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Pilot Phase of ‘Gems of India’ Challenge Launched

  • 22 Jul 2026

On 21st July 2026, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched the pilot phase of the 'Gems of India' Challenge to promote grassroots digital creators through authentic storytelling about India's districts.

Key Points

  • About the Initiative: The challenge aims to identify, nurture and promote grassroots digital creators by encouraging them to showcase the culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, history and unique identity of their districts.
  • Platform: The initiative will be hosted on the MyWAVES platform under the WAVES OTT ecosystem.
  • Pilot Phase: The programme will initially cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa and Ladakh before expanding nationwide.
  • Implementation: The initiative will be implemented with support from Prasar Bharati, My Bharat, State Governments, District Administrations, YouTube and Meta.
  • Awards: Up to 20 district winners will receive ₹50,000 each, one state winner from each participating district will receive ₹2 lakh, and national winners will receive ₹5 lakh each.