Shubhanshu Shukla appointed brand ambassador of 'Viksit Bharat Buildathon'
What's the story
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the "Viksit Bharat Buildathon." The initiative is a nationwide innovation movement aimed at students from classes 6-12. The hackathon is being organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission.
Student participation
Over 1cr students to participate in hackathon
The "Viksit Bharat Buildathon" is the largest school hackathon in India, with more than one crore students from 1.5 lakh schools expected to participate. The initiative encourages these young minds to ideate, design, and develop prototypes around four key themes: Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), Swadeshi (indigenous), Vocal for Local (promoting local products), and Samriddhi (prosperity).
Vision discussion
Shukla meets Education Secretary
Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, finished his maiden space voyage with Axiom-4 mission. He is only the second Indian to go into space after Rakesh Sharma's iconic flight in 1984. On Saturday, he met School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar to discuss the vision of the Buildathon.
Event timeline
Registration for hackathon ends tomorrow
The "Viksit Bharat Buildathon" was launched on September 23, with registrations open till October 6. The live event will take place on October 13, with winners announced in December. Students from classes 6-12 are invited to form teams, think creatively, and develop ideas/prototypes that address real-life challenges under the four national themes.