Guwahati, Oct 13: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday underlined the need for indigenisation in cutting-edge technology to make the country self-reliant and create skill development avenues.
Addressing a programme at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) after arriving here on a two-day visit, President Murmu said, “I am glad that IIT-G has made the region and the nation proud as seen from its achievements in the national and international sphere, in a short duration of its existence.”
“Since it is the only IIT in the Northeast, it has the responsibility of nurturing other institutions in the region, working with the state government and defence forces and providing technological solutions to the region to prevent natural calamities from recurring,” she said, on her maiden visit to Assam as President.
During her visit to the IIT-G campus, the President inaugurated ‘Param Kamrupa’, a supercomputer facility, and a research and development facility – a high power active and passive component laboratory of SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research) on the campus of the institute.
“I am confident that the supercomputer facility will be put to use in the best possible manner to broaden our understanding and knowledge on various technological topics. The SAMEER laboratory will enable research and development assisted critical applications in the defence sector and other industries,” she said.
“The massive effort by the state government to establish multiple medical colleges across Assam will ensure that the gap in the doctor-population ratio will be bridged significantly and open doors for medical research, especially for the treatment of cancer as well as other non-destructive testing,” Murmu said.
“I truly believe all these efforts from the regional authorities and IIT-G will strengthen the nation’s mission to build quality infrastructure for future generations,” she said, concluding her address.
The President will be accompanied by Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister of state for health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar, Assam health, science, technology and information technology minister Keshab Mahanta along with other dignitaries.
The President also inaugurated the Dhubri Medical College and Hospital and laid the foundation of zonal institutes of the National Institute of Virology in Dibrugarh (Assam) and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) virtually from the IIT-G premises.
In his speech, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi congratulated the state government for its proactive role in improving the healthcare sector and urged the doctors of medical colleges to play a leading role in resolving community healthcare problems.
On the newly inaugurated supercomputing facility at IIT-G Guwahati, the Governor said, “The facility shall be utilised for large data analysis, making complex calculations related to disease prediction and analysis, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and drug delivery studies.”
In his address, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state was on the threshold of growth and prosperity and multiple sectors that can influence socio-economic prospects of the state were being prioritised.
“As a unique initiative, the Assam government, in collaboration with IIT-G, is setting up a multispecialty hospital on the IIT-G campus, which will be a hub for advanced training and capacity building for human resource in health care,” Sarma said.