New Delhi, Jul 31 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2020 on Saturday through video conferencing. The Prime Minister will also be interacting with students on the occasion.

"Young India is filled with talent! The grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2020 showcases this very spirit of innovation and excellence," PM Modi tweeted. The interaction with the finalists of the Hackathon will take place at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems faced daily. It inculcates a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving, says the government.

"It has proved to be extremely successful in promoting out-of-the-box thinking in young minds," said a government statement.

The first edition of Smart India Hackathon 2017 saw the participation of 42,000 students which increased to 1 lakh in 2018 and swelled to 2 lakh in 2019.

The first round of Smart India Hackathon 2020 saw the participation of more than 4.5 lakh students.

More than 10,000 students will be competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 central government departments, 17 state governments and 20 industries.