Bhubaneswar: A total of 192 students from 101 schools across Odisha have gathered at IIT Bhubaneswar to present innovative solutions to real-world challenges at the State-Level Hackathon 3.0 – Odiapreneur, inaugurated on Wednesday.
The event brings together higher secondary students to develop ideas that address problems in their communities through creativity, technology and entrepreneurship. Around 100 mentors are supporting the participating students during the state-level event.
A collaborative initiative of the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE), Government of Odisha, UNICEF Odisha and IIT Bhubaneswar Research & Entrepreneurship Park, Odiapreneur aims to nurture innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking among young learners.
The initiative received 969 ideas from students, of which 749 were selected for the district-level event. The 192 students shortlisted for the state-level hackathon represent 101 schools across the state.
Addressing the participants, DHSE Director Niyati Pattnaik said young people could turn their ideas into meaningful change when provided with a platform, mentorship and opportunities to address real problems.
“When young people are given a platform, mentorship and an opportunity to solve real problems, their ideas can become the starting point for meaningful change,” she said.
Odiapreneur encourages students to identify challenges in their communities and develop practical, innovative and technology-enabled solutions. The state-level hackathon is intended to mark the beginning of a longer process, with promising ideas expected to receive further mentoring, support for prototype development, incubation and technical assistance.
The programme was attended by DHSE Joint Director Sasmita Mali, Deputy Director Ch. Vijaya Laxmi, UNICEF Odisha State Head Lalita Pattnaik, IIT Bhubaneswar Research & Entrepreneurship Park CEO Soobhankara Pati and IIT Bhubaneswar Dean of Faculty Affairs Prof. Umaprasana Ojha.
