Garhwal Post Bureau
Roorkee, 19 Dec: The “Design for Bharat – Youth Innovation Challenge”, organised under the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026, is a national-level design competition aimed at engaging youth aged 18–29 years in developing innovative design solutions aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. The initiative is being implemented by the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. The competition focuses on design-driven interventions addressing India’s socio-economic and cultural challenges, with an emphasis on social impact and innovation. Structured across four stages, the initiative will culminate in a National Showcase and Awards Ceremony in New Delhi.
As part of this prestigious national initiative, the Design Innovation Centre (DIC), IIT Roorkee, organised an exhibition on December 16, 2025, at the Tinkering Lab, IIT Roorkee. Several teams from different districts of Uttarakhand registered through the online portal, and shortlisted teams were invited to present their design innovations and creative solutions during the exhibition. Based on the evaluation, the top three teams will advance to the national-level competition, where they will showcase their innovative proposals.
The event was coordinated by Prof Inderdeep Singh, Dean (Infrastructure) and Coordinator, Design Innovation Centre, IIT Roorkee, who has been nominated as the Competition Nodal Officer (CNO) for IIT Roorkee.
The exhibition was graced by Prof Naveen Kumar Navani, Dean of Academic Affairs, IIT Roorkee, and Prof Vivek Kumar Malik, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy, IIT Roorkee, as Chief Guests. Other distinguished visitors included Prof Varun Sharma, Coordinator, Tinkering Lab; Prof Sonal Atreya and Prof Bibhuti Ranjan Bhattacharjya, Faculty Members, Department of Design; Dr Ajay D Jain, Senior Vice President, SMAU, Haridwar; Sumitra Pandey, Industrial Research Consultant; and Dr Neel Mani, Director, CAI&R, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya.
The dignitaries interacted with the participating teams and appreciated the innovation, creativity, and social relevance of the designs showcased, underscoring the critical role of youth-led design innovation in shaping a developed and inclusive India.
