IIT, IIM students to work with Puri administration during Jagannath Yatra

Top students from India's premier institutions, including the IITs, IIMs and leading policy and management schools, will converge in Puri to join hands with the district administration for the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025, officials said on Tuesday.

Under a Public Systems and Infrastructure internship initiated by the Puri District administration, these students will work at ground zero to study critical aspects of the Yatra, including crowd behaviour, public infrastructure, event planning, and inter-agency coordination.

"Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is an exercise in scale, devotion, and coordination. It is time India's brightest minds saw what nation-building looks like in the field. Over a 10-15 day period, selected interns will be assigned live projects around sanitation infrastructure, emergency response systems, seva stall operations, and digital citizen engagement," Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said.


He further noted that their work will culminate in real-time reports and recommendations for future event efficiency, contributing directly to the planning of large-scale public systems.

The internship will be facilitated by Chaaipani, an agency appointed to manage brand activations and brand integration to enhance public facilities at this year's Jagannath Rath Yatra.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young minds to witness how India runs at its most complex and spiritual intersection. This is a rare opportunity for students to learn how logistics, culture, systems and human behaviour in India operate at an unprecedented scale," Shruti Chaturvedi, founder of Chaaipani, said.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025 is scheduled to begin on June 27, 2025, and conclude on July 5, 2025.