A bid to find tech solutions to tackle drug menace

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) will be organising a 30-hour national-level anti-drug hackathon in association with Central University of Kerala (CUK) in a bid to provide technology solutions to report use of narcotics and create awareness about the social menace.
The theme for the April 26-27 event at the CUK is ‘technology solutions for reporting drug abuse and engaging students against drug usage’. Startups, innovators, students, developers and technology enthusiasts can participate in the two-day event.
Those interested can log on to https://startupmission.in/antidrug-hackathon/ for details. The last date for application is April 16. Those who win the award for the best innovation will receive Rs 50,000 and will earn a direct opportunity to pitch for ‘idea gran’t worth Rs 3 lakh from KSUM. The winner will also be eligible for a year’s free incubation at KSUM, while the pilot implementation of the solution will be facilitated at the district panchayath level.
Through the event KSUM seeks technology solutions to report consumption and dealing of drugs near campuses by keeping the anonymity of the reporting person. There should be some engaging contents or rewards or recognition, encouraging the user to adopt the solution. It should communicate all relevant information, including contact details and department details. The technology should facilitate sharing interesting contents on social media and rating or honouring by giving badges to those who are posting relevant contents at frequent intervals against drug usage. It must engage NGOs/institutions so that they can run campaigns and competitions against drug usage. The technology solution must act as a platform for identifying the behavioural changes after the consumption through emotion recognition. tnn