Shri Reddy will also be conducting an on-site inspection of the Agartala Akhaura Rail project. During his two day visit Minister will also be attending the North East Security Education & Global Employability Conclave as the chief Guest. He will also participate and deliver remarks at the “North East India, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal in the Indo-Pacific Building on Partnership: The Way Forward” dialogue organized by the think tank Asian Confluence.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit the states of Manipur and Tripura on 4th January, 2022. At around 11 AM, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 22 Developmental Projects worth over Rs. 4800 crore in Imphal. Thereafter, at around 2 PM, in Agartala, he will inaugurate the New Integrated Terminal Building at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport and will also launch two key development initiatives.

PM in Manipur

In Manipur, the Prime Minister will inaugurate 13 Projects worth around Rs. 1850 crores and lay the foundation stone of 9 projects worth around Rs 2950 crore. These projects relate to diverse sectors such as Road Infrastructure, Drinking Water Supply, Health, Urban Development, Housing, Information Technology, Skill Development, Art and Culture, among others.

In line with the countrywide projects to improve connectivity, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of construction of five National Highway Projects to be built at a cost of more than Rs 1700 crore. The construction of these highways with a cumulative length of more than 110 kilometres, will be a major step to improve the road connectivity of the region. Another important infrastructure that will enhance seamless year-round connectivity to Silchar from Imphal and reduce traffic congestion, is the construction of Steel Bridge built over Barak River on NH-37 built at a cost of over Rs 75 crore. This Steel Bridge will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister during the Programme.

Prime Minister will also dedicate, to the people of Manipur, 2,387 mobile towers built at a cost of around Rs 1100 crores. This will be a major step in further boosting the mobile connectivity of the state.

Prime Minister’s endeavour to provide clean drinking water to every household will get a boost with the inauguration of the drinking water supply projects in the state. The projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister include the ₹280 crore worth ‘Water Transmission system of Thoubal Multi-purpose project’, which will provide drinking water supply to the Imphal city; the Water Supply Scheme project by Water Conservation, for Tamenglong Headquarters built at the cost of Rs 65 crore, to provide safe drinking water to residents of ten habitations of Tamenglong district; and the ‘Augmentation of Senapati District Headquarter Water Supply Scheme’ built at a cost of Rs. 51 crore to provide regular water supply to the residents of the area.

In an effort to strengthen the health sector in the state, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of ‘State of the Art Cancer Hospital’ in Imphal worth around Rs. 160 crore on PPP basis. This cancer hospital will greatly benefit the people of state in reducing the out of the pocket expenditure, who otherwise have to go outside the state for availing cancer related diagnostic and treatment services. Further, to boost the Covid related infrastructure in the State, Prime Minister will inaugurate ‘200 Bedded Covid Hospital at Kiyamgei’ which has been set up at a cost of about Rs. 37 crore in collaboration with DRDO.

A step towards realization of the Prime Minister’s relentless efforts for the rejuvenation and transformation of Indian cities, will be the completion of multiple projects under the ‘Imphal Smart City Mission’. Prime Minister will inaugurate three projects of the mission, developed at a cost of more than Rs 170 crore, including the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC)’, ‘Development of Western Riverfront on Imphal River (Phase I)’ and ‘Development of Mall Road at Thangal Bazar (Phase I)’. The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) will provide a variety of technology based services in the city, including traffic management, solid waste management and city surveillance. Other development projects under the mission will boost tourism & local economy and provide employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of ‘Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT)’ to be built in the state at a cost of about Rs 200 crore. This project is the biggest PPP initiative in the State and will provide a boost to the Information Technology sector, besides creating employment opportunities in the state.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for construction of Manipur Institute of Performing Arts at Gurgaon, Haryana. The idea of such a cultural institute of Manipur in Haryana was first mooted in 1990 but it could not materialize for the last many years. The institute will be built at a cost of more than Rs 240 crore and will promote the rich art and culture of the state. Further strengthening the rich cultural heritage of the state, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the refurbished and renovated Govindajee Temple at Imphal. He will also inaugurate the INA complex at Moirang that will showcase the significant role played by Indian National Army (INA) in India’s Independence Movement.

