BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said the ICT Mumbai campus in Bhubaneswar will catalyse growth of petrochemicals industries in the State.
Addressing the sixth convocation ceremony of Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Pradhan said, “I am happy that ICT Mumbai and Indian Oil Corporation have joined hands to set up a world-class centre of excellence in chemical engineering and technology in Bhubaneswar to catalyse the structured growth of industries in Odisha in diverse sectors such as petrochemicals, chemicals, polymers, textiles and fibres.”
With an investment of Rs 500 crore, the ICT-IOC Centre will shape up into a world-class institute with latest facilities and equipment, he added.
The Petroleum Minister further complimented Indian Oil for taking the initiative of setting up the country’s first skill development institute in the hydrocarbons sector in the State.Once fully functional, the 60-acre permanent campus of SDI at Taraboi near Jatni will have the capabilities to train 3,000 to 4,000 youths every year in 16 regular trades pertaining to the hydrocarbons sector and local industry.
The objective is to train about 50,000 youth from Odisha and other States in next 10 years, imparting them with global employability skill, he said.Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh said institutes like IITs should find its place in the top 100 global institutes of higher learning. This issue, Singh said, needs multiple attention like international students and faculties presence in Indian institutes, research and innovation at par with the best institutes in the world.
He lauded the research work undertaken by IIT-Bhubaneswar on wide range of topics from fundamentals to applied areas of immense importance specifically utilisation of industrial waste for developing environmental friendly geo-polymer concrete using red mud and fly ash which could be useful in making eco-friendly buildings, bridges, roads and other long-lasting physical assets.