Department of Biotechnology, Chandigarh College of Tehnology (CCT), CGC Landran organized 'ਪਹਿਲ -Ideathon (Pehel Ideathon) for a Sustainable Future' under the Environment Education Programme of the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST), supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Er. Pritpal Singh, Executive Director, PSCST Chandigarh, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest accompanied by the Guest of Honour, Dr. K.S. Bath, Joint Director, Science and Environment Outreach Division, PSCST. They were joined by dignitaries including Dr. Rajdeep Singh, Campus Director, Dr. Palki Sahib Kaur, Director-Principal, CCT, CGC Landran, among others.
The Ideathon witnessed enthusiastic participation from over 100 teams representing colleges and universities across Punjab. Out of these, 28 teams were shortlisted post a rigorous two-level screening process to present their innovative and sustainable solutions addressing pressing environmental challenges.
Their ideas were evaluated by a distinguished panel of jury members from academia and industry, including Mr. Vineet Arora, MD and Founder of Novique Life Science Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Kulwinder Singh, Founder and Managing Director of Evox Group; Mr. Anil Aggarwal, COO, Ind Swift Laboratories Ltd. , Mr. Alok, HR Head, Nestlé India Pvt. Ltd. , Ms. Manameet Mathur , Associate Director, Research and Health consultancy company and Mr. Ankush Gawri, Manager (IP & Technology Transfer), Indovation Centre Chandigarh, AICTE (MoE). Mr. Ankush Gawri, delivered an insightful session on Yukti portal and how to scale up ideas during valediction ceremony.
The concluding ceremony witnessed winners being felicitated and awarded cash prizes totaling up to Rs. 1,30,000/-. Winners in the Category – ‘Reduce single use plastic and adopt healthy lifestyle’ were: Deepanshu from Team Sinchit , CEC-CGC Landran, who bagged the first prize; Project Personal Refill Card System presented by Dollvi from ISF College Moga secured second position, while Sonia Jindal, RISE Department, CGC Landran, won the third Position for her project titled FABਇੱਟ. Twinkle from National institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Ropar won the consolation prize for her innovation ‘Parali to Packaging.’
Winners in the Category – ‘Reduce Waste and Save Energy’ included, Team Maritag from CCT, CGC Landran, bagging the first prize for their floral waste management project. Jashanpreet and Gurjot Kaur from Mata Gujri College Shri Fatehgarh Sahib winning the second position for ideating ‘Sustainable washing machines with Biofilter technology’ and Deepanshi Sharma winning the third prize for her innovative packaging product idea titled ‘Myco-Mazing’. Navjot Kaur of CCT, CGC Landran bagged consolation prize for her project titled, ‘Sustainable Piezoelectric Energy from Wheat Straw.’
The jury appreciated the originality, feasibility, and environmental impact of the ideas presented by the participants. ਪਹਿਲ (Pehel) Ideathon served as a dynamic platform for students to showcase their creativity and commitment towards sustainable development, entrepreneurship and innovation.