In alignment with the national vision for a Viksit Bharat 2047, the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is being observed nationwide from September 17 to October 17, marking the birthday of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and commemorating his 25 years of visionary leadership. As part of this campaign, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C) in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) have jointly rolled out three initiatives, Sankalp Setu, Sankalp Manthan and Sankalp Nirdhar to foster problem-solving, entrepreneurship and AI-readiness among Goa’s students.
As part of Sankalp Setu, a statewide hackathon that challenged students across Goa to develop solutions for seven key sectors, joint teams from the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C) and the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) visited participating colleges on September 30 and October 1, 2026, to review student projects.
Building on this momentum, both departments have launched Sankalp Manthan, the second major initiative under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, kicking off across six regional clusters with its inaugural Tiswadi cluster held on October 5, 2026, followed by the Bardez & Pernem cluster held on October 6, 2026.
The inaugural cluster took place in Tiswadi in the presence of Minister for IT, Electronics & Communications, Rohan Khaunte and MLA for Cumbarjua, Rajesh Faldessai. Also present were Prasad Lolayekar, IAS, Secretary (Education); Shridevi B. V., IPS, Deputy Superintendent of Police; Bhushan Savaikar, Director, Directorate of Higher Education; Dr. Milind Sakhardande, Joint Director, DITE&C; Dr. Niyan Marchon, Program Director, Directorate of Higher Education; DS. Prashant, CEO, SITPC and Milind Anvekar, Senior Vice President, Open Destinations.
The Bardez & Pernem cluster interaction was graced by eminent dignitaries, including, Minister for IT, Electronics & Communications, Rohan Khaunte; Member of Rajya Sabha, Sadanand Shet Tanavade; Joshua De Souza, Deputy Speaker, Goa Legislative Assembly and MLA Mapusa; Delilah Lobo, MLA for Siolim; Dr. Milind Sakhardande, Joint Director, DITE&C, Dr. Shekhar Naik, Assistant Director, DHE; DS. Prashant, CEO, SITPC; M. Shanthi, Principal, DMC College, Assagao; Shrikrishna T. Pokle, Chairman, DMC College, Assagao and Milind Shirodkar, Treasurer, DMC College, Assagao.
Addressing the students, Khaunte emphasised the critical role of youth innovation, saying, “Our Goan students are key drivers for Viksit Bharat 2047. AI is no longer the future but the present and as students, you must learn to spot real-world problems, leverage the resources around you and be resilient. Through our campus innovation scheme and upcoming AI policy focused heavily on skilling, our government is bringing opportunities directly to your colleges. We are here to support and back you every step of the way.”
He further highlighted Goa’s growing stature beyond conventional tourism, noting that the state is now recognised nationally as a premier workation destination through initiatives like the Goa Shackathon. Building on this momentum of merging work and lifestyle, the Minister announced that the government will soon launch a dedicated pod station in Calangute.
The Tiswadi Cluster kickstarted the series with an insightful panel discussion titled ‘Architects of Viksit Bharat 2047: Driving India’s Vision Through Youth Innovation.’ Moderated by Sanjana Arya (Founder, Breathe with Sanj), the panel featured industry experts Mexson Fernandes (Founder & Technical Consultant, Kverty), Jitin Masand (CEO & Founder, Calivision AI Studio) and Joseph Ribeiro (Director, Bits & Bytes Technologies). There were also sessions on getting started with AI delivered by Ujwala Nhivekar, Co-Founder, TAWAI Studio, a cybercrime awareness session by Shridevi B. V., IPS and a keynote address by Milind Anvekar on entrepreneurial mindset, curiosity and value creation. The event also felicitated the distinguished mentors, keynotes and session speakers at the Tiswadi cluster for their contributions toward guiding and empowering participating students.
Continuing the momentum, the Bardez & Pernem Cluster hosted a panel under the same theme, moderated by Sumukh Kamat (Founder, The Energy Footprint). Prominent panelists included Akanksha Trigunayat (Managing Partner, Omniah Enterprise LLP), Komala Soares (Women in Tech Goa) and Jitin Masand. Students engaged in a keynote session on innovation led by Vinay Verma (Founder, Powertrac Corporation) and attended an AI session by Ujwala Nhivekar.
As part of the statewide Sankalp Setu hackathon, the top three selected teams from each college advance to Sankalp Manthan to pitch their ideas at regional cluster interactions. At the clusters the shortlisted student teams presented their solutions to industry mentors, receiving guidance to further refine their solutions.
Following the successful completion of the Tiswadi and Bardez & Pernem clusters, the Sankalp Manthan series will roll out across the remaining regional clusters, including Ponda & Dharbandora; Bicholim & Sattari; Mormugao; and Salcete, Sanguem, Quepem & Canacona. Through this initiative, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C) continues to empower Goa’s youth by providing a structured platform to turn creative ideas into impactful, scalable real-world solutions.
