 Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 29: In a landmark achievement for student-led innovation, a team from the Design Your Degree (DYD) program at University of Jammu, competing as Team Dupahar, has secured a place among the Top 15 finalists at India Innovates 2026, held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 28th of March, 2026. Notably, it was the only team from Jammu and Kashmir making the achievement even more significant. Recognized as one of the world’s largest hackathons, the competition saw participation from over 1.26 crore applicants across the country, making this achievement a significant national milestone. The team comprising Adil Mahajan, Tavishi Amla, Gourav Sharma and Narayan Choudhary has emerged as one of the most promising groups in a competition.
The team’s journey reflects exceptional performance across a rigorous three-stage selection process. In Round 1, more than 28,000+ teams were shortlisted for evaluation from the massive applicant pool. In Round 2, over 5,000+ teams advanced after detailed technical screening. The final round, conducted offline at Bharat Mandapam, only 15 teams selected at the national level, placing Team Dupahar among the top innovators in India.
At the hackathon, the team developed an advanced AI-powered infrastructure planning solution focused on digital terrain modeling, waterlogging prediction, carbon mapping and drainage optimization. Built to address real-world governance and civic challenges, the system integrates geo-spatial intelligence, predictive simulation, and scalable planning capabilities, making it highly relevant for climate-resilient infrastructure and large-scale public deployment. |
