WARANGAL: Stressing the need to focus on innovation and research, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said the universities have to promote the culture of innovation and research as well as inspire and motivate students to come up with new ideas in order to make India a global power.
Speaking after inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of National Institute of Technology Warangal (NITW) here on Monday, the vice-president said that it was high time that the universities and premier engineering institutes concentrate more on innovation and high-quality research.
“New technologies and innovations are changing the world like never before. Our universities must promote the culture of innovation and research to make India a powerhouse of knowledge. This cannot be achieved unless there is a paradigm shift in the higher education system,” he said.
The vice-president said that NIT and other similar institutions should collaborate with government and encourage students to take up projects connected with rural India as part of their courses.
“Study the problems of the people and come up with innovative, cost-effective solutions in areas relating to drinking water, health, transportation and education. Remember that anything that provides societal benefit would give greater satisfaction than material gains,” he observed. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking the country on the path of development through his mantra- Reform, Perform and Transform.
“Every educated individual should consider it as his duty to contribute to national development. Engineers passing out of premier institutions should use their knowledge to improve the lives of people,” he said .