Delhi government school students showcase AI and low-cost innovations at NEEEV zonal event

New Delhi: From Artificial Intelligence-based prototypes and low-cost technology solutions to ideas addressing everyday social challenges, students of Delhi government schools showcased a range of innovation-driven projects at the NEEEV zonal-level event.

Education Minister Ashish Sood attended the programme as the chief guest at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Moti Bagh on Wednesday, where 46 students selected from different zones presented projects developed under the New Era of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Vision (NEEEV) initiative, aimed at promoting entrepreneurial thinking among schoolchildren.

Addressing the gathering, Sood congratulated the students for their startup ideas and said the government is working towards making education more practical, skill-oriented and future-ready. He said India had witnessed a major startup boom over the past decade, with more than two lakh startups operating across the country today, and added that the NEEEV programme was preparing students to become part of this innovation-driven ecosystem.

Also read Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan: Centre, states mull outcome-based school funding, spark ‘teaching to test’ fears

The minister said nearly 1.5 lakh students from around 1,000 Delhi government schools had worked on over 30,000 ideas during the current academic year, with each school encouraging multiple teams to develop entrepreneurial concepts. Out of these, about 4,829 teams were selected and provided financial support of Rs 20,000 each for prototype development, amounting to an investment of nearly Rs 10 crore, he added.

"This support is not about ensuring every idea succeeds, but about building confidence in children that their ideas matter and that the government stands with them," Sood said. He said that students were not just learning about AI but were also developing AI-based prototypes, helping innovation become part of everyday discussions in families and schools.

The minister said the next phase would focus on scientific validation of student innovations through collaboration with technical institutions and laboratories. Describing NEEEV as a flagship initiative of the Delhi government, Sood said it was launched in September 2025 to institutionalise entrepreneurship education for students of Classes 8 to 12 in line with the National Education Policy 2020.

The programme includes a structured in-class curriculum, speaker interaction series called NEEEV Dialogue, the Startup Stormers innovation competition, specialised skill workshops, industry exposure visits and a three-tier innovation council system at school, zonal and district levels.

Also read Supreme Court backs Delhi private school fee regulation, but questions govt's 'hurried implementation'

According to a statement, more than 16,700 stakeholders have been trained to implement the programme, while over 2,000 dialogue sessions with entrepreneurs and industry experts have been conducted so far. In addition, around 1,338 skill-based workshops have benefited over 52,000 students, and structured visits have been organised to universities, incubation centres and major industries such as Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki and Toshiba, it stated.

It added that about 150 student teams would be selected at the state level later this year as part of the final phase of the Startup Stormers competition. Additionally, Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh, today participated in the Zonal NEEEV at CM Shri School, Rohini, where he interacted with students and encouraged their innovation, leadership qualities and entrepreneurial ideas.