Month: February 2021

Entrepreneurship Cell, which functions under the aegis of Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, IIT Kharagpur, one of India’s largest student-run non-profit organizations, inaugurated their four-day flagship event,  the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2021 with an online opening ceremony.

Hon’ble Cabinet Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani, Padma Bhushan Dr. V.K. Saraswat and Mr. Kiran Mani, Managing Director  – Global Client & Marketing Partnerships, Google) were the key speakers among others.

GES is an annual summit organized by Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kharagpur and the theme of this year’s GES is the “Festival of Fortitude” and it is the first time the event is being held in online mode due to the pandemic.

Smt. Smriti Irani talked about the importance of innovation and the need to uplift women in an entrepreneurial direction to make them financially independent and make our country a better place.

She said “The fact that the summit encourages more and more youngsters to come forward with innovative ideas, the fact that many can dream and achieve them on this platform gives us a great cause of celebration. There is a need for emphasis on women being central in this startup ecosystem and today when I look at Atmanirbhar Bharat, I can say that it will rise on the shoulders of women.”

She also talked about the ‘Mudra’ scheme of the government which enabled entrepreneurs all around the nation and disbursed 27 crore loans.

On this occasion, the patron of the event Professor Virendra Kumar Tewari, Director of IIT Kharagpur  said “This pandemic disrupted our ways, yet the Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kharagpur conducted this summit in an online mode, so that we all could learn and discuss and gain something fruitful out of the events.”

The director also talked about being ‘Local for Vocal’ and the creation of affordable technologies through an innovative mindset. He also elucidated the priorities set by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, referring to his address in the Institute Convocation held two days ago.

Padmabhushan Dr. V K Saraswat shared his views on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and stated that it can leverage the economy of the country. Mr. Kiran Mani of Google mentioned the changing role of the computer from the device of information to an assistive one.

This is how the first day of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, one of the largest inter-collegiate corporate summits of India went about. The summit has a plethora of events over the next 3 days, including events and competitions such as GES Pitchers, Intern Carnival, Co Founder’s meet & Intel AI Entrepre-Neural with 6 figure cash prizes.

Do register at https://reg-ges.ecell-iitkgp.org, and join thousands of others virtually in the “Festival of Fortitude”.

Watch the inauguration program

EcoDabba, a startup by young alumni and students of IIT Kharagpur has been adjudged Indian Student Winner at the India Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon. The feat comes in the theme of creating opportunities for plastics waste reduction. EcoDabba presented a novel idea of storing food in bagasse (sugarcane waste) coated with an eco coating for increased longevity which is 100% biodegradable food storage packaging. The solution by Ecodabba quickly biodegrades replenishing the soil and creating value for farmers.

The event was jointly conducted by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and the national science agency of Australia – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The award ceremony of the event was graced (virtually) by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and CEO of Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant along with numerous Indian and Australian luminaries.

Almost 80 teams of students and small and medium businesses from India and Australia turned their collective minds to solving the world’s global challenges with a focus on stopping waste and creating sustainable business practices. Four student teams and four SME teams each from Australia and India were awarded across the four themes.

The concept of the I-ACE Hackathon originated last year at a virtual summit where the Prime Ministers of both countries committed to working together on circular economy innovation initiatives.

“All participants of this circular economy hackathon are winners and commend your spirit to innovate in this times of COVID 19. We are not the owners of all that mother earth has to offer, but merely its trustees for all the future generations to come,” Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated.

“We [India and Australia] must explore ways to scale up innovative ideas and must look at consumption patterns and reduce ecological impact, not only in two countries but for the whole world. Recycling, reusing, eliminating waste and improving resource efficiency should become part of our lifestyle. The Power of youth comes from openness to new ideas, innovation and the ability to take risks. The strong India and Australia relationship will play an important role in shaping the post covid world,” he added.

Ecodabba was selected among 1000+ submissions. Mentored by the founders of EcoDabba: Bindu Sancheti, Sourav Kundu and Nikita Agrawal, graduates of 2020, the idea was presented by Rajat Maheshwari, Soumya Acharya, and Krishna Kumar Soni.

EcoDabba is a sustainable food packaging solution startup conceptualized in 2020 by IIT Kharagpur graduates comprising Bindu Sancheti and Sourav Kundu from the Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Nikita Agrawal from the Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering. They aim to provide a solution to the reduction of waste in food packaging in the post-pandemic world. The startup was among the top three at the Global Business Challenge 2020. [https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/the-2020-winners/]

With inputs from https://www.csiro.au/en/News/News-releases/2021/Students-and-SMEs-hold-keys-to-ending-waste

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 66th Convocation of IIT Kharagpur today as Chief Guest through a video conference. Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre were present on the occasion as Guests of Honour.

The Prime Minister said the need of the day is to work while anticipating the needs of the future, to make innovations for tomorrow. He appreciated the quality of engineering students who can easily understand the patterns of problem statements which can lead them to breakthrough discoveries and product developments and patents changing the lives of millions. Shri Narendra Modi asked the students to adopt the mantra of Self 3 to overcome their self-doubts and obstacles in the future. He said Self 3 is Self-awareness, Self-confidence and Selflessness.