In line with the mantra of ‘SabkaSaath-Sabka Vikas-Sabka Vishwas’, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of 72 Projects worth more than Rs 130 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram. These projects will provide the infrastructural support in health and education sectors for holistic development of the minority communities.

To strengthen the handloom industry in the State, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of two projects worth Rs. 36 crore namely, ‘Mega Handloom Cluster’ at NongpokKakching in Imphal East District, which will benefit about 17,000 weavers in Imphal East District and ‘Craft and Handloom village’ in Moirang which will help the weaving households, harness the tourism potential of the Moirang and adjoining Loktak Lake and generate employment for the local people.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for the construction of Government Residential Quarters at New Checkon to be built at a cost of around Rs 390 crore. This will be an integrated housing colony with modern amenities. He will also lay the foundation stone of a ropeway project at IbudhouMarjing, Imphal East.

Other projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister include the new Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Kangpokpi under Enhancing Skill Development Infrastructure (ESDI) and a new office building of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations.

PM in Tripura

During his visit to the state, Prime Minister will inaugurate the New Integrated Terminal Building of Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport and launch key initiatives: Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana and Project Mission 100 of Vidyajyoti Schools.

New Integrated Terminal Building of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, built at a cost of about Rs 450 crore, is a state of art building spread over 30,000 square metres having modern facilities and supported by the latest IT network integrated system. The development of the new terminal building is an effort in line with the Prime Minister’s endeavour to provide modern facilities in all airports across the country.

Project Mission 100 of Vidyajyoti Schools is aimed to improve the quality of education in the state by converting 100 existing High/Higher secondary schools to Vidyajyoti Schools with state of art facilities and quality education. The project will cover about 1.2 Lakh students from Nursery to class XII and will cost around Rs 500 crores in next three years.

Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana aims to achieve the benchmark standards for service delivery in core development sectors at the village level. The key sectors selected for this Yojana are household tap connections, domestic electricity connections, all weather roads, functional toilets for every household, recommended immunization for every child, participation of women in Self Help Groups etc. The scheme will incentivise the villages for achieving the benchmark standards for service delivery in different sectors and is expected to induce a sense of healthy competition among the villages to improve the service delivery at grassroot level.

New Delhi :  As a part of the observance of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited continued to organize study tours for students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandkheda to its oil-field installations to inculcate passion among the future generations for nation-building. ONGCV recently organized study tripe of students to Oil drilling Rig deployed at Dhamasana village of Ahmedabad.

As many as 105 students of class IX, X and XI, in three groups of 35 students each, visited the rig from 8 to 10 November 2021. Students were briefed about the various drilling operations to produce oil and gas from the earth. The operation of new hydraulic rig was also explained by the engineers of Drilling Services Team present at the drill site.

Study tours were also organized by ONGC Tripura Asset’s oil-field Installation on 11 and 15 November 2021, for around 100 students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, ONGC North Colony, Agartala. The students were given a brief overview of the energy business, beginning with a film on the origins of oil and gas from the fabled archives of ONGC Museum in Dehradun, followed by another short video presentation on ONGC’s energy business.

Students were also given a walkthrough of the Installation and its key areas viz. Christmas Tree (ADB Well#01), Process Area and Dehydration Unit (from a distance), Manifold Area, etc.

Both study tours were organized following COVID appropriate behavior and the students, teachers and ONGC executives adhered to all SOPs relating it.

New Delhi: Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $61 million loan to improve livability, harness technology, and promote new developments to accommodate the expanding population in Agartala city while building capacity of state agencies for improved service delivery.

Shri Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in India’s Ministry of Finance, signed for the Government of India, the agreement for Agartala City Urban Development Project while Mr Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission signed for ADB.

After signing the loan agreement, Shri Mishra stated that the project is aligned to the vision of the Government of India’s Smart City Mission to upgrade urban infrastructure services and will improve livability in Agartala with provision of better road connectivity, flood resilient measures and making tourist places more attractive.

