Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 Oct: The Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), the nodal agency of the State Government for promoting scientific temper, innovation and scientific awareness, is organizing the ‘5th Seemant Janpad Bal Vigyaan Mahotsav-2026’ at Vivekanand Vidya Mandir Inter College, Mandalshera, District Bageshwar, on 9 and 10 October.
The Seemant Janpad Bal Vigyaan Mahotsav is a flagship initiative of UCOST aimed at fostering scientific curiosity, creativity, innovation and scientific thinking among school students, particularly those from the frontier and mountainous districts of Uttarakhand. The programme covers the six frontier districts of the State—Pithoragarh, Champawat, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag and culminates at the state level.
The central theme of this year’s Mahotsav is “Integrate Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies into Disaster Risk Management Plans”. In addition to the core theme, the programme will provide students with exposure to contemporary areas of science and technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber Security and Cyber Hygiene. The initiative seeks to enhance students’ understanding of emerging scientific and technological challenges and encourage them to explore innovative solutions. Students from Classes 6 to 12 will participate in various activities and competitions at the Junior and Senior levels, including Scientific Poem (Hindi), Scientific Poem (English), Scientific Models, Scientific Quiz and Scientific Play. The programme is being implemented progressively from the block level to the district and State levels, enabling students to present their scientific ideas, creativity and innovations on increasingly wider platforms. The initiative will benefit school students across 33 blocks of the six frontier districts. Approximately 250 child scientists, along with escort teachers, coordinators, science exhibitors and eminent scientists, are expected to participate in the State-level programme. The State-level Seemant Bal Vigyaan Mahotsav has been organized successfully in the frontier districts in previous years. The 1st State-level Mahotsav was held in Champawat, the 2nd in Chamoli, the 3rd in Pithoragarh, and the 4th at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rudraprayag. Continuing this initiative, UCOST is organizing the 5th Seemant Janpad Bal Vigyaan Mahotsav-2026 in Bageshwar, further strengthening the culture of scientific inquiry and innovation among students in the State’s border and mountainous regions. The event will also bring together eminent scientists, innovators, science exhibitors and teachers, who will interact with participating students and share their knowledge and experiences. Their participation will provide students with opportunities to learn about recent scientific developments, innovations and emerging technologies. Through the 5th Seemant Janpad Bal Vigyaan Mahotsav-2026, UCOST aims to nurture a strong culture of scientific inquiry, creativity and innovation among young minds and encourage students from the frontier districts of Uttarakhand to develop scientific perspectives and innovative approaches towards emerging challenges in climate change, disaster risk management, artificial intelligence, cyber security and hygiene.
