The India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025 concluded in Panchkula with a record attendance of more than 200,000 participants. The event drew 1,800 students, 167 educators and 32 resource persons across major activities such as the Hackathon, Gurukula, Science and Technology Village, Nari Shakti, Youth Science Congress and the Thought Leaders’ Roundtable.
Specialised tracks including New Age Technology, Blue Economy, Himalaya in Changing Climate and Clean & Nuclear Energy also saw strong participation. The curtain-raiser alone hosted over 1,600 delegates, surpassing previous editions.
Haryana Governor Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh, accompanied by First Lady Mitra Ghosh, presided over the valedictory ceremony as Chief Guest. Senior officials including D Senthil Pandiyan, IAS, Suryachandra A Rao of IITM; and VIBHA’s Shiv Kumar Sharma were present.
Governor Ghosh said IISF 2025 showcased India’s growing scientific leadership and supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a science-driven Viksit Bharat. He highlighted Haryana’s emergence as a technology hub through initiatives such as the Haryana Science and Innovation Mission, university incubation centres, agri-tech and climate-tech programmes, and the introduction of robotics, drone and coding labs in schools.
Several institutions received awards for their contributions. Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu State S&T Councils, Amity University, MP Council for S&T and the Rajiv Gandhi S&T Commission earned Jury Special Mention. Other top honours went to the Geological Survey of India (Creative Excellence), Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (Visual Impact), ECIL and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition (Visitor Experience), and DRDO (Most Engaging Pavilion). The Ministry of Earth Sciences won Best Overall Pavilion.
In the S&T Hackathon Ideas for Viksit Bharat, Chitkara University secured first prize for its civic-reporting app “JanSamadhan.” Cash awards of ₹50,000, ₹40,000 and ₹30,000 were presented to the top teams, along with ten consolation prizes of ₹20,000 each.
The ceremony opened with a welcome address by D Senthil Pandiyan and concluded with a Vote of Thanks from IITM scientist Anoop Mahajan, marking the close of IISF 2025.
-ANI
