Odisha Schools Shine at Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025
The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025, a nationwide innovation movement organized by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, was officially flagged off on 13th October, 2025 by Hon’ble Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. The event was graced by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL; Shri Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, AIM; Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE; and Dr. Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman, AICTE.
The Buildathon, the largest-ever school-level hackathon, aims to foster a culture of innovation, creativity, and problem-solving among students by encouraging them to ideate and build prototypes across four key themes: Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local, and Samriddh Bharat. This initiative aligns with hands-on, experiential learning in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and ensures inclusive participation, with special focus on Aspirational Districts, Tribal, and Remote Regions.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized the importance of nurturing young innovators, stating, “Students of today will be the 34–40-year-old innovators of 2047, solving not only India’s challenges but global ones. Bharat cannot fulfil its aspirations without innovation — your creativity and ideas are the key.”
Atal Incubation Centre – Nalanda Institute of Technology Foundation (AIC-Nalanda), serving as the Nodal Agency for Odisha under the ATL Sarthi initiative of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), played a key role in sensitizing and supporting the Viksit Bharat Buildathon (VBB) 2025 in the state.
AIC-Nalanda supported more than 100 schools for participation in the VBB 2025 and provided mentors through its team members in 42 schools during the event. The students received guidance and support during the Buildathon event, ensuring smooth execution at the state level. A proud moment for Odisha was the interaction of a team of students from PM Shri Government High School, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar,Khordha, who presented their innovation, problem statement, and its real-world use cases before the dignitaries, earning appreciation and encouragement from Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
In addition, five other schools — BuxiJagabandhu English Medium School II, Satyabhamapur, Khordha; Capital High School, Unit-III, Bhoi Nagar, Khordha; Delhi Public School, Damanjodi, Koraput; Vikash Residential School, Bargarh; and Budharaja High School, Sambalpur — were featured in the live stream during the Buildathon program, highlighting the remarkable talent across the state.
Through initiatives like Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 and the ATL Sarthi program, AIC-Nalanda under Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog shall continue to strengthen Odisha’s school-level innovation ecosystem, spotlighting the creativity and potential of young innovators and providing them a platform for recognition at the national stage.
