20th March 2025, IIT Ropar- Technology and Innovation Foundation AWaDH under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM ICPS), Department of Science and Technology successfully hosted the PRAGATI Summit under the aegis of Puri Oil Mills Limited and MeitY Startup Hub GENESIS, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to foster the growth of deep-tech startups. The event served as a platform for knowledge exchange, strategic collaborations, initiatives launch and startup funding announcements, reinforcing IIT Ropar’s commitment to driving innovation in agriculture, AI, and cyber-physical systems.
Inauguration & Key Sessions
The summit opened with Dr. Radhika Trikha, CEO, iHub – AWaDH, outlining AWaDH’s vision for Supporting Startups, technology development and Skilling initiatives and fostering collaborations. Dr. Mukesh Kestwal, CIO, iHub – AWaDH, delivered a session on Accelerating Deep-Tech Startups: Insights from AWaDH’s PRAGATI Initiative, showcasing the initiative’s transformative role through a compelling video presentation.
The Chief Guest Keynote was delivered by Dr. Pradip Kumar Varma, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha virtually, and Shri Keshav Hingonia, IAS, delivered the Guest of Honour Keynote on Empowering Bharat. The Startup Ecosystem as a Catalyst for National Progress. Mr. Narpal Singh, Advisor, Puri Oil Mills, who spoke on Forging Innovation The Strategic Partnership Between Puri Oil Mills Ltd and IIT Ropar. Prominent speakers included Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, Dean R&D IIT Ropar, Project Director AWaDH, on Innovating Agriculture: The Role of AI and Cyber-Physical Systems at global landscape, Dr. Jatinder Kaur Arora, Former Executive Director, PSCST, on Role of Technology Innovation in the Startup Ecosystem, and Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro Chancellor, Chitkara University, on Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Academia Leading from the Front, and Following the inaugural session, the PRAGATI Summit witnessed key funding announcements for promising startups under the SWACH Accelerator, Ideathon and GENESIS Program. The SWACH Accelerator Winners included Gaurav Tyagi, Integerspin (Uttar Pradesh) – ₹25 Lakhs, Dr. Girish Sapra, Green Brigade – ₹14 Lakhs, and Jitendra Chaudhary, New Unnat Techno Solutions & Innovations (Madhya Pradesh) – ₹14 Lakhs. The GENESIS Startup Winners were Krishna, Picraft Technologies (Jharkhand) – ₹8 Lakhs and Aakash, Swarm UAV (Haryana) – ₹6 Lakhs.
In the Ideathon Student Category (₹2.5 Lakhs each), top 5 best winners were Eco-Pulse (Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering), TraceBite (National Institute of Technology Delhi), Vision-based Flow Monitoring & Flood Early Warning System (IIT Mandi), and IoT-Enabled Hybrid Eco-Innovative Kitchen Filter System (Rohit, Amit and Dr Jitendra, G.B. Pant Institute of Engineering & Technology). The Ideathon Researcher Category Winners included Dr. B R Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar – ₹7 Lakhs, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala (Dr. Amit Mishra) – ₹7 Lakhs, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala (Dr. Anil Arora) – ₹8 Lakhs, and Chitkara University, Patiala – ₹6.5 Lakhs.
In the Ideathon Student Category (₹2.5 Lakhs each), top 5 best winners were Eco-Pulse (Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering), TraceBite (National Institute of Technology Delhi), Vision-based Flow Monitoring & Flood Early Warning System (IIT Mandi), and IoT-Enabled Hybrid Eco-Innovative Kitchen Filter System (Rohit, Amit and Dr Jitendra, G.B. Pant Institute of Engineering & Technology). The Ideathon Researcher Category Winners included Dr. B R Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar – ₹7 Lakhs, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala (Dr. Amit Mishra) – ₹7 Lakhs, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala (Dr. Anil Arora) – ₹8 Lakhs, and Chitkara University, Patiala – ₹6.5 Lakhs.
Major Announcements & Initiatives
The summit marked the launch of several groundbreaking initiatives, including the Pan India Farm Survey Report “Farming on the Edge: The Challenges of Small Farm-Holding Farmers Across India.” by Shri Keshav Hingonia, the WISE Fund Launch by Mr. Mayuresh Raut, Partner and Co-Founder, Seafund, an inititive inspired from Anupam Mittal(Shaadi.com) highlighting success stories and collaboration with IIT Ropar, and the AI Water Lab (AWaDH and Indra) Launch by Mr. Amrit Om Nayak, Co-Founder, INDRA Water, one of AWaDH startup under HDFC Parivartan program, presenting a journey and partnership insights for the new product lab. Additionally, the SPRINT Editions 2025 Announcement introduced six editions planned across North, East, West, South, North-East, and Central regions. The PRAGATI Micro Accelerator Launch was unveiled to support 37 startups, and an AWaDH CPS Lab MoU Signing with Shoolini University was conducted to strengthen research collaborations.
After the award ceremony and winner announcement, an engaging panel discussion, “Opportunities for Investment and Market in Deeptech and AI driven Startups (Investor and Ecosystem Perspective) was chaired by Mr. Santosh Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO,Book my Jet. The discussion featured Dr. Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Project Director, IIT Mandi iHub and HCi Foundation, Mr. Mayuresh Raut, Partner and Co-Founder, Seafund, Mr. Girish Mittal, CEO & Founder, Mittcons Solutions, Mr. Sahil Makkar, Managing Director, Punjab Angels Network, Mr. Manish Verma, Co-founder & CEO, AngelBlue Holdings Pvt Ltd.
IIT Ropar paid tribute to Late Mr. Amit Gupta, a Senior Advisor, Mentor, and dear friend, who passed away on March 19 after a courageous two-month battle with his health. His unwavering guidance, leadership, and passion for innovation have left an indelible mark on our journey. A pillar of strength for startups and young entrepreneurs, his legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched and the deep-tech ecosystem he helped build. His contributions and impact will always be remembered
Dr. Mukesh Kestwal, a member of the UPG Sustainability Leadership Batch 2025 also highlighted the foundational role of sustainability in driving the next wave of technological innovation during the summit. He stressed that embedding sustainability into innovation ecosystems is essential for developing impactful technologies that address global challenges responsibly and effectively. This initiative directly contributes to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The PRAGATI Summit concluded with the announcement of Ideathon CPS Winners and the Top 15 Proposals in the Student Category, followed by a vote of thanks.
The event not only highlighted IIT Ropar AWaDH’s commitment to innovation but also set the stage for transformative collaborations in deep-tech entrepreneurship and research.
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