Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the graduating students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras to keep India’s needs in mind irrespective of where they lived, and think about how their work, innovation and research could help the country.
“No matter where you work, where you live, do also keep in mind the needs of your motherland, your Mother India. Not only is this your social responsibility, it also makes immense business sense,” Mr. Modi said, while delivering the convocation address at the institute. Pointing out that the Indian community had made a mark for itself the world over, especially in science, technology and innovation, he said much of this was powered by students who had graduated from IIT.
“You are making Brand India stronger globally,” he said.
“Today, when India is aspiring to become a 5 trillion dollar economy, your innovation and application of technology will fuel this dream. It will become the bedrock of India’s big leap to become the most competitive economy,” he said.
“India’s innovation is a great blend of economics and utility. IIT-Madras is born in that tradition. Here the students and researchers take up the toughest problems and come up with solutions that are accessible and workable,” the PM said.
Mr. Modi said the government had created a robust ecosystem for research and development in the country. “There are Atal Incubation Centres being set up in many institutions. The next challenge is to find a market to develop a start-up. The Start-Up India programme is designed to help meet this challenge. This will help innovations find their way to the market,” he said. Besides, to promote R&D in the country, the government had instituted the PM Research Fellowship scheme.
Mr. Modi said India is in the top three in the global start-up ecosystem, a phenomenon that is powered by people from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, as well as rural India.
