Under the visionary leadership of the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest, Environment, Science & Technology, and Climate Change, Sri Pawan Kalyan, the first-ever ‘Digital Excellence Hackathon 2026’ was organized at the Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy in Rajamahendravaram. This initiative emphasized the integration of technology, innovation, and youth talent within the Forest Department.
Jointly organized by the Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy and Godavari Global University, the hackathon saw the participation of 50 IT and ECE students divided into six teams. They developed innovative digital, IoT, mobile, and web-based solutions tailored to the Academy’s specific needs.
Solutions were created across six key areas: the Academy’s digital web portal, a Learning Management System (LMS), an academic dashboard for trainees, biometric and health monitoring systems, AI-based feedback analysis, and GIS/GPS-based smart attendance systems.
This event bridged youthful creativity with the Forest Department’s administrative processes, preparing modern technological solutions for future challenges. Plans are in place to expand this initiative further in the future to develop technological solutions for critical issues such as human-wildlife conflict. This initiative has paved a new path for leveraging the ideas and technical skills of the youth to further strengthen forest conservation efforts.
Honorable Deputy Chief Minister Sri Pawan Kalyan commended Sri B. Vijaya Kumar (IFS), Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy, for spearheading this innovative program. He also appreciated the mentors behind the initiative: Sri Chalapathi Rao (IFS), PCCF & HoFF; Sri Mallikarjuna Rao (IFS), Forest Department Advisor; and Sri Pennamreddy Nageswara Rao, IT Advisor to the Forest Department.
He remarked that such initiatives—which provide a platform for young talent and integrate technology with forest conservation—will lay a strong foundation for digital transformation within the Forest Department.
