By IANS,
Guwahati : Former president APJ Abdul Kalam Friday appealed to the graduates of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) to get themselves ready for future challenges so that India could be transformed into a developed nation.
“As you are aware, the nation is going through a difficult economic phase due to the current international economic situation. In spite of this, India has the potential to come out of difficult situations because of its inherent strengths. These are the purchasing power of 400 million middle class citizens and 600 million youth who are willing to take up challenging missions,” Kalam said while delivering the 14th convocation address of the IITG in north Guwahati.
He also stressed on development of technologically superior sustainable systems to achieve the goal of transforming India into a developed nation. “The demand of the 21st century is the new age model where science, technology and environment will have to go together. Thus the new model would be a four-dimensional bio-nano-info-eco based,” he said.
Kalam also said that the key requirement for achieving the distinctive profile of the nation is by creating sustainable enterprise-driven models at the rural level. “One such system which I suggest is PURA (Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas). It is the creation of physical, electronic, knowledge connectivities leading to electronic connectivity of rural regions. With this combined and planned intervention of infrastructure, digital technology, information and enterprise, we can select a cluster of about 20 to 50 villages, which share core competencies and empower those using local enterprise,” he said.
The former president also suggested that the IITG pursue implementation of one such PURA complex covering around 50 to 100 villages on the outskirts of Guwahati utilizing the potential of the youth of the institution. “This PURA will be called IITG PURA, which would empower local villages in this region. IITG PURA will facilitate faculty and students for an intensive programme in social transformation of entrepreneurship,” said Kalam.
The former president also stressed upon re-designing of the education system to ensure the generation of large numbers of employment generators and not employment seekers.
He also stressed on having inter-disciplinary projects in institutions like the IITG and suggested that the programme on entrepreneurship generation, hydropower, and making the northeastern states carbon-neutral can all become inter-disciplinary projects for future batches.