal using data-driven solutions. The hackathon shall make available anonymised, curated and structured datasets of grievance reports submitted by citizens for the participating teams to analyse, study and utilise to develop various kinds of innovative solutions to be adapted and implemented by DARPG as per its requirements

The participating teams may address one or multiple Problem Statements defined by the organiser and submit innovative products and services as specified for each Problem Statement. These products and services may involve automation of speech-to-text transcription in various Indian languages, development of AI/ML models for various purposes such as chatbots or topic clustering, mechanisms for grievance classification and monitoring, as well as UI/UX additions and enhancements for existing software systems implemented by DARPG.

Participation open for challenge:

Top 3 most innovative solutions will be awarded the following prizes:

• RS. TWO LAKH for the most innovative data-driven solution;
• RS. ONE LAKH for the second most innovative data-driven solution; and
• RS. FIFTY THOUSAND for the third most innovative data-driven solution.

Each participating team may have up to 5 members, all of whom must be at least 18 years old. The participants may be students or researchers, or associated with Indian startups and companies.

Registered participants will be provided access to anonymised citizen grievance datasets to prototype their solutions for the selected Problem Statement. The most innovative and promising prototypes will be publicly recognised and will be considered for further development and implementation by the DARPG to improve the experience and performance of Citizen Grievance Redressal systems of Government of India.

Participation

• This Contest is open for the following:
  • Students/Research Scholars/Individuals
  • Indian Start Ups/Indian Companies (Registered Company name and its registration number required)
• Participant(s) must be of minimum 18-years.
• Participants can form teams – ideally heterogeneous, consisting of people with different skill sets – up to a maximum of five members including the Team Lead.
• Minimum team composition must be at least one including the Team Lead
• Employees and relatives of NIC and DARPG are not allowed to participate in this Hackathon

Registration

• All participants must register at Janparichay : Link. A registered user can directly login at https://event.data.gov.in and submit required details to participate in the Hackathon. It is expected that the participants would submit accurate and uo-to-date details and they have to confirm this before submission.
• A team leader and each team member can be part of only one team. Any one of the team members can create a team for participation.

STRUCTURE OF THE ONLINE HACKATHON

• Event will be conducted online.
• Participation would be open for Students, Research Scholars, Individuals, Indian Start Ups and Indian Companies.
• There would be time of 45 days from the launch of the Hackathon to register and submit solution prototype.
• Interested candidates would access the event registration and submission links at https://event.data.gov.in.
• DARPG would provide citizen grievance datasets (anonymized and hashed) from 1st January 2023 to Hackathon registrants, which can be accessed from challenge https:// event.data.gov.in/challenge/darpg-challenge-2024
• Before submission of solution prototype, participants have to upload their code in GIT (https://www.github.com) repository and an optional demo/product video on YouTube.
• For online submissions, following items are to be shared for evaluation by DARPG:
• Link to the Solution Source Code Repository Product Demo/ Features
• Video Link (Optional)
• Project Presentation in PDF
• Project File/Report or other Document in PDF (if any)
• In case of UI/UX designs SVG File(s)
• Potential solution prototypes would be selected by eminent Jury comprising experts from Government, Academia, Community, Industry, etc., which is to be identified and notified by DARPG. Shortlisted participants may be called for presentation of the panel.
• Selected entries from online challenge would be given a certificate and all shortlisted entries would be given appreciation certificate. All the participants would be given certificate of participation to be downloaded from the submission portals.
• DARPG would consider to plan for next steps to take the selected solution prototypes forward and decide on further adoption strategy for selected entries.

Problem Statement

There are five problem statements for the Hackathon. Link to the datasets will be available after registration on challenge page. The problem statements are as following :

PROBLEM STATEMENT 1 : Develop an AI/ML-driven system for topic clustering/modelling to enable auto-categorisation of received grievance reports for sharing of the same with last-mile officers concerned. The proposed solution may include mechanism for sharing received grievance reports with various registered officials as well as monitoring/tracking of reports concerned.

PROBLEM STATEMENT 2 : Develop an AI/ML-driven Chatbot which is Ministry Specific to help the Citizens to resolve their common queries related to filing a Grievance in the CPGRAMS portal (https://pgportal.gov.in) and expedite smooth submission of grievances.