”Through this project, ADB will catalyze synergies with the smart city components being implemented in Agartala through an underground utility corridor with shifting of electrical lines, incorporating elderly, women, children, and differently abled responsive features, improving road geometry along with urban design interventions,” said Mr. Konishi.” He said that the provision of an asset management and sustainability strategy, capacity-building of tourism operators and livelihood improvement of street vendors and artisans, will serve as a model to other assets and tourist attractions in Agartala, and other cities in the state of Tripura.

The Project will build and upgrade 48 kilometers (km) of new or existing storm water drainage and construct 23 km of climate-resilient urban roads. Other interventions would include renovating open spaces and creating water recreation and lakeside walkways in the Maharaja Bir Bikram College lake and the Ujjayanta Palace which are major tourist attractions in the city.

Developing Agartala’s central and north zones as models of area-based development following the principles of smart city mission initiative is expected to have a ripple effect on other parts of the city and nearby cities and towns by making urban areas more livable, citizen-friendly, resilient, and sustainable.

New Delhi:  Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today called upon the people, particularly youngsters, to buy and promote Indian handicrafts, handlooms, Khadi and other products made by artisans instead of foreign items.

The Vice President, who is on a tour of the North- Eastern States, inaugurated an exhibition of handloom and handicraft products, went around the stalls and interacted with artisans, weavers and others at Agartala, Tripura.

Urging the people to be ‘Vocal for Local’, he said that he was hugely impressed by various products like Bamboo bottles, bamboo handbags,, artificial flowers, agarbati, Risha (traditional stole), mulberry silk products and agar tree perfume-oil that were on display.

Praising the talent and craftsmanship of the artisans, weavers and makers of other traditional products, he said they needed to be encouraged.

The Vice President said there was enormous talent and knowledge among Indians . India is uniquely blessed with a demographic dividend with about 65 % of the population below the age of 35 years and 50% below 25 years. He said the need of the hour is to identify the talent and impart training to artisans and craftspersons to upgrade their skills.

He also urged the Centre and various State Governments to accord more importance to providing timely and affordable credit and marketing avenues to artisans and weavers to enable them to generate income and stand on their own feet.

Shri Naidu appreciated the organisers, the State government and the North Eastern Council for organising the exhibition.

Shri Biplab Kumar Deb, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Mevar Kumar Jamatia, Hon’ble Minister, Industry & Commerce (HHS) and Tribal Welfare, Shri K. Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council and other dignitaries were present.

With a goal of breeding resilient crops that are better able to withstand drought and disease, University of California San Diego scientists have developed the first CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive in plants.

While gene drive technology has been developed in insects to help stop the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, researchers in Professor Yunde Zhao’s lab, along with colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, demonstrated the successful design of a CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive that cuts and copies genetic elements in Arabidopsis plants.

Breaking from the traditional inheritance rules that dictate that offspring acquire genetic materials equally from each parent (Mendelian genetics), the new research uses CRISPR-Cas9 editing to transmit specific, targeted traits from a single parent in subsequent generations. Such genetic engineering could be used in agriculture to help plants defend against diseases to grow more productive crops. The technology also could help fortify plants against the impacts of climate change such as increased drought conditions in a warming world.

The research, led by postdoctoral scholar Tao Zhang and graduate student Michael Mudgett in Zhao’s lab, is published in the journal Nature Communications.

“This work defies the genetic constraints of sexual reproduction that an offspring inherits 50% of their genetic materials from each parent,” said Zhao, a member of the Division of Biological Sciences’ Section of Cell and Developmental Biology. “This work enables inheritance of both copies of the desired genes from only a single parent. The findings can greatly reduce the generations needed for plant breeding.”

The study is the latest development by researchers in the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) at UC San Diego, which was built upon the foundation of a new technology called “active genetics” with potential to influence population inheritance in a variety of applications.

Developing superior crops through traditional genetic inheritance can be expensive and time consuming as genes are passed through multiple generations. Using the new active genetics technology based on CRISPR-Cas9, such genetic bias can be achieved much more quickly, the researchers say.

“I am delighted that this gene drive success, now achieved by scientists affiliated with TIGS in plants, extends the generality of this work previously demonstrated at UC San Diego, to be applicable in insects and mammals,” said TIGS Global Director Suresh Subramani. “This advance will revolutionize plant and crop breeding and help address the global food security problem.”

