The builder's path
For: Families displaced by the Majhgaon dam in Panna can't see whether they are on the rehabilitation list, or what they have been paid and are still owed.
“Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.”
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Madhya Pradesh.
Step 1
Join an incubator or startup mission
They connect you to schemes and officials.
Department of Science and Technology support from idea to startup, through technology business incubators.
The tech industry body; startup programmes and a route to industry partners.
Incubator for social enterprises in health, agriculture and livelihoods.
Lab-to-market platform for science and technology aimed at social problems.
Step 2
Win a seed grant
Prove the idea works with a small, funded prototype.
Seed money through approved incubators for proof of concept, prototypes and trials.
NITI Aayog's mission: Atal Incubation Centres and challenges for social problems.
National AI mission: datasets, compute and calls for AI applications.
Department of Science and Technology support from idea to startup, through technology business incubators.
Step 3
Pilot with a public body
A district, city or department tries it with real people.
The national startup programme: recognition, schemes and a directory of incubators.
NITI Aayog's mission: Atal Incubation Centres and challenges for social problems.
The IT ministry's hub for tech startups, programmes and incubators.
National AI mission: datasets, compute and calls for AI applications.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
District administration notices and contacts.
The State's public grievance portal, also reachable on 181.
Holds the acquisition and rehabilitation records and is sending officials to villages to gather details.
Builds the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects.
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, India. Problem: Families displaced by the Majhgaon dam in Panna can't see whether they are on the rehabilitation list, or what they have been paid and are still owed. Who it hurts: Mostly tribal families in the Ajaygarh sub-division whose land and homes are being taken for the Majhgaon Medium Irrigation Project. The moment it hurts: Water reaching the house while the family still doesn't know whether it is eligible for the rehabilitation package or when the next instalment will come. What people do today: Families hear about eligibility and payments from officials who visit occasionally, neighbours and protest meetings; many say they have documents but no one to explain why they were left out. Why it is still unsolved: Payments have come in parts since 2018, the package changed from ₹5 lakh to ₹12.5 lakh, eligibility depends on household records and court cases, and none of this is visible to the family in one place. What solved looks like: A public status list, by village and family, showing eligibility, land and house valuation, amounts paid with dates, the amount still due, and any missing document or pending case, with a Hindi voice line and a simple way to file a correction. Where: Panna, Madhya Pradesh, India First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“You cannot step twice into the same river.”
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“That which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.”
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm.”
ἀσκέειν περὶ τὰ νουσήματα δύο, ὠφελέειν ἢ μὴ βλάπτειν
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.