The Governance Challenge (TGC) is India’s first governance-focused competition for 30 premier business and public policy schools in India. Watch this video from last year to know more about TGC. The Governance Challenge (TGC) offers you the opportunity to solve a real-world governance challenge identified by a state government and present your solution to the Chief Minister, senior government officials, and industry leaders. Each year, TGC centres on a case study drawn from a pressing governance priority in a selected state, giving participants the chance to develop practical, high-impact solutions for real policy challenges. This is the fourth edition of The Governance Challenge (TGC), hosted by the Government of Maharashtra, supported by The Gates Foundation and organised by Samagra . This year's challenge invites participants to address the question: "What can the Government of Maharashtra do to make Maharashtra an Innovation Hub by 2035?" The Governance Challenge (TGC) comprises three rounds—Campus Round, Nationals Round, and Summit Round. The detailed timeline and milestones for each round are provided above. Throughout the competition, participating teams will receive extensive support to help them develop high-impact, implementation-ready solutions. This includes access to reference material, dedicated team buddies for feedback, mentorship from IAS officers and industry leaders, knowledge-sharing sessions, and other learning opportunities. The top six teams will get the opportunity to present their solutions to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, senior bureaucrats, and industry leaders at the Summit Round. They will also compete for cash prizes worth ₹9 lakh and receive a Pre-Placement Interview (PPI) opportunity with Samagra. TGC is your opportunity to work on a real governance challenge and develop solutions with the potential to improve the lives of millions.
Eligibility: Competition is open to 1st and 2nd year students pursuing full-time PGP/MBA/other full-time residential programs of select institutes. Students can only apply in teams of three. Cross-year teams are allowed to participate. Cross-specialization teams are allowed to participate. Any deviation from the above-mentioned guidelines will result in the immediate disqualification of the entire team.
List of Eligible Campuses: BITS School of Management (BITSoM), Mumbai Department of Management Studies (DMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Delhi Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mumbai Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Nagpur Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Raipur Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ranchi Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Tiruchirappalli Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Udaipur Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurugram Masters' Union School of Business, Gurugram Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur
Campus Round: The campus round will involve the submission of a 3-minute executive pitch video along with a 2-page concept note explaining your submission. Students from eligible campuses can participate. Please note that each college has been assigned a specific sector to create the solutions on. Click here to view campus-wise case study themes.
Round Details: The teams will solve a case study based on the theme of "What can the Government of Maharashtra do to make Maharashtra an Innovation Hub by 2035?". The case study will be released on August 10, 2026. Further instructions on the expected format shall be shared closer to the round. The top team from each of the 30 eligible campuses will be shortlisted for the Nationals Round.
Nationals Round: The Nationals Round will entail preparing a presentation on the solution and presenting it to a panel of IAS officers and industry leaders.
Round Details: The 30 shortlisted teams will make a presentation (max. 15 slides inclusive of annexure) and submit a preliminary version by 11:59 PM, September 6, 2026. The teams will be supported by the l