In a virtual event organized by Sri Aurobindo Society, Hon’ble Education Minister of Tripura, Mr. Ratan Lal Nath launched ‘Auro Scholarship Programme’ of Sri Aurobindo Society for all the students of the state. This one of its kind initiatives, Auro Scholarship Programme provides the monthly micro-scholarship to the students in order to motivate them towards achieving better learning outcomes once students achieve benchmark performance in 10-min curriculum aligned Quizzes conducted on Auro Scholar App. Along with Hon’ble Education Minister of the State, Mr. Saju Vaheed A, IAS, SPD, Samagra Shiksha, Director Elementary Education and Higher Education, Tripura, and Smt. Saumya Gupta, IAS, Secretary, Department of Education, Tripura graced the webinar from Agartala. Mr. Vijay Poddar, Member Executive of Sri Aurobindo Society joined from Puducherry and Mr. Sambhrant Sharma, Director Education, Sri Aurobindo Society connected from New Delhi. Thousands of teachers and education officers participated through live streaming of the event on social media channels.

Speaking on the significance and relevance of micro-scholarships for the students, Hon’ble Education Minister, Mr. Ratan Lal Nath said, “I am glad to know that the Auro Scholarship programme of Sri Aurobindo Society is providing an innovative solution in the form of micro-scholarships to our students, that promotes improved learning outcomes of the students, besides, motivating them to adopt remedial learning. Through simple mobile based quizzes, the students can win scholarships of upto Rs.1000 every month on achieving good performance in online curriculum based assessments. I am sure that the supportive environment at schools and homes will holistically benefit the students of Tripura. We are an educationally progressive State, and Auro Scholarship Programme of Sri Aurobindo Society will definitely become a boon for the students.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saju Vaheed A, IAS, SPD, Samagra Shiksha, Director Elementary Education and Higher Education, Tripura said, “The teachers and students are more open to technology now than before. We are hopeful that by taking online quizzes, the students will be able to improve their learning outcomes. I am happy that the MoU has been signed with Sri Aurobindo Society and the programme provides learning nudges to the students to learn more.”

“The monthly micro-scholarship programme will benefit the students in the long run. They will become intrinsically motivated to learn and grow. It is an honour for Sri Aurobindo Society to partner with the government of Tripura and making the scholarship accessible to all the students of the state,” added Mr. Vijay Poddar, Member Executive Sri Aurobindo Society.

Presenting a vote of thanks, Mr. Sambhrant Sharma, Director Education, Sri Aurobindo Society said, “In the past few years, Sri Aurobindo Society’s nationwide teacher outreach programme ‘Zero-Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives’ (ZIIEI) has played a vital role in creating an innovative and experiential teaching ecosystem in schools of Tripura. With the launch of Auro Scholarship programme, thousands of students of Tripura will become direct beneficiaries and the quality of education in the State will reach new heights.”

Working through Auro Scholar App, Auro Scholarship programme awards monthly micro-scholarships to K-12 students on achieving benchmark performance in a 10-min curriculum-aligned quiz on an internet enabled phone. The parents receive up to INR 1,000/month (INR 50 per quiz, for 20 quizzes across 5 subjects) in their bank account, which they can use to pay for their child’s education in various ways. This model of monthly micro-scholarships is a 1st of its kind and goes a long way in incentivizing the learning outcomes.

Since the national launch around one and a half years ago, lakhs of users have registered themselves on Auro Scholar App and around 15 lakh assessments have been taken by the students since the start of the programme. Auro Scholar aims to eventually reach 25 Cr K-12 children across the country and incentivize them for learning.

New Delhi: The Udaipur Science Centre, at Udaipur, Tripura was dedicated to the people by the Governor of Tripura, Shri Ramesh Bais on 28th February 2021. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism, Govt. of India Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura Shri Jishnu Dev Varma, and the Minister for Agriculture, Transport and Tourism of Tripura Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, were the Guests of Honour.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor apprised the audience on the importance of National Science Day, which is celebrated every year on the 28th of February. He also highlighted that Science Centres play a vital role in developing a scientific temper in the society and inculcating a culture of Innovation among masses, particularly among students. He also appreciated the role of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and Ministry of Culture for the spread of scientific awareness.

