Countries which give priority to innovation, technology remain in the forefront: Prez

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said countries which give priority to innovation and technology remain in the forefront.

He was addressing centenary celebrations of the Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU) here.

"Our country has increased its credibility in the field of technology, but we still have a long way to go. Technical institutions like HBTU should inculcate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in their students. Students should be provided an environment from the very beginning in which they can contribute to the development of the country by becoming 'job givers' instead of 'job seekers'," Kovind said. Pointing to low participation of girl students in technical education, the president said he had attended convocations of many educational institutions across the country where he observed that the performance of girls was very impressive. But in the field of technical education, participation of girl students is not satisfactory, he said.

Saying that HBTU has been recognised for its contribution in the fields of oil, paint, plastic and food technologies, he said the glorious history of the institution is linked to the industrial development taking place in India since the beginning of the 20th century.

Pointing to the current ranking of HBTU in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the president said it should be the endeavour of all stakeholders that by the year 2047, the university should be ranked among top 25 institutes of the country.

Referring to Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021, he said Kanpur city jumped to 21st place in 2021 from 173rd in 2016 in the awards. He called for making the goal of cleanliness of the city a mass movement, taking inspiration from Indore city, which is consistently ranked first in the country in cleanliness.

Meanwhile, Governor Anandiben Patel released a book containing the history of the institution and presented the first book to the president.

Kovind also released a coffee table book, postal stamp, special cover and commemorative coin of 100 rupee having picture of centenary celebration of HBTU.

He also inaugurated nine newly constructed buildings, including Shatabdi bhawan, Kulpati awas, Shatabdi Dwaar apart from different hostels for students.

PTI CORR SAB SRY

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