Shashil G. Namoshi, president of Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society, addressing a press conference at PDA Engineering College in Kalaburagi on February 18.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
The two-day Global Alumni Meet 2026 will be held at PDA Engineering College from February 21.
The meet will be hosted by Poojya Doddappa Appa College of Engineering, run by Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society (HKES), to bring together former students from across the world.
Addressing a press conference at the college premises here on February 18, HKES president Shashil G. Namoshi said the event is expected to draw nearly 3,000 alumni from diverse professional fields.
Mr. Namoshi said 2,011 alumni have already registered and over 500 more are expected to register on the spot, indicating an overwhelming response. Alumni from the United States, Dubai, the United Kingdom, and Australia are among those expected to attend and reconnect with their alma mater.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi will inaugurate the meet. Minister for Small-Scale Industries and Public Enterprises Sharanabasappa Darshanapur and Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B. Khandre, both alumni, will be present.
Surinder Pal Singh Saluja, founder-chairman of Premier Energies and a distinguished alumnus, will attend as chief guest. Former Director General of Police Raghavendra Auradkar will participate as guest of honour. Mr. Namoshi will preside over the programme.
Mr. Namoshi said the foundation stone will be laid for the PDA Alumni Research and Technology Park and an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence during the alumni meet. The initiative aims to promote entrepreneurship, enhance employability, and build a strong alumni-led mentoring network for career guidance. A dedicated incubation centre is also proposed to support start-ups and early-stage ventures and to foster collaboration between industry and academia to strengthen technical research.
The first day will feature the inauguration, signing of a Memoranda of Understanding, lectures by achievers, felicitation of alumni, cultural programmes. The second day will include departmental technical sessions, feedback interactions and a valedictory function.
NAIN 2.0 project
NAIN 2.0 (New Age Innovation Network 2.0), a flagship innovation and entrepreneurship initiative of the Government of Karnataka, is being implemented at PDA College of Engineering.
Nagesh Salimath, District Innovation Associate for the NAIN 2.0 project, explained that the programme is executed through the Department of Electronics, IT, BT, and S&T in collaboration with the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, with the objective of nurturing grassroots innovation by integrating colleges, students, industry mentors and incubation ecosystems on a unified platform.
At PDA College of Engineering, the government will sanction up to ₹1.86 crore for a three-year period for the NAIN 2.0 project to strengthen innovation infrastructure and promote student-led start-ups. At present, 10 projects are being implemented at the institution, with a total sanctioned funding of ₹13 lakh. The initiative provides seed funding, innovation and incubation laboratory support, structured mentorship and industry linkages to enable students to transform academic ideas into viable products and sustainable enterprises, Mr. Salimath added.
HKES vice-president Raja Bhimalli and secretary Udaykumar Chincholi were present.
Published – February 18, 2026 08:18 pm IST