Shri Prahlad Singh Patel stressed upon the importance that NCSM is playing in spreading a culture of science and expressed that this new science centre would enable the students to learn many unknown facts about science. He also mentioned about India’s contribution in the field of science and technology and desired that the people of this country, especially the children must be informed about our rich Science & Technology heritage.

Shri A D Choudhury, DG, NCSM informed that Udaipur Science Centre is the 22nd Science Centre which has been developed by NCSM and handed over to the State Governments under the Ministry of Culture’s Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science. He informed that this Science Centre has been developed at a cost of Rs 6.00 crore funded jointly by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India and Dept. of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Tripura and with this; NCSM has now set-up science centres in all the north eastern states. He also informed that NCSM will open 4 more new science centres in different parts of India during 2021.

New  Delhi: The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today said the New Education Policy (NEP) aims at making India a global knowledge superpower and underlined the need for the country to once again become a Vishwa Guru in the field of education.

The Vice President said the NEP draws inspiration from the ancient Indian education system which used to focus on developing holistic and well-rounded personalities. He said the NEP seeks to make Indian education holistic, multi-disciplinary, and practical.

Addressing virtually the 13th convocation of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala, Shri Naidu pointed out that the ancient education system always taught us to live in harmony with nature and respect all beings and non-beings. “Our education was practical, wholesome, and complementary to life”, he added.

Calling upon the higher education institutions and universities to make India a thriving hub of knowledge and innovation, Shri Naidu advised them to take up cutting edge research in various fields, establish synergy with industries and other similar institutions and turn our campuses into exciting centres of creativity and research.

Recalling the advice of former President, Shri A P J Abdul Kalam to the youth to dream big, the Vice President asked the students to set a goal and strive hard to achieve it. “You will succeed if you work with dedication, discipline and sincerity without wavering from your chosen path”, he stressed.

He told the students to utilize their knowledge, skills and aptitude that they acquired over the years in building bright, fulfilling and successful careers.

Stressing the need to be agile, the Vice President said, “Students, researchers and academicians, therefore, cannot afford to remain in a world of status quo. They have to constantly learn, update themselves, and innovate every day”.

One who learns and adapts better will thrive,” he added.

He also observed that it was time for the universities, IITs, NITs and other higher education institutions to fully reorient their teaching methods and equip the teachers with new pedagogical skills in tune with the 21st-century requirements.

Shri Naidu stressed the need to adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to address the challenges faced by mankind such as ending poverty, improving agricultural productivity and combating pollution and diseases amongst others.

The Vice President urged the corporate sector to identify key research projects in various sectors and fund them under CSR initiatives. “Enhancing public and private investments in research is of vital importance for creating a knowledge-driven society,” he added.

With about 65 per cent of the country’s population comprising youth, the Vice President called for fully channelizing the energies of the youth and creating the right ecosystem for promoting entrepreneurship among them. “This is the time to tap their talents and skill for giving a fillip to ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign. Institutions like NIT-Agartala have to be at the forefront in turning youth into job creators and not just job seekers”, he added.

The Vice President expressed his happiness that NIT Agartala had adopted nearby villages with an aim of making them “Model Villages.” He asked all students to spend some time in villages to understand the challenges faced by the rural India. Terming ‘agriculture’ as our ‘basic culture’, he called for making farming a viable and profitable activity.

Reminding the students of India’s great civilizational values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and ‘share and care’, Shri Naidu asked them to make these values part of their life. “Sharing will give you more happiness”, he said.

The Vice President also asked the educational institutions to enrich the knowledge of the students by making them aware of India’s ancient culture and heritage.

Stressing the need for people to be nature- friendly, he called for protecting nature and promoting culture for a better future. He appealed to everyone to respect and love the nature.

