The IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology
(IMPRINT) India brochure was released today at the
Visitor’s Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. ‘IMPRINT India’ is a
Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a roadmap for research to solve
major engineering and technology challenges in ten technology domains relevant
to India. The brochure was released by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in
the presence of the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Union HRD
Minister Smt Smriti Irani, MoS for HRD Shri Ram Shanker Katheria and MoS for
Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri Hansraj Ahir. The first copy of the brochure was
presented to the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. The President later
launched the ‘IMPRINT’ India.
The President of India said that, if the institutes of higher
learning come together, they can make a difference in a short span of time to
higher education sector in our country. IMPRINT India is synergizing platform
for institutions, academia, industry that encourages research & innovation,
making it socially more relevant. The President appreciated efforts of Ministry
of Human Resources Development with special mention of Global Initiative for
Academic Networks (GIAN) and recently launched National Institutional Ranking
Framework (NIRF). He also added that the New Education Policy (NEP) must alter
the dynamics of the education sector and help us achieve the GER target of 30
percent by 2020, a goal we cannot afford to miss.
In his
remarks on the occasion, the Prime Minister laid stress on the importance of
innovation and technology for the progress and development of the nation. He
said institutions of higher education should give primacy to innovation in
learning. He further added that finding solutions to challenges like global
warming and converting waste to wealth were key to the rise of India. He
exhorted institutions of higher learning to focus on areas such as defense
manufacturing. "Science is universal but technology must be local,"
the Prime Minister said.
The Union HRD Minister Smt Smriti Irani while
speaking on the occasion said that IMPacting Research INnovation
and Technology (IMPRINT) provides an overarching vision that
guides research into areas that are predominantly socially relevant. She
thanked the Prime Minister at the Visitor’s Conference for sharing his vision
of enabling foreign academicians to come, Teach in India, at government
institutions across the Nation at no added cost to the students under a programme
called ‘GIAN.’ She added that starting this November, in the coming one year,
under GIAN 400 foreign academicians will be welcomed in government institutions
to impart new knowledge to students here and share new teaching methodologies
with faculty.
The Minister further added that the Ministry of
Human Resource Development has resolved, with the blessing of the Prime
Minister, to build an Indian MOOCS platform which would bring in close to 2.5
lakh hours of e-content on a single platform thereby possibly making it the
world’s largest repository of electronic learning resources under a single
window. From school education modules of levels 9 to 12 to varied courses in
Aerospace Engineering, Biotechnology, Atmospheric Science and languages,
‘SWAYAM’ will ensure universal access to high quality education for every
Indian. She gave her sincere thanks to institutions present at the occasion who
have confirmed close to 714 courses that will be specially designed for
‘SWAYAM.
Other
dignitaries present at the function were Shri Vinay Sheel Oberoi, Secretary,
Higher Education and Secretary to the President of India, Smt Omita Paul.
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GG/RT/DS/RK/IMPRINT INDIA