Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), virtually inaugurated the National Capacity Building Workshop on Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship (IDE) today.
The two-day bootcamp, hosted at Vardhaman College of Engineering, near Shamshabad, brings together 80 education officers from Telangana to promote innovation-driven learning.
Nationwide Launch of IDE Bootcamp
The initiative was jointly organised by AICTE, the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC), NCERT, the School Innovation Council, and the Wadhwani Foundation.
It was launched simultaneously across 26 locations in 21 States and Union Territories by Prof. Sitharam, Dr Abhay Jere (Vice-Chairman, AICTE), and Mr Deeraj Sahu (Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy).
This nationwide initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of nurturing innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurship among students and educators.
Moreover, it encourages institutions to integrate creative problem-solving into everyday learning.
Telangana’s Nodal Centre
Vardhaman College of Engineering has been chosen as Telangana’s nodal centre for the IDE Bootcamp due to its strong innovation and incubation ecosystem.
Mr. Yogesh Wadhawan from AICTE-MIC, Ministry of Education, led the local inauguration and emphasised that Vardhaman’s infrastructure made it a natural choice.
Over the next two days, participants will explore case studies, attend innovation sessions, and visit the college’s incubation centre to understand real-world entrepreneurship.
Chairman’s Message: Creating Job Givers, Not Job Seekers
Speaking at the central inauguration, Prof. Sitharam explained that the initiative will roll out in three phases.
The first phase includes seven locations such as Vardhaman College, followed by additional phases in November.
He stressed that design thinking, a human-centric approach to innovation, is key to achieving Viksit Bharat.
Prof. Sitharam noted that the program will reach 1,500 education officers across India, helping build a strong innovation ecosystem in schools and higher education.
Leaders and Experts Share Insights
Mr. Deeraj Sahu highlighted that innovation also means improving processes and services, not just creating products.
He cited real-world examples like delivery and aggregation models that reshaped industries in the last decade.
Dr. Abhay Jere described the IDE Bootcamp as a first-of-its-kind program inspired directly by the Prime Minister’s vision to strengthen India’s innovation pipeline.
At the local session, Mr. P. Rajeev, Joint Director, Samagra Shiksha, Government of Telangana, praised Indian engineers for their global contributions.
He encouraged participants to motivate students to become founders and innovators.
Representatives Shaik Waseem and Dr. Rajesh Kandula from the Wadhwani Foundation explained how their organisation helps create jobs and promote entrepreneurship through skilling and digital innovation.
Prof. J.V.R. Ravindra, Principal and Nodal Centre Head, said, “Now is the time to turn classrooms into hubs of innovation. At Vardhaman, we’ve already incubated 30 to 40 start-ups that are growing and generating revenue.”
Dr. Krishna Chaitanya Janapati delivered the vote of thanks.
The bootcamp will conclude on Friday evening.
