Sankalp Manthan heads South to empower youth across Salcete, Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem

Margao, October 10, 2026: As part of the ongoing Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C) and the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) hosted the Salcete, Quepem, Canacona & Sanguem cluster interaction for Sankalp Manthan at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. The initiative forms the second phase of a statewide youth empowerment drive designed to nurture problem-solving, entrepreneurship and AI-readiness among college students across Goa.

The event was graced by Shri. Govind Gaude, Hon’ble MLA for Priol; Shri. Ulhas Tuenkar, Hon’ble MLA for Navelim; Shri. Bhushan Savaikar, Director, DHE; Dr. Milind Sakhardande, Joint Director, DITE&C; Dr. Niyan Marchon, Program Director, DHE and Shri. DS Prashant, CEO, SITPC.

Participating students from colleges across Salcete, Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem gained valuable industry perspectives through a panel discussion titled ‘Architects of Viksit Bharat 2047: Driving India’s Vision Through Youth Innovation’. Moderated by Smt. Vaibhavi Sawant (Founder-BitMento), the panel featured Shri. Shawn Kenneth Fernandes (Founder & CEO – Fluxatic Global & BridgeAura Academy), Smt. Oindrilla Chatterjee (Founder – Women in Tech Goa), Shri. Kedar Borkar (Co-Founder: Soul Travelling), Shri. Pranay Prabhu Gaonkar (Chairman, IP & Innovation Committee, ASSOCHAM- Goa) and Dr. Niyan Marchon (Program Director, Directorate of Higher Education).

The programme also featured an interactive session titled ‘Getting Started with AI’ delivered by Ms. Ujwala Nhivekar, Co-Founder of TAWAI Studio. Shri. Arman Bankley, President and Co-founder Trustee of Vibrant Goa Foundation delivered a keynote address at the event.

As part of the Sankalp Setu hackathon, shortlisted student teams from the cluster pitched their solutions to mentors, receiving hands-on guidance to refine their projects.