PROBLEM STATEMENT 3 : Evaluate and optimize an existing open-source speech-to-text transcription tool for accurately converting feedback calls related to citizen grievances into English text. The goal is to benchmark the tool’s performance and implement enhancements to achieve measurable improvements in transcription accuracy for calls in Hindi, English, and Hinglish. This project does not involve creating a new system but rather focuses on refining an already established open-source solution.

PROBLEM STATEMENT 4 : Develop an AI/ML-driven system for granular monitoring, logging and analysis of the existing auto-routing system to identify and analyse pattern of 1) grievances being routed to incorrect agency/official, 2) Keep in mind that habitual complainants person/agency may file multiple grievances per Ministry and they not be made part of ranking and 3) grievance redressal performance of various Ministries/Departments/States/UTs so as to generate ranking of their effectiveness and efficiency. The proposed solution may be in the form of a dashboard, accessible via web and mobile for DARPG and other relevant officials, to monitor performance of the grievance redressal system and various registered government agencies. GRAI Report will be shared with all participants for understanding the existing ranking system.

PROBLEM STATEMENT 5 : Develop UI/UX solutions to improve adoption and usability (by Government Agencies/Officers) of DARPG portal/tool such as Tree Dashboard and IGMS website.

PRIZE MONEY

WINNERS WILL GET FOLLOWING PRIZES :

TERMS & CONDITIONS

These terms and conditions govern the Online Hackathon on Data-driven Innovation for Citizen Grievance Redressal. By participating in the event, one is deemed to have accepted terms and conditions mentioned below as well as the terms of use of the OGD Platform India.

General Terms & Conditions

Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully as they apply for the Hackathon. To be eligible to participate and declare as shortlisted or winners in the Hackathon, the participants must accept these Terms and Conditions:

• The participating teams may address one or multiple Problem Statements defined by the organiser and submit innovative products and services as specified for each Problem Statement.
• Participants must not provide any false information in the registration and team creation process.
• Participants must keep their contact information accurate and up-to-date.
• Only a single MyGov/Janparichay/OGD account is permitted for an individual or a team. If more than one account exists for the same candidate then it will automatically result in disqualification of the candidate.
• As a part of the submission, the contestant certifies the originality and ownership of the application as detailed/described in the documentation uploaded at the time of submission.
• The participant(s) must ensure that his/her/their work has not been previously published or awarded.
• If the participants are acting within the scope of their employment, as an employee, contractor, or agent of another party, then the participants warrant that such party has full knowledge of the actions of the participants and has consented thereto, including the potential receipt of a prize/certificate. The participants’ further warrant that their actions do not violate the employer’s or company’s policies and procedures.
• The participants will ensure code is free from viruses or malware.
• The participants will not use this contest to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory.
• The winning applications must be maintained in working condition by the contestant(s) for a period of one year. No functional enhancements are expected, but all bugs identified according to the description in the documentation should be fixed immediately on reporting.
• If any participant is determined to have violated the terms of the contest, DARPG/NIC have all rights to disqualify the participant without prior notice.
• If the Applications shortlisted do not meet the expectations of the Jury, Jury has the discretion and the right, not to confer an award in one or more categories/ subcategories.
• The Jury’s decision is final and cannot be challenged.
• If required, DARPG may change the terms and conditions.
• The organizers reserve the right in their sole discretion to withdraw participation of any individual/team from the event or reject any submission at any point of time during the process

Evaluation and Rating Criteria

All applications will be rated on the parameters listed below

• Concept: The submission must offer a disruptive and unique citizen-centric concept;

• User Experience: The submission must offer a convenient user interface with simple navigation;

• Responsive (No Lag): The submission must respond instantly to user inputs;

• Quality: The submission must be a functional prototype;

• Sustenance: The team must adequately demonstrate a plan for updation, sustenance and continuing usability of the submitted prototype; and

• Technology: The submission must harness emerging technologies like AI, ML, Blockchain etc.

FAQ

What is the purpose of this Hackathon?

The purpose of this Hackathon is to invite Indian students, researchers and innovators to develop data-driven solutions to improve the experience and performance of Citizen Grievance Redressal systems of Government of India.

Who can participate in the Hackathon?

Indian students or researchers associated with educational institutions, or working professionals associated with Indian startups and companies can participate in the Hackathon. The participant, however, must be at least 18 years old.

Can participants form teams?

Yes, the participants are expected to form teams of up to five members including at least one team lead.

Can a participant be part of multiple teams?

