By OUR STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI, 12 Jun: The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, chaired a meeting with Directors of all National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, in New Delhi, today. Secretary, Higher Education, R Subrahmanyam was also present on the occasion. Addressing the participants, the Minister said the NITs were among the best institutions for providing technical education, so they had to focus on qualitative and research based education. Technical education and research needed to be focused on solving fundamental problems. While appealing to scientific institutions to participate in holistic development of the country, Dr Nishank said it was the responsibility of all the scientific institutions that they work on development of nearby villages. He added that industry and the education sector should collaborate so that job oriented education could be provided. Dr Nishank added that the combination of scientific temperament and research would be the foundation stone of a New India. Citing the example of USA and European countries, he said that technical institutions had played a major role in transforming thoughts of social and economic development into reality. He urged setting up of a strong alumni network on the lines of Harvard and Yale and said this would not only encourage the students to undertake innovative research but also help in generating resources. Highlighting the importance of an independent competitive atmosphere in the country, the Minister said that India needed to be established on the Global Education platform. He highlighted the need for good research in basic science. The Minister added that IIEST had gained its reputation in education and scientific activities. And it was the need of the hour that everybody worked on collaboration of scientific institutions both in India and abroad, to utilise resources wisely. The last person in the line ought to get the benefit of research. To fulfill the expectations of 130 crore citizens, all the scientific institutions had to work with full dedication and in mission mode.
