By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 14 May: Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) participated in the “Utkarsh 1.0” Hackathon organised by Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University here on Wednesday. The hackathon saw participation from 216 teams representing 25 institutions, including 8 universities from across the state. The Governor interacted with the participating students, reviewed their innovative projects, and appreciated their ideas.
On this occasion, the Governor also inaugurated the AI R&D Hub, Robotics Lab, and Internet of Things (IoT) Lab within the university campus.
In the chatbot category, the first prize was awarded to the team from JBIT College, Dehradun, the second prize to GBPIET, Pauri, and the third to Shivalik Engineering College, Dehradun. In the dashboard development category, the first prize went to IT Gopeshwar, and both second and third prizes were awarded to teams from Tula’s Institute, Dehradun. In the mobile app development category, the first prize was awarded to the university’s Faculty of Technology, the second to Roorkee College of Engineering, and the third to BIAS, Bhimtal.
The Governor emphasised that digital intervention is now essential in every aspect of governance, education, financial management, and student services. He highlighted the importance of using tools like the internet, smartphones, and laptops effectively for knowledge-sharing, staying updated, and enhancing student understanding.
He stated, “We are currently living in an era referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution—driven by innovations such as AI, quantum computing, IoT, and robotics. These technologies are transforming everyday life and positioning India as a global innovation hub.”
The Governor noted that AI is bringing revolutionary changes in fields ranging from healthcare to agriculture, education, and defence. The Government of India’s “India AI Mission” is fostering the growth of AI startups. In a state like Uttarakhand, AI holds immense potential in areas like disaster management, mountain agriculture, and healthcare.
Addressing the students, the Governor said it is vital not just to be consumers of these technologies, but to become their creators and innovators. He emphasised that the youths’ contribution will be decisive in making India self-reliant. The enthusiasm and innovation of India’s young minds are astonishing the world. Initiatives like Startup India, Digital India, Make in India, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat are paving the way for India to emerge as a global tech powerhouse. He congratulated the university administration for promoting innovation and extended his best wishes to the students for a bright future.
The Governor also announced a challenge for the university to develop an open-source and OpenAI-powered chatbot named “Deep Shiva”, designed to be 108 times more advanced than “Deep Seek”. He declared that the winning team of this competition would be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, with Rs 3 lakh for the second and Rs 2 lakh for the third position. The chatbot is to be developed under the Hackathon framework by 31 December 2025, and the Governor instructed the Vice-Chancellor to organise the competition as per necessary parameters.
On this occasion, Minister of Technical Education Subodh Uniyal stated that this event would serve as a milestone in the field of technology. Vice-Chancellor Prof Onkar Singh provided details about the event. Also present were Prof PB Sharma, founding Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University; Rajat Jain, Director of Sunflox Technologies; Registrar Satendra Singh; and students from various institutions.
