CGC Landran hosts Regional AIM SUMVAAD (North Edition) organised by NITI Aayog
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 6, 2026: CGC Landran hosted the Regional AIM SUMVAAD (North Edition), organized by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog.
This prestigious conclave was aimed at supporting grassroots and scalable entrepreneurship, fostering inclusive development and
amplifying the regions contribution to India's innovation ecosystem. It brought together key stakeholders from the northern region comprising Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
The highlight of this prestigious conclave was the launch of Punjab and J&K Incubation Consortium PI-RAHI. This Joint Chapter launch initiative was inaugurated by Shri Satnam Singh Sandhu, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Hon’ble Chairman, CGC Landran,
in the presence of Mr. Prateek Deshmukh, Program Lead, AIM, NITI Aayog; Ms. Deepika Rana Khatri (HAS), JD Industries, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh; Mr. Deepinder Dhillon, Joint Director, Startup Punjab; Mr. Prasad Menon, CEO, Centre for Incubation and Business
Acceleration (CIBA) and Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, MD, Aakash Hospitals, among others.
The team was joined by Vice-Chairman of CGC Landran, Mr. Parampal Singh Dhillon; Campus Director Dr. Rajdeep Singh; Prof. (Dr.) Neha Sharma, Dean Research, CGC Landran and Dr. Amresh Kumar, CEO, ACIC RISE Association, CGC Landran.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Sandhu appreciated this initiative by AIM, NITI Aayog, underlining how such collaborative innovation platforms that leverage regional strengths, were crucial for the region. Lauding the goal of Viksit Bharat envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, he emphasized the importance of supporting and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in fulfilling this vision.
He also noted that Punjab and J&K share entrepreneurial energy and academic depth and that this joint chapter would unlock new opportunities for startups, youth and industry across both states.
This Joint Chapter seeks to build ‘Northern Incubation Network’ between Punjab and J&K, functioning as a bridge between academia, industry, government and startups to drive
collaborative, mission-oriented innovation platforms thereby strengthening the innovation ecosystem. It would reinforce AIM's role in advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat through localized action, stronger institutional capacities and collaborative momentum driving transformative entrepreneurial progress.
The launch of the Joint Chapter was also supported by Dr. Shahid Jibran, CEO, AIC- IIM Bio-Innovation; Mr. Naman Singhal, CEO, AIC ISB; Mr. Adarsh Aggarwal, CEO, AIC Chitkara; and Prof. (Dr.) Amresh Kumar, CEO, ACIC RISE Association, CGC Landran.
The initiative was strengthened by inputs from Prof. Rajat S. Sandhir, Panjab University and PI RAHI.
The event concluded with strategic dialogues on state-led startup ecosystems, industry-CSR collaboration, and aligning incubator support with startup ambitions, marking a significant step toward collective action for innovation in North India.
AIM SUMVAAD was instrumental in fostering knowledge exchange, strengthening collaboration and facilitating insightful panel discussions on scaling state-led startup ecosystems and strengthening the synergy between host institutions and incubators to drive transformative progress, reinforcing the vision of Viksit Bharat through localized action and strategic partnerships.
Hosting this prestigious event also underscored the institution’s commitment to promoting grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship in the state through its incubator, ACIC RISE
Association, CGC Landran, backed by NITI Aayog, which has incubated more than 135 startups till date offering mentorship, funding, networking support to aspiring innovators and
entrepreneurs to set up, build and scale their ventures/ startups.