He lauded NIT Agartala for being ranked within 100 best engineering institutes the under the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Dr. Subhash Chandra Sati, Chairman, Board of Governors, NIT, Agartala, Prof H K Sharma, Director, NIT, Agartala, Dr. Govind Bhargava, Registrar, Dr Ajay Kumar Das, Dean, Academics, Prof Gautham Damuri, PURDUE University, USA, Shri Anil Mutha of Mutha Industries, Faculty, staff, students and their parents were among those who participated in the virtual event.

Following is the full text of the speech –

“It gives me immense pleasure to participate virtually in the 13th Convocation of NIT, Agartala being held at Agartala today. I am sure, the students when they began their course would not have anticipated that they would be receiving their degrees in this manner. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives like never before and the education sector was one of the most severely impacted with online classes and virtual Convocations like this one becoming the new normal.

I must appreciate NIT for taking the initiative to hold e-Convocation and bring us together through a virtual platform for such a momentous occasion.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the outgoing students for completing their degrees from this prestigious institute. I would also like to convey my appreciation to the educators and the administration in guiding and hand-holding students in their academic journey.

I am happy to note that for the academic year 2019-20 this Institute is awarding B. Tech. degree to a total number of 534 students, M. Tech Degree to a total of 181 students, BS & BT Degree to 29 students, BS MS & BT MT Degree to 31 students, M. Sc Degree to 24 students, MCA Degree to 20 students, MBA Degree to 14 students in this convocation. This year, 24 scholars will be awarded with a Ph.D.

It has been 15 years since this institute has been upgraded as NIT Agartala in 2006 from Tripura Engineering College. I am glad to note that over this period, NIT Agartala has been providing excellent instructional and research facilities and has emerged as an institute of national excellence. For the last three years, the institute is being ranked within the 100 best engineering institutes of the country under the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).

I am pleased to know that NIT Agartala also acts as an ISRO Space Technology Incubation Center to cater to the country’s space technology needs and has been carrying out research and development activities. This is a welcome initiative.

My dear friends,

NIT Agartala and other premier institutes in our country have glorious examples from our ancient education systems to emulate. India was known as ‘Vishwa Guru’ and the world’s best learning centres like Takshashila, Nalanda used to attract thousands of students and scholars from all the corners of the globe.

Indiahad produced numerous scholars like Charaka, Susruta, Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya, Chanakya, Patanjali, and others, who had made seminal contribution in various fields.

Our ancient education system used to focus on developing holistic and well-rounded personalities. We were always taught to live in harmony with nature and respect all beings and non-beings. Our education was practical, wholesome, and complementary to life. In fact, education was seen as a continuous process of learning.

Friends,

The New Education Policy is underpinned by the same vision. It aims at making “India a global knowledge super-power” and seeks to bring a paradigm shift in the entire education system. Drawing inspiration from our ancient system, it seeks to make Indian education holistic, multi-disciplinary, and practical.

Introducing flexibility in higher education, rigid separation of disciplines has become a thing of the past. Instead, graduate programmes will be multi-disciplinary. There will be a renewed focus on research with a single regulator to oversee the functioning of all institutions, barring medical and law colleges.

All these policy reforms are long overdue and will greatly transform the education landscape in our country. Translating the reforms into effective, dream-fulfilling vision now rests on the shoulders of our gurus, the teachers. The time has come for all universities, IITs, NITs and other higher education institutes to fully reorient their teaching methods and equip the teachers with new pedagogical skills in tune with 21st century requirements.

At the same time, there is a need for our institutions to take up cutting edge research in various fields, establish synergy with industries and other similar institutions and turn our campuses into exciting centres of creativity and research. I call upon every institution to rise to the occasion and make India a thriving hub of knowledge and innovation. We should aspire to become Vishwa Guru once again.

Dear young friends,

This is a very important day in your careers and will remain etched in your memories for the rest of your lives. Your hard work through your life has given you this badge of recognition today– a degree.

Friends, each one of you has this very powerful tool in your pocket now. While the degree you are getting today is important and will add to your credentials, what is more important is your ability and capacity to use the knowledge, skills and aptitude that you have acquired all these years in building a bright, fulfilling and successful career. Every step you take from here will be crucial in realizing your dreams and goals.

