IITs represent face of new resurgent, aspirational India: VP Naidu

Noting that the Indian Institutes of Technology represented the face of a new resurgent and aspirational India, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said the country has to regain its past glory as 'Viswa Guru' and become a knowledge and education hub once again.

"That is the current challenge. A challenge that should make us work harder and work smarter. A challenge that should make us realise our capabilities and refine them by constant practice and learning from the best in the world," the Vice President said. Venkaiah Naidu interacted with the staff and the students of IIT-Tirupati here on the occasion of 'Institute Day' on Thursday.

"IITs represent the face of a new resurgent and aspirational India. It is an India that is seeking new opportunities to transform lives."

"It is an India that is tapping into its core strengths to be self-reliant. It is an India that is determined to reclaim its rightful place in the comity of nations," he said. The Vice President said the dream could be realised only if the education system was improved.

Stating that the National Policy on Education-2020 gave a well thought out blueprint for the new educational architecture, Naidu stressed the need to "quickly translate this policy into action."

Observing that technological advancement was a key decisive factor in the development architecture of a country, he said India too should move steadily and swiftly on the path.

The new IITs at Tirupati, Palakkad, Jammu, Bhilai, Goa and Dharwad were created to enhance access to technical education and create a knowledge ecosystem that would power India's development.

He said it was a matter of pride that five IITs of the country were now ranked among the 500 top-ranking institutions in the world. The Vice President lauded IIT-Tirupati's efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic by successfully developing a thermal air sterilizer and N95-equivalent reusable respirators, among others.

"I compliment all of you on being designated as the Technology Innovation Hub under the National Mission on Cyber Physical Systems."

"I am hopeful you will speedily set up Centres of Excellence in Food Technology, Precision Agriculture, Energy Storage and Atomic Molecular and Optical Technologies in association with IISER Tirupati," Naidu added.

As Tirupati has the unique distinction of having an IIT and IISER, collaborative work and synergistic progress could become easy, he noted. The Vice President, however, lamented that only a meagre percentage of engineering graduates had employability skills.

"Every year, we produce around 1.5 million engineers but a survey suggests that only seven per cent of them are suitable for core engineering jobs. We have to increase employability and ensure that the skills required for the world of work are imparted," he pointed out.