KL Deemed to be University (KLEF) has once again made the nation proud by emerging as a National-Level Winner at the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025, securing a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh. The winning team developed an innovative solution for the problem statement “Low Cost Automated Classroom Attendance for Rural Areas,” proposed by the Government of Punjab. The national finale was held at Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, Chandigarh, Punjab, where the KL Deemed to be University team outperformed over 500 teams from across India to secure the top position.
The winning team from the KL GNU Linux Users Group (KL GLUG) at KL Deemed to be University, comprises B.Tech students P. Vamsi Krishna, Varun Sharma, V. Jashwanth, Madhuhan Shekhar, Ankita Behera, and Prabhsirat Kaur (IRD department), mentored by Dr. Sripath Roy Koganti. In Smart India Hackathon 2025, six teams from KL Deemed to be University qualified for the national finals, including five teams from the Vijayawada campus and one team from the Hyderabad campus, with several teams also reaching the grand finale stages.
The award-winning solution employs a hybrid RFID and face-recognition system to reduce attendance time and improve teaching efficiency. It supports data-driven Mid-Day Meal planning, offers role-based mobile applications and dashboards, sends SMS alerts to parents, and is a low-cost, scalable solution ideal for large-scale government adoption.
Back on campus, the winning team had earlier developed “KL EATS,” a pre-order food solution for the University canteens, which witnessed wide adoption among students. Developed with the support of KL GLUG and the Department of Experiential Learning, this hands-on product development journey strengthened the team’s grassroots understanding, design thinking approach, and real-world execution skills, which directly contributed to the success of their Smart India Hackathon solution.
The Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar congratulated the students and mentor for the achievement. The initiative was supported by Dr. Narasimha Raju, SIH SPOC, with academic leadership from Dr. Aswin Kumar.
This marks the second national-level Smart India Hackathon win for KL Deemed to be University. Earlier, a team from the KL GNU Linux Users Group won SIH 2022, with the finale held in Erode, Tamil Nadu, for a solution focused on providing educational access to rural villages without internet connectivity, which was subsequently implemented in multiple villages.
Such national recognitions further strengthen KL Deemed to be University’s standing as an innovation-driven institution, where experiential learning and strong mentorship enable students to deliver future-ready solutions with meaningful societal impact.
