Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2024 at Sahyadri
Valedictory Ceremony: Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon (Software Edition) 2024 at Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management, Mangaluru in association with Ministry of Education-AICTE, Govt. of India concludes on 12th Dec, 2024
Mangaluru: The Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon (Software Edition) 2024 at Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management, Mangaluru, organized in association with the Ministry of Education-AICTE, Government of India, concluded on 12th December 2024 with a grand valedictory ceremony. 
Mr. B. Sudhakar Kotary, General Manager, Canara Bank, Circle office Mangalore; Mr. Kottaram V. Ramesh, Founder Director and Chief Vision Officer SkillsDA, Chennai; Mr. Prashanth Kumar Mittal, Deputy Director General, NIC; Dr. Manjappa Sarathi, Director-R&D; Dr. S S Injaganeri, Principal; Mr. Jagannath Chowta, Trustee; Mr. Johnson Tellis, CEO & Trustee; Mr. Shyamal Kishore, AICTE Head of Nodal Centre were among the guests of the ceremony.
The event commenced with a warm welcome address delivered by Dr. S. S. Injaganeri, Principal, who highlighted the significance of the hackathon and applauded the efforts of all participants and organizers. This was followed by Dr. Duddela Prashanth, the Sahyadri Nodal Centre in-charge, presenting a comprehensive report on the two-day event, encapsulating the vibrant discussions, innovative solutions, and the overall spirit of collaboration displayed during the hackathon. Participants and mentors then shared their enriching experiences at Sahyadri, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to impactful problem-solving.
The ceremony proceeded with an inspiring speech by Mr. B. Sudhakar Kotary, General Manager, Canara Bank, Circle office Mangalore, the Chief Guest, who emphasized the role of cyber security in solving major threats to individual account holders in banking sector. He urged the audience to create awareness on cyber security.
Mr. Kottaram V. Ramesh, Founder Director and Chief Vision Officer SkillsDA, Chennai, in his address, highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of creativity and resilience among young minds, stating, “we are moving towards being a developed India”. He concluded his talk saying “Its not the certification or graduation but the logical thinking that makes us the best youth power in the world”.
Mr. Prakash Kumar Mittal, appreciated the efforts of Sahyadri by referring to the meaning of it as a mountain known for its benevolent nature. He says “each and every task force at Sahyadri are committed and benevolent in what they do”.
Following this, Dr. Manjappa Sarathi, Director of Research & Development, delivered his presidential remarks, reflecting on the overarching impact of the hackathon in nurturing innovation and problem-solving skills. He expressed his gratitude to the Ministry and AICTE for their support in launching such innovative solutions through students.
Dr. Mustafa Bastikodi, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, then invited the esteemed jury members onto the stage to recognize their invaluable contributions during the event. Mementos were distributed as a token of appreciation for their dedication and expertise.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the results by Dr. Sudheer Shetty, Vice-Principal, who invited the dignitaries to distribute prizes to the deserving winners amidst applause and celebrations. The winners, who impressed the jury with their innovative solutions and won Rs.1 lakh worth of Cash prize each, were,
Data Defenders Nexus, Shri Krishna College of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Smart Indian Hackers, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Innovisionersz, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu
Vanguards Elevate, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu
DODS, Dwarkadas J Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai, Maharashtra
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Prashanth Rao, Head of Basic Science, who extended heartfelt gratitude to all the participants, mentors, jury members, and organizers for their collective efforts in making the event a grand success.