No, a participant may only register as a member of a single team.

Are employees of DARPG and NIC eligible to participate?

No, the employees of DARPG and NIC may not participate in the Hackathon.

How can one register for the Hackathon?

Please visit the official event page on OGD Event website

Are participants required to register on any specific platform?

Yes, all participants must register on MyGov/Janparichay or OGD Platform.

What are the Problem Statements for the Hackathon?

Please read the detailed Problem Statements on the official event page.

Does the Government of India operate a specific portal for online grievance submission by the citizens?

Yes, the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is operated by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of India, to enable the citizens to submit their grievances with respect to any public authority on any subject related to service delivery. It is a single portal connected to all the Ministries and Departments of Government of India and State Governments.

How will the Hackathon be organised? Will it require in-person participation?

The Hackathon will be organised as an online event with processes for registration of participants, accessing the datasets to be utilised for each Problem Statement, and submission of developed prototypes.

What is the timeline for the Hackathon?

The Hackathon will take place during a total of 45 days from the start of registration of participants to the final date for submission of developed prototypes.

What data will be provided to participants?

The datasets to be provided to registered participants will vary according to the selected Problem Statement to be addressed by the participants concerned. Please read the detailed Problem Statements on the official event page to learn more about the datasets associated with the respective Problem Statements.

What needs to be submitted for evaluation?

The developed prototypes to be submitted for evaluation by the registered participants will vary according to the selected Problem Statement to be addressed by the participants concerned. Please read the detailed Problem Statements on the official event page to learn more about the expected prototype outputs/solutions associated with the respective Problem Statements.

Will there be any jury for evaluation?

Yes, the organisers will appoint a jury comprising experts from various relevant fields to evaluate the prototypes submitted in response to each Problem Statement category.

What are the rewards for selected entries?

A jury of experts will be constituted to evaluate the submissions across all 5 Problem Statement categories and select the top 3 best performing teams who will be awarded the following prizes:

• Rs. Two Lakh for the most innovative data-driven solution;

• Rs. One Lakh for the second most innovative data-driven solution; and

• Rs. Fifty Thousand for the third most innovative data-driven solution.

What is the evaluation criteria?

The jury shall evaluate the submitted prototypes on the basis of the following set of criteria:

• Concept: The submission must offer a disruptive and unique citizen-centric concept;

• User Experience: The submission must offer a convenient user interface with simple navigation;

• Responsive (No Lag): The submission must respond instantly to user inputs;

• Quality: The submission must be a functional prototype;

• Sustenance: The team must adequately demonstrate a plan for updation, sustenance and continuing usability of the submitted prototype; and

• Technology: The submission must harness emerging technologies like AI, ML, Blockchain etc.

Are there any guidelines for technology usage?

Yes, the participants may only submit original materials under an Open Source licence, which may include third-party components (if and as decided by the participants) that are available under Open Source licence(s).

Can participants use any technology?

The participants are encouraged to implement the latest emerging technologies like AI, ML, etc.

What happens if a participant provides false information?

A participant providing false information during the registration process or later in the Hackathon shall be disqualified.

Must participants keep their contact information updated?

Yes, it is mandatory for the participants to provide correct contact information and update the same if and when applicable.

Can participants have multiple accounts on the submission platforms?

No, only a single account may be created by each participant registering for the Hackathon. Similarly, a team may create only a single account for the same.

Is originality of the application important?

Yes, the participants must certify the originality of their work before submitting the same for evaluation.

Can participants submit previously published or awarded work?

No, the submitted prototypes must be produced originally for this Hackathon.

What if a participant is employed and participating?

A working professional participating in this Hackathon must provide confirmation of the employer’s consent and non-violation of the employer’s policies during the registration process.

Are there any restrictions on the code submitted?

The code to be submitted must be free from malware including adware, ransomware, spyware, virus, worm, etc.

What legal terms must participants follow?

The participants must follow the Terms and Conditions of the Hackathon.

How long must the awarded prototypes winning applications be maintained?

The participating teams are expected to maintain the awarded prototypes in working condition for at least an year after the conclusion of the Hackathon.

What is the jury’s role in decision making?

The jury shall have the final decision with respect to awarding of the most innovative and promising prototypes submitted and the same cannot be challenged.

Can the Terms and Conditions of the Hackathon change?

Yes, the DARPG may change the Terms and Conditions of the Hackathon as per its requirement.

Timeline