NDA Government has redeemed its pledge of opening an IIT in Jammu. The commitment was made long back and the project was pursued by the MOS in PMO Dr. Jatindra Singh all the way till in a formal function held in Jammu, the Union Minister of Human Resource and Development. Prakash Javadekar declared on August 6th Indian Institute of Technology Jammu open in its temporary campus at Paloura. The function was attended by high ranking dignitaries.
The announcement has sent a wave of joy and satisfaction across Jammu especially among the younger generation of Jammu. The fact is that Prime Minister Modi has shown keen interest in bringing various skills and their excellence to the youth of the country in general but to those in J&K in particular. Modi Government believes that if youth are armed with such skills as would earn them an honourable living, they would never take to wrong doing nor would they be misled by anti-national elements. This Government has taken various steps and more schemes are on the anvil that will provide skill to a vast number of young people in the country. J&K youth are also among the beneficiaries of these schemes
The announcement of an IIT in Jammu is the beginning of a new era of technical advancement of the state and the country in general. The MOS in PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh is right in saying that if the first generation of students of Jammu IIT comes out with flying colours, the history of Jammu’s contribution in the field of spreading technological skill among the youth of Jammu and of the State will be written in gold. President Pranab Mukherjee has been emphasizing on quality of research in our institutions of higher education and technology. Innovation is the buzz word for modern research in our country. We are confident that students coming out from Jammu IIT in due course of time will take lead in making such innovations as would go along way in helping the State and the nation to enter fraternity of advanced nations. Jammu youth are gifted with high capability and intelligence so as to excel in any field of higher and technological education. According to the data available with us, girls pursuing higher studies in Jammu and Kashmir have a 27-per cent gross enrolment, which is more than 25 per cent enrolment of the boys. It is a matter of great satisfaction that our girl population is taking active part in equipping itself with technological education. In the transformation of a society, the role of women is crucial and decisive. Qualified, trained and highly educated women will become the instrument of change and that is the essential objective of the Government for creating centers of excellence. We know that Union Ministry of Human Resource Development is fully aware of the necessity of providing the best teaching faculties in the contemplated IIT. Ultimately, the quality of students coming out from the IIT depends on the quality of faculty.
The HRD Minister made two more important announcements simultaneously. He said that the Government has sanctioned a sum of rupees 100 crore for the up-gradation and improvement of NIT Srinagar. Praising NIT Srinagar for the good management of teaching and administration, the Minister said that the Government was deeply interested in improving the quality of education and research in national technological institutions as these were the key to the overall development of the nation. The second announcement pertained to the upgrading of all higher and technical education centers in the country and for which the Government had earmarked a sum of 1000 crore rupees.
The Union Minister said the Centre has laid emphasis on creating centers of excellence in higher education and IIT, Jammu was a step towards that direction, adding that the Government has also launched a free online coaching programme for IIT aspirants. It is worth noting that so far 23 IITs have come up in country and 10,000 admissions were made in them in this academic year. The emphasis is on research and innovation which have to be oriented to the improvement of the living standard of our people. In that sense, expansion of technological education in the country is of paramount importance. We understand that over 2,000 research proposals have been received by the HRD Ministry and of these, 450 have been shortlisted and around 300-400 would be funded. The Government is also having elaborate plan for supporting promising researchers and will also extend financial support for various research projects. This all augurs well for the nation. In final analysis, the people of Jammu are thankful to the HRD Minister and others for announcing the inception of IIT in Jammu and dispelling all doubts and conjectures about it. Jammu is eagerly waiting for the day when the foundation stone of the IIT Jammu will be laid by the Prime Minister himself.
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