Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, handing over a graduation certificate to a student during the 20th convocation ceremony of NIT-K at Surathkal, in Mangaluru on Saturday. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Praising the thrust given by the National Institute of Technology - Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, in the use of green energy, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday asked the institute to open a full-fledged sustainable energy department.
Speaking at the 20th annual convocation of NIT-K, Mr. Pradhan commended the institute for having a bio-waste recycling plant and also for setting up solar powered charging station for e-bikes in the campus. “With the beginning you have made, I am confident that in a decade the institute will be leading light of energy transition in the country.” Such initiatives are a must at universities for driving green transition, he said.
The country, he said, needs more entrepreneurs and innovators for achieving future ambitions. The country’s strong future lies in the hands of our students, including those in NIT-K, which is located in Karnataka that is the land of Krishnadevaraya and Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
“The State is blessed with rich engineering, architectural and cultural legacy. Students of NIT-K have made their mark globally. Now they also have to aim at becoming job creators,” he said.
Asking the NIT-K to expand beyond engineering and strengthen research and innovation climate, the Union Minister asked the institute to take up the challenge of developing Engineering textbooks in Kannada.
Pointing out that India was ranked 14 in the global innovation index, Mr. Pradhan said the country is poised to play a key role in the future development of humanity and regain its glory as ‘vishwa guru’.
He called upon students to draw inspiration from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and work towards changing the destiny of the country. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, genome editing and 3D printing, were among the priority areas as the world stares at Industry 4.0, he said.
Earlier, the Minister presented gold medals and awards to nine BTech and 30 postgraduate students. A total of 1,787 candidates received degrees, which includes 126 PhD, 817 post graduate and 844 BTech students.
He also inaugurated the newly constructed buildings of Central Research Facility and School of Interdisciplinary Studies. He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of “Block D” lecture hall complex.
