PNN
New Delhi [India], October 12: The 10th IET India Scholarship Award has been won by Delhi Technological University student Kush Garg for an AI-enabled device designed to help neurodivergent children independently navigate everyday situations – from ordering at a café and buying groceries to using public transport and following classroom conversations.
Kush emerged as the National Winner from 48,761 engineering students who applied from across India for this year’s edition of the scholarship programme, following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation spanning academic performance, an online assessment, regional rounds and the National Finals. Kush says, “I'm honoured to have won the IET India Scholarship Award. Beyond the recognition, the experience changed how I approach building things. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the importance of interacting directly with the people affected by the problem, understanding what they actually need, and using their feedback to shape the solution rather than starting with assumptions. The rigorous evaluation rounds and the judges' feedback pushed me to continuously iterate on my ideas and by the end I was far more invested in the problem itself.”
His winning solution is a compact, AI-enabled IoT device that provides real-time, context-aware assistance to neurodivergent children as they interact with the world around them. Developed in response to the challenge statement ‘Technical Solutions for Integration of Neurodivergent Children into Society’, the device uses sensors and AI to understand factors such as the child’s activities, preferences and challenges, the context of an ongoing interaction, and social cues in the surrounding environment. It can then provide support at the moment it is needed – helping the child better understand, respond to and participate in everyday situations independently.
Omkar Jadhav of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology was named 1st Runner-up, while V Avinash of BIT Mesra secured the 2nd Runner-up position.
The National Finals marked the culmination of the 10th edition of the IET India Scholarship Award, which this year doubled its total scholarship prize pool from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh.
Over the past decade, the programme has grown into one of the IET’s flagship initiatives for undergraduate engineering students in India, giving young engineers a platform to demonstrate not only academic excellence, but also their ability to apply engineering thinking to real-world challenges.
Ajay Salariya, India Awards & Scholarships Manager at The Institution of Engineering and Technology, said, “Nearly 49,000 students entered the IET India Scholarship Award this year, but what ultimately distinguishes an exceptional engineer is not just the complexity of the technology they build – it is the problem they choose to solve and the difference their solution can make.
Kush’s project stood out because it brings sophisticated technologies such as AI and IoT into a very real, everyday human context. As we celebrate the 10th edition of the Scholarship Award, that is exactly the kind of engineering thinking we want this programme to encourage: technically strong, curious, empathetic and focused on creating meaningful impact. Kush is a very deserving national winner, and Omkar, Avinash and all our finalists should be immensely proud of what they have achieved.”
About the IET India Scholarship Award
The IET India Scholarship Award recognises and supports undergraduate engineering students who demonstrate strong academic performance, innovation, leadership and the ability to apply engineering knowledge to real-world challenges.
The 2026 edition marked the 10th edition of the programme, with a total scholarship prize pool of ₹20 lakh. Students progressed through multiple stages of assessment before regional finalists presented their solutions before expert juries, with the strongest candidates advancing to the National Finals.
About The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s largest professional engineering bodies, with a global membership spanning more than 150 countries.
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the IET works to inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world.
In India, the IET has been active since 2006, working closely with industry, academia and government to advance engineering and technology through thought leadership, professional development, skills initiatives, awards and scholarships.
For more information about the IET in India, visit www.theiet.in.
For details on the IET India Scholarship Award, visit www.scholarships.theiet.in.
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