President of India in Assam; Inaugurates supercomputer facility and laboratory for the design and development of high power microwave components at IIT Guwahati and medical college and hospital at Dhubri;

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated  Supercomputer facility Param-Kamrupa and  laboratory for the design and development of high power microwave components at IIT Guwahati today (October 13, 2022). She also inaugurated the Medical College and Hospital at Dhubri and laid the foundation stones for two Zonal Institutes of National Institute of Virology (NIV) at– (i) Dibrugarh, Assam and (ii) Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that within a short span of its existence, IIT Guwahati has made the region and nation proud with its achievements in the national and international arena. She was happy to note that a few days back, IIT Guwahati had constructed a 3D-printed sentry post for developing cost-effective and sustainable defence infrastructure for the Indian Army.

The President said that IIT Guwahati is a knowledge centre that can provide technology solutions to connectivity issues and other challenges in the North Eastern Region. Since this is the only IIT in the North Eastern Region, IIT Guwahati must shoulder responsibility to nurture other institutions in the region, work with the state government and the defence forces to strengthen our borders, and provide technological solutions to prevent recurrence of natural calamities in the region. She urged the institute to encourage innovations, work towards indigenization in cutting edge technologies, provide skill development avenues and be a fore-runner in making our country Atma-nirbhar.

The President urged the science and technology institutes of the country to promote greater research and development so that India can be a leader in technological innovations, beneficial for the larger good of the society. She said that The National Education Policy 2020 clearly acknowledges that addressing today’s socio economic challenges requires high-quality interdisciplinary research that must be done in India and cannot simply be imported. She stated that research and innovation at educational institutions, particularly those engaged in higher education, is critical. She pointed out that India has a long historical tradition of research and knowledge creation and this needs to be further strengthened to make India lead research and innovation in the 21st century.

The President said that today, the North Eastern Region of India is making big strides towards development and is making extraordinary efforts to provide the high quality healthcare and education systems to the people of the region and the country. She noted that the government of Assam is further providing support to IIT Guwahati to set up an advanced multispecialty hospital. She said that it will serve as an example for other esteemed institutes in the country to undertake similar initiatives.

The President said that various projects of Central and State governments and the consequent progress of the region will set a foundation for making India a technologically advanced nation and an inclusive society. She said that we all know that the Sun rises first in the North Eastern Region of India and then spreads its light across the country. She expressed that the North Eastern Region should be the torch-bearer in spreading knowledge and inculcating ‘scientific temper’ among people of the country, in the spirit of our Constitution.

Earlier in the morning, the President flagged off Agartala-Khongsang Janshatabdi Express and Agartala-Kolkata Express from Agartala Railway Station.