Clean drinking water for all
in partnership with
INR 2.5 crore prize purse
Ashirvad Water Challenge
Clean Drinking Water for All
in partnership with
INR 2.5 Crore Prize Purse
Meet the Winners
Clean drinking water for all
in partnership with
INR 2.5 crore prize purse
Ashirvad Water Challenge
Clean Drinking Water for All
in partnership with
INR 2.5 Crore Prize Purse
Meet the Winners
According to a recent study by NITI Aayog, over 600 million Indians face acute water shortages. In 2019, only 3.29 crore out of 19 crore rural households had access to tap water, and women walked long distances to get water. Access to sufficient clean drinking water is still a significant issue in many parts of the country, and adoption of effective solutions at scale has not happened due to multiple factors (especially in rural areas).
To address critical water challenges, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was started by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on August 15, 2019, to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
Complementing the efforts of JJM, The/Nudge Prize-Ashirvad Water Challenge with a prize purse of INR 2.5 crores, invites innovators to create solutions that will ensure clean drinking water for all Indians by 2024.
Meet our Finalists here
Meet the Semi Finalists here
OVERVIEW

Clean drinking water for all

Access to sufficient clean water is still a significant issue in many parts of India, and adoption at the scale of effective solutions has not happened due to poor service and enablement of long term use (especially in rural India).

With “Clean Drinking Water for All”, The/Nudge Prize, powered by Ashirvad, aims to solve this problem through entrepreneurial initiatives.

What is the challenge?

Increasing access to clean drinking water for 19 crore rural households

Access to sufficient clean water is still a significant issue in many parts of India, and adoption at scale of effective solutions has not happened due to many factors (especially in rural areas). With The/Nudge Prize | Clean Drinking Water for All powered by Ashirvad, we aim to solve this problem through entrepreneurial initiatives.

Why this initiative?
The/Nudge Prize and Ashirvad Pipes have partnered to launch this challenge to encourage innovators and entrepreneurs to find innovative, environment friendly solutions with a potential for sustainable impact at scale.
With the ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission by the Govt of India, the challenge for entrepreneurs is to come up with innovative solutions to provide clean drinking water at a low cost along with high quality service to households. The innovations may range from disruptive technology & business models to bringing behavioral change in communities.

Solutions may include but not limited to

  • Source water purification to remove metal contamination and other impurities.
  • Smart distribution and storage provisions ensuring sustained drinking water availability to communities.
  • Provisions for clean drinking water in difficult terrains and removing social barriers to access.
  • Recycling solutions like water source recharge, desalination, wastewater treatment to increase availability of drinking water in regions with water scarcity.
  • Effective water management solutions to optimise usage of fresh water resources.
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Low Cost Solution
cost to the buyer should be equal or lesser than existing solutions
Increased Access
any additional water provided to households should be directly attributable to the solution
Long Term Adoption
buyer or end user should understand the solution provided and know how to keep it operational
Environmental impact
impact on land, air and other natural resources should be explicitly addressed
Provision of O&M
Operations and maintenance service should be taken care of and included in the solution
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria

Social impact
Scalability and replicability
Environment and sustainability
Economic feasibility
Targeted water quality
Organization readiness
Low Cost Solution
cost to the buyer should be equal or lesser than existing solutions
Increased Access
any additional water provided to households should be directly attributable to the solution
Long Term Adoption
buyer or end user should understand the solution provided and know how to keep it operational
Environmental impact
impact on land, air and other natural resources should be explicitly addressed
Provision of O&M
Operations and maintenance service should be taken care of and included in the solution
Impact
cost to the buyer should be equal or lesser than existing solutions
Sustainability
any additional water provided to households should be directly attributable to the solution
Scalability
buyer or end user should understand the solution provided and know how to keep it operational

