Sri Vijaya Puram, April 6: Shri L. Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Education), Andaman & Nicobar Administration, inaugurated the 3rd Edition of the Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp 2026 today at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology (DBRAIT). The bootcamp is an initiative of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) through its Innovation Cell, aimed at fostering innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurial skills among students.
The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Addressing the gathering, Shri L. Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Education) emphasised the need to nurture curiosity and a questioning mindset from the school level. He highlighted the importance of creating a conducive ecosystem to build scientific temper and innovation capacity among students, strengthening engineering labs in schools, and promoting capacity building of teachers. He encouraged participants to utilise the five-day bootcamp effectively.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. (Prof.) Sanmukh Kaur, Principal, DBRAIT, highlighted the importance of identifying real problems, validating ideas through minimum viable products, and understanding market needs. She emphasised adaptability in entrepreneurship and expressed confidence that the bootcamp would help students turn innovative ideas into practical solutions.
Shri Sarim Moin, Innovation Officer, MoE Innovation Cell and Ms.Anbumathi, Innovation Venture Catalyst and Design Thinking Expert from Wadhwani Foundations, will be handling sessions for the participants of the Bootcamp at DBRAIT for their various strategies objected for entrepreneurial ideas. Speaking on the occasion, the resource persons called upon the participants to explore the Entrepreneurial side of their learning and be learning enthusiasts during these 5 days. They assured that at the end of this bootcamp, all students will come out with one or the start-up ideas and few will concrete upon that.
The event was welcomed by Dr. Deepanshu Singh, Co-Convener of the IDE Bootcamp. Dr. Shraboni Mallick, Convener of the event, in her vote of thanks, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell and AICTE for extending this initiative to the islands. She acknowledged the presence of dignitaries, resource persons, faculty members, and participating institutions, and encouraged students to make the most of the opportunity for learning, creativity, and innovation.
Later in the afternoon, the National Inaugural function was witnessed virtually by all participants, along with 30 other teams from all over the country. The national inauguration was addressed by Prof.Yogesh Singh, Chairman AICTE where in it was mentioned that in this 3rd addition of IDE BOOTCAMP, teams from A&N Islands are also participating for the first time. The five-day bootcamp, being conducted as part of Phase I across selected locations in the country, aims to nurture innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurial skills among students.