Ashikho Pfuzhe
Dimapur | October 13
Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Communications & IT, Kapil Sibal, has said that the country needs to “increasingly differentiate” itself from China in terms of the country’s comparative advantages in specific sectors and carve out a niche for Indian excellence in these sectors.
The Union Minister who was the chief guest at the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Institute of Technology (NIT) here at NIT campus, Chumukedima, on Saturday (Oct 13), said that so far, the current growth impetus of India has mainly been based on productivity gains from a shift in labour force from farms to service.
“But this will not sustain our long-term growth rate. To realize that requires support of a highly skilled workforce, technological upgrading and ultimately new technology development to continue the climb to the global technology-economic ladder,” he said.
The Union Minster said that in order to achieve the goal, the country needs to take up technical education and skills development on a war footing and create a work force empowered with improved skills, knowledge and internationally recognized qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure India’s competitiveness in the “dynamic global labour market.’
Sibal informed that the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) set up three years ago is valiantly striving to skill and up-skill 150 million people over a 10-year period mainly through support of private sector initiatives.
“At the same time we must recognize that for a country of our size and diversity we have to broaden our technical education and skills base beyond a few centres in urban locations to a wider national scale”, the Union Minister said.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his address said that the North East people, particularly Nagaland, have for too long remained in the shadow of backwardness, insurgency and lack of communication and therefore more or less cut off from the mainland.
Taking opportunity of the Union Minister’s visit, Rio said that the North East and Nagaland need love and commitment of the Union government so that the region can join the mainstream.
Coming to Nagaland, the Chief Minister said that even after 49 years of statehood, the state was lagging far behind in terms of higher and technical education.
While pointing out that there is only two central institutes in Nagaland including Nagaland University set up in the State so far since attainment of statehood way back in 1963, Rio urged the central government to consider the state government’s request for setting up of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Law university in Nagaland .
Nagaland Minister for Higher Education, Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, and Lok Sabha MP, CM Chang also spoke on the occasion. Highlights of the NIT inaugural programme included planting of tree saplings by Kapil Sibal and Neiphiu Rio and special numbers presented by NIT students.
Dev strategy for NE should be in tune with its ecosystem: Sibal
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 13 (PTI): Development strategy for the Northeast region need to be formulated keeping in mind its unique ecosystem, Union Minister Kapil Sibal said today.
“North-east has a different ecosystem in contrast to other states of the country, so the development strategy should be formulated in tune with its natural wealth,” the Human Resource Development Minister said, speaking at a function to lay foundation stone of National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Chumukedima near here.
“What we need to do with you is to develop a vision through which the ecosystem can be strengthened and the youth of the state can be empowered,” he said.
He said time has come for Nagaland to stand up and be recognised as vibrant and progressive state.
“It would be very difficult for Nagaland to be an industrial state as it is not an easy task, but the state with its richness in terms of its natural wealth and reserves can try and develop institutions in the context to that richness instead of trying to replicate what is happening in other parts of the country,” Sibal said.
Recalling his visit to Nagland as minister of Science and Technology, Sibal said during his visit he found that Nagaland has been using bamboo as a resource, which he said can be taken forward.
“Bamboo as a resource is exceptionally valuable and the state can be rich through this wealth,” he said.
He also observed that Nagaland is rich in water resources and urged the state to look for alternative ways to produce energy.
The minister said the purpose of NIT in any state is to enhance the quality of life of the people living in the region.
“NIT as an institution of pure science has to conquer frontiers of knowledge and contextualise that knowledge in dealing with the problems of the area,” he said.
Although today’s foundation stone was laid to construct the permanent complex of NIT, the classes for the institute had begun from September 20 in temporary buildings of the state government.