Advisors

Prof. Asit K. Biswas is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on water, food, environment and development-related issues. He has a very distinguished career as an academic; senior public official in Canada; advisor and confidant to Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers in 23 countries, 6 Heads of UN Agencies, 2 Secretary-Generals of OECD, and 4 MNCs in the Fortune 500 list. He was a member of the World Commission on Water, and co-founder of International Water Resources Association and World Water Council. He has won numerous awards including the Walter Huber Prize and Stockholm Water Prize.
Prof Asit K. Biswas
Renowned Water Expert
Jayamala Subramaniam has more than two decades of experience in strategy and execution in banking, education, agro-technology, ITES, and the nonprofit sector across countries. At Arghyam, she leads the scale imagination journey for large government and nonprofit programs to achieve water security in a sustainable manner. She has proven expertise in identifying and establishing transformational processes for scaling standalone start-ups and start-up environments.
Jayamala Subramaniam
CEO, Arghyam
Following a Master’s in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1991, Madhavan commenced working with the Urmul Rural Health Research and Development Trust in Bikaner. Since then, he has worked with ActionAid and The Hunger Project and subsequently spent eight years working in Uttarakhand with Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (Chirag).
VK Madhavan
CEO, WaterAid India
Vedika has more than 25 years of experience building teams and businesses with Indian and international institutions. She is currently responsible for the operating efficiency and effectiveness of Water.org, and for the attainment of strategic objectives and annual organizational goals. She previously served as Water.org’s Chief Global Impact Officer and the Managing Director, India. Vedika has been appointed as a part time member of the Banks Board Bureau, and she also serves as a board member of the Jai Vakeel Foundation.
Vedika Bhandarkar
COO, Water.org
Yugal Joshi is Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission in the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Previously, he was Director, IEC, Swachh Bharat Mission for 5 years, and Director, Railway Protection Force before that. He has been instrumental in bringing impactful information, education and communication (IEC) interventions for behavior change among rural Indians for toilet usage. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2018), Indian Police Medal (2020) and the National Award for Outstanding Performance by Ministry of Railways (2014).
Yugal Kishore Joshi
Director, Jal Jeevan Mission
PARTNERS

Helping on scale

Access to sufficient clean water is still a significant issue in many parts of India, and adoption at the scale of effective solutions has not happened due to poor service and enablement of long term use (especially in rural India).

With “Clean Drinking Water for All”, The/Nudge Prize, powered by Ashirvad, aims to solve this problem through entrepreneurial initiatives.

see all partners

Partners

With our partners, we aim to bring in entrepreneurs who can provide innovative solutions to the critical issue of providing clean drinking water for all. With their ideas, volunteering and kind support, The/Nudge is looking forward to building strong communities and helping increase access to clean drinking water for 19 crore rural households.

see all partners

Timeline

Problem Research and Design

Sept - Dec 2021
  • Problem research
  • Identification of problem statement and evaluation criteria
  • Identification and onboarding of Prize partners
  • Finalise launch date

Timeline

Applications Open
February - MAY 2022
Send us your innovative and scalable solutions to provide Clean Drinking Water for All
APPLY NOW
Announcement
JUNE 2022
Contestants for pilot phase will be announced
Pilot Phase
JuLY - December 2022
Showcase your disruptive and evidence-based solutions.

Receive ecosystem support from Knowledge, Technology and Investor partners
Announcement
December 2022
Finalists will be announced

Milestone grant of INR 15 lakhs for 5 finalists
Finals
January - June 2023
ongoing
Prove scalability and adoption of your solution.

Receive one-on-one, hands-on mentoring from the Partners.

‍Prize purse of INR 1.75 crores for the winner and runner-up
Applications Open
February - MAY 2022
140 innovative, high potential solutions and business ideas received.

25 Semi-Finalists identified to participate in the challenge
APPLY NOW
Pilot Phase
JUNE - DECEMBER 2023
Semi-finalists showcase their disruptive and evidence-based solutions.

Semi-finalists receive ecosystem support from Knowledge, Technology and Investor partners
Semi-Finals
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023
7 Finalists announced

Milestone grant of INR 15 lakhs for 5 Finalists
Final Phase
MARCH - JULY 2023
Finalists continue to build evidence for their solution, and start scale journey

Receive deeper ecosystem support and investor connects
Grand Finale
September 2023
Announcement of Winners
‍
SmartTerra,
Winner
INR 1 Cr

Solinas Integrity,
Runner up
INR 75 Lakhs
Concluded
APPLY

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