President Ram Nath Kovind graced the 19th Convocation of Tezpur University in Assam on Saturday, the second day of his visit to the state, and called upon the Tezpur University community to provide innovative solutions to local and national problems.
Students and faculty of Tezpur University should try to make it a major centre of innovation, the president said, urging them to encourage community participation and use of local resources for finding solutions to local and national problems.
Lauding the innovative solutions provided by Tezpur University for making safe drinking water reach many villages in Assam, he said that the scope of the university’s engagement with villages should be further expanded. It can adopt some villages for helping in their overall development under Universities’ Social Responsibility, he added.
Pointing out that Assam is gifted with extraordinary beauty of nature and rich bio-diversity, the president called upon every resident in Assam, especially the youth to be active on the fronts of conservation and sustainable development.
Also praising the renewable energy initiatives of the Tezpur University, especially in villages, he said that the young population has greater stakes in keeping the planet green and they have to demonstrate greater awareness through their action.
The President also lauded Assam for the commendable job in conserving biodiversity. Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, as also the Elephant Reserve are impressive examples of conservation, he said, adding conservation must be the watch word for every citizen, especially the student community.
Noting the growth of organic farming in Northeast India, the president said that the Tezpur University can play a major role in branding and marketing of agricultural produce of this region.
The university has received approval under the ‘Prime Minister-Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme’ for setting up an incubation centre to process jackfruit and ready to eat cereals-based products. And the Food Engineering & Technology Department has been recognised as State Level Technical Institute for implementation of the Scheme.
Referring to the unique Joha rice of Assam, which is known for its excellent taste and aroma, he said that universities of Assam can help farmers by branding, popularising and marketing this unique variety of rice. There are many such agricultural products that can be promoted, he added.
Pointing to the fact that academic activities have been affected by the Covid pandemic, the President said that the pandemic has had serious impact on the education of the relatively vulnerable sections of our people. He said that the National Education Policy 2020 which was released during the pandemic contains specific focus on digital education with the help of technology.
With a view to making higher education more accessible, the central government has decided to establish a Digital University to provide access to students across the country for world-class quality universal education with personalized learning experience at the doorsteps of students. The Digital University will provide education in different Indian languages and ICT formats. Tezpur University can become an active stakeholder in this initiative, specially by providing high quality digital content in Assamese and other languages of the North-East, he said.
The President urged the entire team of Tezpur University to keep past, present and future students bound by the spirit of oneness and move rapidly towards the goals set by the university – xopaan bogaam teebro gotire. He said that by moving fast to achieve ambitious targets, the university would be able to contribute meaningfully to India’s emergence as a much more prosperous and strong nation by the year 2047 when the students of today will be among the decision makers. He said that the real spirit behind celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, marking 75 years since our independence, is to build upon our learning so far and aim for higher goals. He urged Tezpur University to strive to be among the top 10 universities in the NIRF ranking in the near future. (PIB)
