Dehradun — Governor Lt. General Gurmit Singh (Retd) participated in the “Utkarsh 1.0” Hackathon organized by Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University on Wednesday. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from 216 teams representing 25 institutions, including eight universities across Uttarakhand.
During the event, the Governor interacted with students, reviewed their innovative tech solutions, and lauded their creativity and technical acumen. He also inaugurated three cutting-edge facilities on the university campus — an Artificial Intelligence (AI) R&D Hub, a Robotics Lab, and an Internet of Things (IoT) Lab.
In the Chatbot Development category, the first prize was secured by JBIT College, Dehradun, followed by GBPIET, Pauri, and Shivalik Engineering College, Dehradun.
In the Dashboard Development category, IT Gopeshwar bagged the first prize, while teams from Tula’s Institute, Dehradun, claimed both the second and third positions.
In the Mobile App Development category, the Faculty of Technology of the host university won first place, followed by Roorkee College of Engineering and BIAS, Bhimtal.
Addressing the students, Governor Singh highlighted the critical role of digital technologies in modern governance, education, finance, and public services. He emphasized the effective use of digital tools like the internet, smartphones, and laptops for learning and innovation.
“We are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, led by advancements in AI, quantum computing, IoT, and robotics,” he said. “These technologies are reshaping lives and positioning India as a global innovation leader.”
The Governor pointed out that AI is transforming key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and defense, and has tremendous potential for application in a state like Uttarakhand — particularly in disaster management, mountain farming, and healthcare delivery. He urged students not only to consume technology but to become its creators and drivers of innovation.
Applauding initiatives like Startup India, Digital India, Make in India, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he stated that India’s youth are central to the nation’s aspiration to become a global technology powerhouse. He congratulated the university for fostering innovation and extended best wishes to all participants.
In a special announcement, the Governor unveiled a challenge for the university to develop an open-source AI-powered chatbot named “Deep Shiva”, envisioned to be 108 times more advanced than “Deep Seek”. This project, to be undertaken within the Hackathon framework, must be completed by December 31, 2025. The winning team will receive a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, with ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh awarded to the second and third place teams respectively. The Governor directed the Vice-Chancellor to organize the competition according to set parameters.
Also present at the event were Minister of Technical Education Shri Subodh Uniyal, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Onkar Singh, Founding Vice Chancellor of Delhi Technological University Prof. PB Sharma, Director of Sunflox Technologies Mr. Rajat Jain, Registrar Dr. Satendra Singh, and students from various institutions.