Former President, Shri A P J Abdul Kalam used to always advise the youth to not aim for small things but to dream big. That should be your goal. Dream big, set a goal and strive hard to achieve it. You will succeed if you work with dedication, discipline and sincerity without wavering from your chosen path.

As you step out of the portals of your alma mater, a new exciting world awaits you. Everything will not be rosy… there will be challenges and pitfalls. But you have to continue your quest. “Stop not till you reach the goal”, as swami Vivekananda had said.

One who learns and adapts better will thrive.

Institutions and degrees cannot remain as mere artifacts in the new paradigm. There has to be a utility in what we are delivering. There has to be agility in our approach to learning. Acquiring knowledge will be purposeless if it remains in narrow silos. There is a need to adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to address challenges facing the mankind from ending poverty to improving agricultural productivity to combating pollution and diseases.

Enhancing public and private investments in research is of vital importance for creating a knowledge-driven society. I urge the corporate sector to identify key research projects in various sectors and fund them under CSR initiatives.

Technology has been changing very fast too in recent years. The fourth industrial revolution, as the World Economic Forum defines it, denotes innovations based on a combination of technologies like AI, robotics and 3D printing. This is not a vision of the future, young friends! This is the present!

Students, researchers and academicians, therefore, cannot afford to remain in a world of status quo. They have to constantly learn, update themselves, and innovate every day! They need to be agile.

Dear sisters and brothers,

India is uniquely blessed because it is young. About 65 per cent of the country’s population comprises youth. We need to fully channelize the energies of the youth and create the right ecosystem for promoting entrepreneurship among them. This is the time to tap their talents and skill for giving a fillip to ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign. Institutions like NIT-Agartala have to be at the forefront in turning youth into job creators and not just job seekers.

I am sure NIT Agartala is adapting to the new demands of society and industry. I am very pleased to know that nearby villages have been adopted by the Institute and that the institute is aiming to make these villages ‘Model Villages’.

I also congratulate the parents of these youngsters and all their gurus who have nurtured and contributed to their learning and development.

Once again, I am very glad to be virtually present with you all today. I hope this initiative of e-convocation has given some motivational boost to my young friends and will propel them to excel in their endeavours!

I convey my best wishes to all the students, their parents, faculty and all others associated with NIT Agartala.

I would like to conclude with a quote from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which the students may reflect upon:

“You are what your deep, driving desire is.

As your desire is, so is your will.

As your will is, so is your deed.

As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

Thank you.”

Green Partner and Hulladek Recycling Pvt. Ltd. have launched an initiative to make the country a greener and cleaner place. The companies also urge people to come forward and join hands in their mission to recycle electronic waste.

Green Partner is located at Ganaraj Chowmuhani, Near Sphulinga Club, Agartala, Tripura 799001. It is an e-waste management company that collects and channelizes electronic waste to authorized recyclers. Over the past 1-year, Green Partner has successfully collected over 5000 kgs of electronic waste from households, corporates and government bodies to recyclers for safe disposal. Since, the major challenge faced by any e-waste management company is the ignorance of people at large. To be able to overcome this problem, they conducted over 10 awareness campaigns in schools, colleges and corporates.

Nandan Mall, Chief Executive Officer, Hulladek Recycling said, “We are happy to join hands with Green Partner. We aim to create awareness about the importance of Recycling in the state. Recycling of electronic waste helps reduce wastage of resources, proper disposal of harmful substances and no harm to the environment and human health. This will also help us in making a greener and cleaner place. We also urge people to come forward and join the mission.”

Electronic waste is any old, broken and outdated electronic items that are no longer of use. Electronic waste is a rising concern in our country. With the increased dependency in technology and the consumption of electronics, e-waste management has become imperative. India produces 2 million tones of electronic waste annually. E-waste can be found everywhere – households, offices, banks, hospitals, hotels and educational institutions. As per the E-waste Management Rules 2016, the government took an active step in promoting safe disposal of electronic and electrical waste. Hence, the producers of electronic waste are responsible to ensure that when the electronic item reaches it’s end of life, it must be disposed of in a systematic and eco-friendly manner.