Assam CM Sarma urges IIT graduates to contribute to sustainable development

He also urged them to be the master of their destiny by creating their own enterprise and thereby opening job opportunities for many in different domains. The Assam Chief Minister said that IIT Guwahati with its expertise in different fields has made an immense contribution to the state.

He said that the State government and IIT Guwahati have been working together on several projects for the betterment of society.

"As a unique initiative for the country in the sector of medical research and impart multispecialty services, the Government of Assam is jointly setting up Assam Advanced Health Innovation Institute at IIT Guwahati campus. The state government has also collaborated in the field of water resources management, disaster response and preparedness, agriculture, wildlife protection, heritage preservation, developing multiple technologies in the oil and natural gas sector, capacity building of teachers, skill development and setting up a tinkering lab in a bid to promote scientific temperament among the youth. He also requested IIT Guwahati to further strengthen its Science and Technology cooperation and identify new areas of collaboration for the benefit of the state," the Assam Chief Minister said. Complimenting the IIT Guwahati, the Chief Minister said that its research activities have significantly benefitted society. Its efforts to improve R-D collaboration in multidisciplinary subjects aligning with the vision of National Education Policy 2020 have bolstered the foundation of a technology-driven and knowledge-based society in the country.

"The institute's commitment to promoting sustainable practices is creating a positive impact on society and the environment," the Chief Minister added.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said that the third decade of the last century gave new momentum to the struggle for India's Independence and now the third decade of the current century is giving impetus to the development journey of India, Dr Sarma called upon the IITs to take the lead to expedite the development journey of the country.

The Chief Minister said that he felt happy with the fact that the universities, colleges, IITs, IIMs and AIIMS are working as the building blocks of a new India.

The Chief Minister further said that in the next 25 years when the country will be celebrating 100 years of independence, certain emerging areas like advanced communication, wireless networking, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, cyber security, data science and data analytics will be very crucial for effective deployment in business and economy.

Dr Sarma said that he hoped that the graduating students will continue their zeal for learning to contribute to their fullest in the technological transformation to realize the vision set for the next 25 years.

The Chief Minister congratulated the graduates and requested them to contribute to the empowerment of the poor and downtrodden as they go along with their journey.

He also requested the degree holders to lend their talents to the growth and development of Assam.

The Chief Minister also planted saplings on the campus of the institute.

In the 25th convocation of the Institute, 2011 students have been conferred degrees. Out of them 816 students for B.Tech and B.Des, 157 students for MSc, 43 students for MA, 659 students for MTech, 33 students for MS (R) and 303 for PhD and dual Masters and PhD.

Speaking at the 25th convocation of IIT Guwahati in the institute premises in the presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Chief Minister Dr Sarma appealed to the graduates to use the knowledge that they have gained during their stay at IIT Guwahati for the greater good of the humanity.

Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Guwahati Dr Rajiv Modi, Director IIT Guwahati PK Iyer and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion. (ANI)