Governor of Haryana Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh graces the Closing and Valedictory Ceremony of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025

Panchkula, December 9, 2025: On the occasion of the Closing and Valedictory Ceremony of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025, Panchkula, Haryana, Governor of Haryana Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh, along with First Lady Mitra Ghosh, graced the event as the Chief Guest. D. Senthil Pandiyan, Joint Secretary, MoES; Dr. Suryachandra A. Rao, Director, IITM; Dr. Shiv Kumar Sharma, National Organizing Secretary, VIBHA; and other dignitaries were also present.

Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh said that IISF 2025 has powerfully demonstrated India’s scientific strength and rising leadership in research and innovation. He noted that the festival reflects the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a Viksit Bharat driven by science and technology. He highlighted Haryana’s rapid growth as a science and technology hub under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, with initiatives such as the Haryana Science and Innovation Mission, university incubation hubs, agri-tech and climate-tech programs, and robotics, drone, and coding labs in schools. He urged young minds to keep innovating and congratulated all participants for making IISF 2025 a historic success.

Record-Breaking Turnout at IISF 2025

IISF 2025 recorded over 2 lakh footfalls, with participation from 1,800 students, 167 teachers, and 32 resource persons across major events including the Hackathon, Gurukula, S&T Village, Nari Shakti, YSC, and Thought Leaders’ Roundtable. Specialized tracks such as New Age Technology, Blue Economy, Himalaya in Changing Climate, and Clean & Nuclear Energy also witnessed high engagement. The curtain-raiser alone saw more than 1,600 delegates, surpassing previous records.

Awards were conferred across categories:

• Jury Special Mention Award: Arunachal Pradesh State S&T Council, Tamil Nadu State Council for S&T, Amity University, MP Council for S&T, and Rajiv Gandhi S&T Commission.
• Creative Excellence in Display: Geological Survey of India, Chandigarh.
• Outstanding Visual Impact: Gujarat Council on Science and Technology.
• Outstanding Visitor Experience: ECIL and Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition.
• Best Educational Pavilion: National Council of Science Museums, Inter University Accelerator Centre, and ICMR.
• Most Engaging Pavilion: DRDO.
• Best Thematic Pavilion: Department of Biotechnology.
• Most Innovative Pavilion: CSIR.
• Excellence in Pavilion Design: Department of Science and Technology.
• Best Overall Pavilion: Ministry of Earth Sciences.

In the S&T Hackathon – Ideas for Viksit Bharat, Chitkara University won the First Prize for its project “JanSamadhan”, a civic-reporting application. Prizes of ₹50,000, ₹40,000, and ₹30,000 were awarded for the top three positions, with ₹20,000 each for ten consolation winners.

The ceremony began with a Welcome Address by D. Senthil Pandiyan, and concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Anoop Mahajan, Scientist, IITM, marking a dignified close to IISF 2025.