Prayagraj: A three-day programme– ‘Sankalp 2026′– that blended skill development, innovation, mental well-being and entrepreneurship concluded at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, on Thursday.Organised by the institute’s Design Innovation Centre, the event revolved around the theme “Skilling and Nurturing Knowledge for Aatmanirbhar Leadership and Prosperity”. The programme drew support from Invest UP as industry partner, Vigyan Bharati as knowledge partner and the Department of Vocational Education and Skill Development as skill partner, reflecting an attempt to bridge academia with industry and policy frameworks. The event saw an interactive talk by Nisha Luthra, co-founder of House of Happiness, who underlined the role of positive thinking and emotional balance in achieving long-term success. She urged students to treat mental well-being as a core component of personal and professional growth rather than afterthought. Technical deliberations followed, with Manoj Khare from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, presenting details of the ‘Ganana Project’, highlighting indigenous computational initiatives. Nimish Kapoor spoke at length about the expanding role of artificial intelligence across sectors, noting its transformative potential in education, healthcare, agriculture, industry and governance. A panel discussion on the role of academic institutions in realising the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat brought together voices from industry and research. Participants included Rajeev Tripathi, Rajiv Rai from Emami Limited, Preet Yadav from NXP Semiconductors, Nikhil Mitalia from Tabor Electronics Limited, Manoj Khare and Neeraj Gupta from Invest UP. Speakers stressed that students must look beyond degrees and align themselves with innovation, research and social responsibility. Shradha Sharma, founder of YourStory, announced the launch of the ‘Bharat Project’, aimed at fostering new entrepreneurial opportunities for young innovators. Students who excelled in competitions held during the event were felicitated by the organising team, including Shivesh Sharma, Arun Prakash, Sunil Yadav, Ramji Dwivedi, Sameer Srivastava, Ambak Rai, Anubhav Rawat and Joy. Shivesh Sharma said the initiative evolved into a platform that not only encouraged innovation and leadership but also inspired students to pursue purposeful careers aligned with nation-building.
