Mangaluru: “Technology has contributed to human progress and engineers have made remarkable discoveries and inventions for the benefit of mankind,” said Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday, November 2.
He was addressing the gathering during the Diamond Jubilee Year convocation of the National Institution of Technology, Karnataka (NITK), Suratkal. “It is a matter of great pride that Indian engineers have demonstrated to the world our technical progress in several areas like agriculture, defence, space applications, nuclear technology and information technology. In a matter of a few decades, India went from being a technology importer to a technology exporter and the world is looking to us for the development and deployment of cutting-edge technology. There is a huge potential for India to become a world leader in various technological domains, given the demographic advantage and the presence of highly talented and educated youth.”
Speaking about digital technology Naidu said, “The emphasis on digital technology has helped in effectively tackling corruption and transforming our governance by making it much more transparent. More than 21,000 start-ups have been recognized since the inception of Start-up India and more than 1,20,000 Gram Panchayats have been connected by an optical fibre network.”
“Creating science and engineering talent is essential in addressing problems with technological roots and achieving sustained economic growth. I am happy to note that institutions such as NITK have been playing a key role in creating such a world-class pool of scientists and technologists,” Naidu added.
Meanwhile, Naidu also spoke in favour of one’s mother tongue. He said, “A mother tongue is like eyesight and needs to be promoted and propagated. The rest of the languages are like spectacles.”
A total of 1,545 graduates received their certificates and as many as 40 students received gold medals for excellence in their respective streams.
NITK Director Prof Umamaheshwar K welcomed the gathering.
