Guwahati: More institutions imparting technical and higher education are likely to come up in the north east with the government working for the uplift of the region, HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju said on Saturday.
Speaking at the 15th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G), the minister said the premier educational centre should emerge as the regional hub for research and development, besides collaborating with other south east Asian institutes.
"With the projected development of infrastructure and progressive industrialisation in wake of the government`s look east policy, more institutions imparting technical and higher education are likely to come up in this region," he said.
The north east today has seven central universities and eight National Institutes of Technology (NITs), he added.
These include six new NITs, which are in different stages of development.
Talking about the importance of IIT-G, Raju said: "I would like to see IIT-Guwahati act as a regional hub of the national knowledge network and share its expertise and resources with other institutions of higher education and research through virtual class rooms and collaborative research."
IIT-G, being the only IIT in the north east, has to act as a pace setter and provide academic leadership through active networking with all existing and upcoming institutions, he added.
"In view of its strategic importance, the government is committed to substantially upgrade the infrastructure in this part of the country in coming years where, again, the technical expertise of IIT-Guwahati will be useful," he said.
PTI
