LPU students win National MSME Innovation Grant

Tackling one of India’s most pressing rural challenges with technology, a student team from Lovely Professional University (LPU) has developed Kisan Connect, a farmer-centric mobile application that has now clinched top honours at the MSME Idea Hackathon 4.0, a flagship national competition under the MSME Champions Innovation Scheme.

Selected from thousands of innovative proposals submitted by young entrepreneurs across the country, Kisan Connect was awarded the MSME Innovation Grant along with seed funding, national-level mentorship, and incubation support.

The application was recognised for its practical and scalable approach to revolutionising contract farming by ensuring secure, transparent and equitable engagements between farmers and agribusinesses.

The hackathon, launched under the MSME Innovative Scheme-Incubation Component, aims to channel youth-led creativity into solutions that address real challenges across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services. Kisan Connect stood out as one of the most promising projects aligned with the broader mission of Viksit Bharat @2047 and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The student team including Bramhank Mishra, Vasundhara Kumari, Faiz Ahmad, Kaushik Raj and Vaibhav Kulshrestha, emphasised that the initiative is much more than a technological advancement. “We are not just building a platform, we are building trust.

Our vision is to first physically connect with rural farmers, understand their concerns on the ground, and then gradually lead them to a digital solution that truly works for them. This isn’t just about innovation, it’s about impact,” shared the team.

Lauding the students’ achievement, Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Founder Chancellor of LPU said, “LPU strongly believes that innovation should serve a purpose and that purpose must create value for society.”

With the support of the MSME Ministry and academic mentorship at LPU, Kisan Connect is set to redefine rural engagement, digital inclusion and agricultural trust-building in the country.