The Prime Minister brought the attention of the students to International Solar Alliance and encouraged them to do research on clean energy, solar energy and areas such as electric vehicles, battery storage etc. He also asked them to work in areas of disaster management technologies, especially developing disaster-proof housing and public infrastructure such as bridges. He talked about developing advanced technologies from prevention to cure in the health-tech ecosystem, typically in areas of affordable, mobile, user-friendly home-based healthcare appliances. He talked about the Prime Minister’s Research Fellow scheme and Startup schemes that focus on supporting R&D and innovation opportunities for talented youth.

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ talked about the students aiming to become entrepreneurs and job-creators instead of job-seekers. He emphasized how the National Technology Forum will improve research infrastructure in the country. Lauding the inspirational words of the PM, Dr. Nishank talked about how it will intensify the campaign for self-reliant India. It will give new freedom to young startups and innovators of the country.

Union Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre highlighted the importance of the fields like agriculture, energy, water for further R&D. He called ideation, innovation, incubation and development of technological solutions in technology sectors like Telecom, auto-tech, solar cells, fin-tech Space, Defence to strengthen the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

2815 students were awarded degrees today of whom 75 students were invited to receive the gold and silver medals conferred by the Institute. In addition, several dignitaries were present to receive DSc (Honoris Causa), Life Fellow and Distinguished Alumnus Awards.

The Director Prof. V K Tewari, while presenting the report took pride in the recent innovations such as COVIRAP and telemedicine application which are bringing hope to the people of the country. He pledged to work more on product-development-oriented projects to support the cause of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He also talked about setting up more awards for faculty and staff for them to pursue excellence.

Consolidated UG & PG List of Gold and Silver Medals awarded at 66th Convocation

• INSTITUTE GOLD MEDALS :  (9 nos)

• INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS [ 4-YEAR B. TECH (H) ] :  (14 nos.)

INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS [ 4-YEAR B. ARCH (H) ] :  (1 nos.)

• INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS [ 5-YEAR DUAL DEGREE ] : (15 nos.)

• INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS (5-YEAR M. SC.) : (5 nos.)

• INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS (2-YEAR M. SC.) : (6 nos.)

• INSTITUTE SILVER MEDALS (M.TECH./MCP/MBA/MMST) : 25 Nos.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 66th Convocation of IIT Kharagpur today through a video conference. Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre were present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said this day is not only important for the parents and teachers of the IIT but also for the New India as the students represent the entire country. He urged the students passing out, as they embark on a new journey of life, to work towards creating startups and innovating things that can change the lives of crores of people in the country. He said the degree they won today represents the aspiration of millions of people, which they have to fulfill.

The Prime Minister said the need of the day is to work while anticipating the needs of the future, to make innovations for tomorrow. He said an engineer has the capability to see things in more detail and this understanding forms the basis of new discoveries and new breakthroughs in the future. He urged the students to find solutions that can improve and save the lives of millions and can save the country’s resources.

Shri Narendra Modi asked the students to adopt the mantra of Self 3 to overcome their self-doubts and obstacles in the future. He said Self 3 is Self-awareness, Self-confidence and Selflessness. He advised the students to recognize their potential and move forward, move ahead with full confidence, move ahead with selflessness.

The Prime Minister said that there is no place for the hastiness in the field of science and technology. He added you may not get complete success in the innovation you are working on. But that failure of yours will also be considered a success because you will learn something from that as well. He said in the 21st century the IITs need to be taken to the next level from Indian Institutes of Technology to Institutes of Indigenous Technologies to meet the changing demands and aspirations of New India.

Shri Modi said at a time when the world is struggling with the challenges of climate change, India has come up with the idea of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and embodied it. He said today India is one of those countries where the cost of solar power is very low per unit. But there are still many challenges to deliver solar power from door to door. He added India needs technology that minimizes damage to the environment, is durable and user-friendly.

The Prime Minister said Disaster management is a subject that the world has looked up to in India. During major disasters, along with life, infrastructure is the most affected. He added realizing this two years ago, India took the initiative of establishing Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in the United Nations,

The Prime Minister emphasized the need for significant innovation for Industry 4.0. He lauded the efforts of IIT Kharagpur to transform academic research related to AI at an industrial level, the Internet of things and modern construction technology. He said IIT Kharagpur’s software solutions were also useful in the fight against Corona. He urged the institute to work fast on futuristic solutions in Health Technology. He said a huge market has emerged for personal healthcare equipment. He said the market for Health and Fitness related Equipment is also increasing. He said technology has to be developed to provide for Personal Healthcare Equipments in India which is affordable and accurate.

The Prime Minister said after Corona India has emerged as a major global player in the field of Science, Technology, Research and Innovation. He said with that inspiration, there has been a major increase in the budget for science and research. He said a few days ago, the government has freed Map and Geospatial Data from control. This step will give a lot of strength to the Tech Startup Ecosystem, intensify the campaign for self-reliant India and also give new freedom to young start-ups and innovators of the country.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of IIT Kharagpur on the implementation of the new National Education Policy. He praised the institute for the way they were exploring knowledge and science as the strength of our future innovation. He urged the institute to compile 75 major innovations made by the institute to coincide with the 75^th year of India’s independence and make them reach the country and the world. He said these inspirations would give a new boost to the country and inspire confidence.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnCtvuh6Q1Y