Blockchain Technology to Address Challenges of Migrant Labour

KOCHI:
US Consulate General, Chennai with Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Maker Village, Kochi and Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) announced the launch of ‘Blockathon For Change’, a hackathon to address the societal issues of migrant labour using blockchain technology.
Migrant labourers are often a disadvantaged and vulnerable group because of social, economic and cultural issues associated with migration. In India, massive interstate migration of labourers warrants immediate attention both at the ground level and policy level. The proposed hackathon is designed to beneficially employ the Blockchain technology for offering comprehensive solutions to mitigate problems related to migrant labour. This is the first time in India that such a bold attempt is made to leverage high-end technology to address one of the most critical social issues of our times.
Dr D Dhanuraj, Chairman of CPPR said, “Migrant workers encounter various problems in their daily life. Their contribution to our economy is enormous, but little is done for their well-being. Therefore with this hackathon, we want to find technology-driven solutions to address the challenges.”
Applications are invited from ideators, inventors, software developers, programmers, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs and start-ups from near and far to participate in this finals of hackathon at Maker Village, Kochi during December 21-22, 2017. Participants from all over the country will assemble at Maker Village for this two day event. As part of the event mentoring sessions, talks on Block chain technology and Migrant Labour issues shall be held at Maker Village.
Registration is open and last date to apply for the participation is December 09. More details, programs, schedules, terms and conditions, events etc. can be found at www.blockathonforchange.com
“This initiative is an effort to realise the true potential of blockchain technology. This hackathon will enhance our approach to innovation and create opportunities to tackle various social challenges”, said Prasad Balakrishnan Nair, CEO, Maker Village
Participants will compete for a total cash prize of Rs One Lakh seventy five thousand. All solutions developed during the hackathon will remain the intellectual property of developers and will be free to develop their solutions further after the hackathon.