Address by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu on the Occasion of Inauguration/laying of Foundation Stones for the Various Projects of Union Ministries of Electronics & Information Technology and Health and Family Welfare and Government of Assam

It is my pleasure to visit Assam, the land of Maa Kamakhya Devi. With its captivating beauty and tranquility, Assam has the distinction of being the number one tea producing state in the country and home to two-third of the world’s one-horned rhinos. As Brahmaputra River flows majestically across the region, it provides a link to India’s North East and gateway to South East Asian countries. In such a beautiful surrounding is situated the campus of IIT Guwahati.

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. I am happy to learn that as per NIRF India Rankings 2022, IIT Guwahati has been ranked 7th among the Engineering Institutions. It has occupied 8th position in the ‘Overall’ category of institutions. I am also happy to learn that a few days back, IIT Guwahatihas constructed a 3D-printed sentry post for developing cost-effective and sustainable defence infrastructure for the Indian Army.

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. The institute should encourage innovations, work towards indigenization in cutting edge technologies, provide skill development avenues and be a fore-runner in making our country ATMA-NIRBHAR.

I am delighted to have inaugurated facilities which will be instrumental in technological advancement and help meet future requirements of the country in the fields of healthcare, defence, education and other areas.Supercomputer PARAM-KAMRUPA, I am sure, will allow IIT Guwahati to address challenges in the areas of healthcare and bio-informatics, quantum computing, big-data analysis, advanced weather prediction and disaster prevention. It will help in advanced use of artificial intelligence and would be of immense service to the nation. Larger number of components used in the system have been manufactured and assembled within the country. I am told that there is another supercomputer Param-Ishan that was deployed here in 2016. I have been informed that supercomputing facilities are being set up under the National Supercomputing Mission started in 2015. The Mission aims to make India one of the world leaders in supercomputing and enhance India’s capability in solving challenging problems of national and global importance.

The laboratory at Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) will be dedicated for the design and development of high power microwave components. It will have critical applications in defence and other sectors. Indigenization will also provide a huge thrust to medical science, especially for the treatment of cancer and for other non-destructive testing.

I am happy to note that sincere efforts are being made by the Government of Assam to ensure quality healthcare accessible for one and all at their doorstep. The Medical College and Hospital in Dhubri will provide affordable and high quality healthcare services and medical education in the region. I am happy that the National Institute of Virology (NIV) is setting up its Zonal Institutes in Dibrugarh, Assam and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for dealing more effectively with any medical emergency or pandemic situation and provide rapid solutions. These institutes will further help in improving diagnostic facilities and bio-surveillance mechanisms in the country.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Government of India has been supporting the healthcare sector with improved health policies and enhanced infrastructure. In recent years, the government has focused on enhancing the quality of education and training for healthcare workers. Further, several new medical colleges have been set up across the country to make medical education accessible to more and more students and to produce higher number of qualified doctors.

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. Government of Assam is further providing support to IIT Guwahati to set up an advanced multispecialty hospital which will serve as an example for other esteemed institutes in the country to undertake similar initiatives. These projects and the consequent progress of the region will set a foundation for making India technologically advanced nation and an inclusive society. We all know that the Sun rises first in the North Eastern Region of India and then spreads its light across the country. I wish that our 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.

I urge 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. TheNational Education Policy of India2020 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. Research and innovation at educational institutions in India, particularly those engaged in higher education, is critical. India has a long historical tradition of research and knowledge creation. This needs to be further strengthened to make India lead research and innovation in the 21st century.

I again congratulate all those associated with the inauguration of today’s projects. All the facilities launched and inaugurated today must be utilized for the benefit of the citizens. Let us all work together to ensure that benefits of technological innovations reach the remotest parts of the country and the people can have access to quality services at their doorsteps.

Thank you! 
Jai Hind! 
Jai Bharat!