A vibrant showcase of young entrepreneurial talent unfolded in Panchkula as the state-level summit of the Kushal Business Challenge (KBC) 2.0 was held with great fervour. The event, a youth start-up festival, took place at the Indradhanush stadium on Tuesday, drawing participation from budding student innovators across Haryana.
Minister and Dignitaries Grace Youth Start-Up Festival
Haryana's Education Minister, Mahipal Dhanda, presided over the event as the chief guest. He was joined by the guest of honour, Dr. I V Subba Rao, a retired IAS officer from the 1979 batch. The programme was orchestrated by the Haryana School Education Project Council under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, in collaboration with SCERT Haryana and the Enterprise Learning Foundation.
The core mission of this initiative is to weave entrepreneurship into the fabric of formal education for students of Classes XI and XII. It provides them with hands-on experience of the business ecosystem and fundamental commercial concepts.
From Exhibition Stalls to Panel Discussions
The summit was structured into two primary segments. The first segment featured an exhibition where 66 state-level shortlisted student teams displayed their business models at dedicated stalls. Industry experts, educators, senior officials, and Minister Dhanda engaged deeply with the students, probing into their strategies for revenue generation, marketing, cost management, and future expansion.
In the second segment, selected teams faced panel discussions and interview sessions with experts. These sessions involved rigorous questioning on the practical facets of their business plans, coupled with valuable guidance for scaling their ventures.
Widespread Participation and Tangible Support
Teams from all 22 districts of Haryana took part, with three teams representing each district. In a significant boost, each of the 66 shortlisted teams will receive government financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to nurture their start-ups. From this pool, the top 10 teams were given a special platform to present their models on stage before an audience of industry experts, investors, jury members, and government officials. These top performers will also benefit from continued mentorship, opportunities, and financial backing.
The driving vision behind KBC 2.0 is to realise "education with work." The programme equips students with critical life skills, including business planning, marketing, innovation, team leadership, and problem-solving.
The scale of the programme is impressive. During the 2024–25 academic session, approximately 37,000 students participated statewide. To facilitate this, 66 master trainers were deployed across more than 2,500 government senior secondary schools, training close to 7,000 teachers. This effort culminated in over 1.18 lakh student registrations, who formed more than 23,000 teams and submitted innovative business ideas.
Innovative Ideas That Stole the Show
Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda inaugurated the event by touring the student stalls, spending time with each team and lauding their creativity. He expressed astonishment upon learning that one team had already achieved a turnover of ₹40,000 with a net profit of ₹12,000.
Notable innovations included a fully biodegradable pen embedded with seeds from PM Shri Government Senior Secondary School, Kundli, which grows into a plant after disposal and has sold around 1,500 units. A team from Ladwa launched a "Mother’s Tiffin" service via a website, while products developed by girl students from Nuh district also garnered considerable attention. Students shared that while family support can be hesitant initially, government backing through such programmes helps build crucial trust and encouragement at home.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Mahipal Dhanda stated, "The foundation of a developed India has been laid through this programme." The event was also attended by senior officials including Director of School Education Jitendra Kumar, Director General of Elementary Education Vivek Agrawal, and Joint State Project Director Mayank Verma.
