Power of innovation can help society to flourish: Lt Governor

Srinagar, Nov 12: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Guest House & Sports facilities of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar here Saturday.
During his visit to NIT Srinagar, the Lt Governor interacted with the faculty members and highlighted the impact of technology on society and role of institutes like NIT in providing valuable human resources to the industry.
Technological advancement, innovation is an essential driver of economic growth and social welfare. Technology-enabled innovation and consistent adoption of new technologies is needed to meet the future challenges of Industrial Growth, Energy Security & Urbanization, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor appreciated the NIT Srinagar for doing a commendable job in exploring new ideas to improve the lives of people. The first Technological Innovation Center in the area of innovation & incubation, Greenovator and MSME Start Up Center has also been established in NIT, he added.
It is the collective responsibility of mentors & students to harness the power of ideas, enable a culture that supports innovation and bridge the gap between Industry & Academia, the Lt Governor further added.
Observing that the power of innovation can help the society to flourish, the Lt Governor entrusted upon the technical institutes to strive to re-invent the incubation and innovation centres to better meet the expectations of society.
In-house innovative solutions play an important role in critical areas like security, technical & healthcare for ease of living. Our Education Campuses should encourage and nurture curiosity, motivate students for research and provide empowerment and space for experimentation.
Citing the multifold increase registered in acquiring patents by the IITs of the country, the Lt Governor called for setting a target of patent registration every year to promote innovation. We must build the institutional infrastructure to scale-up research, ideas for new services and invest in human capacity, he added.
The Lt Governor asked the faculty and the administration of the NIT Srinagar to make every effort to include NIT in the top 20 institutions of the country and develop this prestigious institute as one of the best institutes in the country keeping in mind the civilisational values, he added.
The Lt Governor also congratulated the concerned faculties and Director NIT Srinagar for the ongoing cotton industry and space application projects with Russia and Uzbekistan.
Dr. Rakesh Sehgal, Director NIT, in his address said that improvement in rankings over the last three years has been made possible due to support provided by the government.
With the kind of support we are getting, NIT will reach new levels and unlock many opportunities for the students while contributing to their all-round development, he added.
Later, the Lt Governor also released a brochure of 8th Edition of International Conference on ‘Nano Technology for Better Living’ which will be jointly organised by NIT Srinagar in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi and many other prestigious institutions from 25 to 29 May 2023.
Prof. Kaiser Bukhari, Registrar NIT Srinagar presented a vote of thanks on the occasion.
Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, ADGP Kashmir; Mohammad Aijaz, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar; Rakesh Balwal, SSP Srinagar, HoDs of various departments and other faculty members were present on the occasion.