Patna: Government Engineering College, Muzaffarpur has emerged as the top-performing institution at the state-level sports festival Umang 2026, which concluded on Thursday at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna. The six-day event, organised by the department of science, technology and technical education, brought together students from government polytechnic institutes and engineering colleges across the state.
The festival was held in two phases, with competitions for polytechnic institutes from February 7 to 9, followed by events for engineering colleges from February 10 to 12. Overall rankings were decided on the basis of combined performances in sports, literary and cultural competitions. Winners in different categories were felicitated by the state’s science and technology minister, Sunil Kumar.
Addressing participants, Kumar praised the discipline and competitive spirit shown by students during the festival. He said such events provide a platform for young people to showcase their abilities at the state level while also contributing to their overall development. Referring to government initiatives under chief minister Nitish Kumar, he said the state has been investing in sports infrastructure and schemes such as “Medal Lao Naukri Pao” to encourage talent.
In cricket, Government Engineering College, Sitamarhi defeated its Aurangabad counterpart in the final to win the title. In the chess competition, Vidya Bharti of Government Engineering College, Muzaffarpur secured first place in the girls’ category, while Akanksha Raj of Government Engineering College, Purnea finished second. In the boys’ category, Rishikesh Kumar of Government Engineering College, Sasaram won, with Shiv Shekhar of Government Engineering College, Motihari finishing as runner–up.
Government Engineering College, Gaya won the girls’ team title in table tennis, while Muzaffarpur claimed the boys’ championship. In badminton, Vaishali won the girls’ title and Madhepura secured the boys’ trophy. In kabaddi, Bakhtiyarpur (Patna) won the girls’ category and Jamui the boys’ event. Katihar defeated Banka in the girls’ volleyball final, while Bakhtiyarpur overcame Arwal in the boys’ final.
According to departmental secretary Dr Pratima, around 1,840 students from institutions across the state took part in the sporting competitions, including 930 participants from engineering colleges. She said the events were conducted with a high level of competitiveness and sportsmanship. Officials also announced that the next edition, Umang 2027, will be organised on a larger scale in view of this year’s response.
