Krishaa Rungta, Kanishk Rungta

Krishaa Rungta (16), is from India. Growing up near a military base in India, Krishaa was constantly around ex-servicemen and their families — and she noticed something important: while many government welfare schemes exist for their education, healthcare, and support, countless eligible families didn’t know about them or couldn’t access them.

So Krishaa and her team built Veer Sahara, a digital platform that simplifies access to these schemes for children of ex-servicemen, widows, and dependents. In Rajasthan alone, over 209,000 ex-servicemen rely on pensions and government support — many navigating a confusing system alone.

To build it, the students dug deep into official resources like the Rajasthan Sainik Welfare Board and Kendriya Sainik Board guidelines, uncovering over 50 different schemes covering education, healthcare, scholarships, pensions, and financial assistance.

But Krishaa didn’t stop at building an app — she took the work directly to the people who needed it, running awareness sessions across 7 villages and defence communities in Rajasthan.

With her family’s steady support behind her, Krishaa is helping make sure no family misses out on the support they’ve earned.