Chalkboards to Startups: Punjab's Young Entrepreneurs Lead a Silent Revolution

Something extraordinary unfolded at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar.

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It wasn't a high-level conclave of industry stalwarts or a product expo by elite technocrats. Instead, the spotlight was seized by nearly 50 spirited teams of Class 12 students-most hailing from government schools across Punjab, many the children of daily wage earners, farmhands, and marginalised families-pitching their own startup ventures before industrialists, mentors, and angel investors.

These weren't just academic projects. They were real businesses, born from lived experiences, crafted with care, and infused with entrepreneurial zeal.

This moment marks a silent revolution in the making. It is a manifestation of what becomes possible when vision meets opportunity. Spearheaded by the Punjab government's Business Blaster Young Entrepreneur programme, this initiative is transforming government school classrooms into incubators of innovation, and students into job creators, not mere job seekers.

Launched in 2022 as a pilot across 32 government senior secondary schools in nine districts, the Business Blaster programme was conceived to go beyond rote learning and bring entrepreneurial thinking into the heart of school education. In its inaugural year alone, over 11,000 students participated. The success and excitement it generated led the Punjab School Education Department to scale up the programme dramatically. By the 2024-25 academic session, it had expanded to 1,920 schools, engaging a staggering 1.38 lakh Class 12 students.

This transformation is not merely quantitative. It reflects a fundamental mindset shift. "This programme is not just about business-it's about confidence," said Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains ahead of the IIT Ropar showcase. "We are seeing children of masons, farm labourers, and migrant workers dreaming of becoming job creators. That is the real revolution."