ROURKELA/SAMBALPUR: Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said technology and growth are complementary to each other, while lauding the growing technological and research prowess of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-R). He laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 200 crore at the NIT-R.
The minister praised the NIT’s expanding infrastructure and “enviable academic ambience”, noting that among over 100 national-level engineering institutions, including 24 IITs and 32 NITs, NIT-R is currently ranked 13th.
“There are two landmarks before us. Let us all endeavour to bring the institute among the top five national institutes by 2036, when Odisha celebrates its centenary year of formation. I wish that by 2047, our institute should be among the top institutions of the world,” Pradhan said. The minister said that Rourkela is not merely a geographical place but a sentiment, an emotion, a culture and an aspiration. “NIT-R and RSP are the twin growth engines of Rourkela,” he said.
Pradhan said the Centre has plans for a massive expansion of RSP’s capacity from 4.5 million tonnes per annum to 9.5 MTPA. “I have met the RSP authorities and the Sundargarh district administration and urged them to resolve issues of local stakeholders amicably for the region’s economic growth. Technology and growth are complementary to one another,” he reiterated.
Pradhan also lauded a startup incubated at NIT-R which has earned national recognition in a short span and secured a defence order worth about Rs 100 crore in the field of underwater robotics.
Among those present were deputy speaker BS Bhoi, Rourkela MLA Sarada Nayak, Raghunathpali MLA DC Tanti and NIT-R director K Umamaheshwar Rao. Later in the day, Pradhan attended the 50th state convention of the Odisha Paschim unit of the ABVP.
The minister also inaugurated a series of advanced medical facilities at VIMSAR in Sambalpur’s Burla. He inaugurated a 3 Tesla MRI facility and an 80-bed dedicated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit building, describing them as major milestones in enhancing tertiary healthcare services in western Odisha.