West Bengal Government launches portal to foster grassroots innovation in eastern region

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The portal is part of the Seva First Innovation Challenge-Eastern Zone under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. Photo: X/@RajeevRC_X

The West Bengal government on Saturday (September 19, 2026) launched an online portal to foster grassroots innovation across the eastern region, an official statement said.

The portal is part of the ‘Seva First Innovation Challenge-Eastern Zone’ under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.’ It was launched at the IIT-Kharagpur Research Park in New Town, near Kolkata.

The portal, sficeast.wb.gov.in, aims to invite solution-oriented proposals to address everyday issues such as healthcare access, agricultural losses, water shortage, waste management and environmental risks, the statement said.

The Department of Science and Technology and Biotechnology is the nodal Department for the programme and would work with six other Departments, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Textiles, Higher Education, and Information Technology and Electronics, the statement said.

The challenge is built on the philosophy of “innovate locally, impact nationally” to encourage problem-solving outside conventional laboratories and institutions, it said.

School, polytechnic and undergraduate students can participate in the junior category, while researchers, early-stage startups and independent innovators can apply in the open category.

More than 550 participants, including students, innovators and representatives of startups, attended the launch. Senior West Bengal Ministers and BJP leaders were also present.

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