INSTITUTE OF COMMERCE
NIRMA UNIVERSITY
ACCATHON 2.0
Report on First Round (online round) 4th January,2025
The first round of Accathon 2.0—a nationwide interdisciplinary accounting hackathon—was conducted online on January 4, 2025. This event was organized by the Institute of Commerce, Nirma University, in association with the Institute of Technology and the Indian Accounting Association.
A total of 35 teams, each comprising four members, registered for the competition, amounting to 140 participants. Among these, 23 teams chose Theme 1: GST, while 12 teams opted for Theme 2: Forensic Accounting. One team from each theme was disqualified during the event due to non-fulfilment of eligibility criteria. Participants hailed from 13 different states across India, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala, Gujarat, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh. All attendees were eager to showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills in the realms of technology, taxation, and accountancy.
The session for both panels of GST commenced at 9:30 am and concluded by 12:30 pm. Panel 1 of the GST featured 11 teams, although 1 team backed out from participation. Panel 1 was assessed by a distinguished group of judges, which included Prof. Satyajit Dhar (Professor, University of Kalyani, West Bengal) and Prof. Meenu Maheshwari (Head and Associate Professor, University of Kota), both representing the Indian Accounting Association (IAA).
Panel 2 of the GST featured 11 teams, although 4 teams backed out from participation. Panel 2 was judged by Prof. Dharen Pandey (Assistant Professor, IIM Sambalpur) and Prof. Arindam Das (Professor, University of Burdwan), both representing the Indian Accounting Association (IAA).
Following rigorous evaluation, three teams were shortlisted from GST Panel 1 and another three from GST Panel 2 to proceed to the round 2. Due to the high number of participating teams, the committee decided to shortlist one additional team, bringing the total to six teams for this theme.
The session for Forensic Accounting began at 9:30 am and concluded at 1:00 pm. 11 teams presented in this theme. The panel of judges included Prof. Biju T (Professor and Head of the Department, School of Business Management and Legal Studies, University of Kerala) and Prof. Sunil Gupta (Professor,IGNOU). Both judges represented the Indian Accounting Association (IAA). Five teams were selected to advance to Round 2 based on their presentations on the Forensic Accounting theme. The shortlisted 11 teams competing for round II represent states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
Prof Sanjay Bhayani, General Secretary, IAA; Prof K R Sharma, Past President IAA, Professor G Soral, Past President IAA and Nirma University officials were among the observers.
Looking ahead, the committee proposed organizing separate online seminars for each track to provide the qualified teams with focused guidance. This initiative aims to ensure optimal learning opportunities and comprehensive preparation for the final round. The winners of round I were informed to start working on the solutions/presentations for round 2. All the participants of round I were awarded the Certificate of Appreciation.
Prof. Gopika Juneja Dr. Udai Paliwal
(Assistant Professor, ICNU) (Director, ICNU)
Faculty Coordinator – Accathon 2 Accathon Convenor