Roorkee (The Hawek): IIT Roorkee celebrated National Technology Day on May 11th, 2023, by organising multiple events in the Multi-Activity Centre Auditorium. The event's objective was to deliberate on opportunities and possibilities for dynamic strategic vision and execution and strengthen the enabling ecosystem for women's empowerment, connectivity, emerging technologies, organic farming, local products, tourism, wellness, self-help groups, Ayurveda and several other important topics. Academia, state, and industry experts discussed opportunities and possibilities for dynamic strategic vision and execution.
The events were graced by Lieutenant General Shri Gurmit Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.), the Hon'ble Governor of Uttarakhand, and other dignitaries, including Mr. Yashpal Sardana, Plant Head, Hero Motocorp; Brig. Krishnendu Das; Prof. Lalit Kumar Awasthi, Director, NIT, UK; Prof. Meenu Singh, Director, AIIMS Rishikesh; Prof. KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee; and Prof. UP Singh, Deputy Director, IIT Roorkee. The event started with a reception for Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh and the dignitaries and a visit to Anushruti Academy for the Deaf. The program then followed the assembly of guests, the National Anthem, Kulgeet, and lamp lighting. After the welcome address by Prof. KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, presentations were delivered on R&D at IITR, implementation of NEP 2020, and Life at IITR by the Dean of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy - Prof. Akshay Dvivedi, Dean of Academic Affairs - Prof. Apurbba Kumar Sharma, and Dean of Student Welfare - Prof. Mukesh Kumar Barua, respectively.
IIT Roorkee seeks to create an environment that fosters the growth of intellectually capable, innovative and entrepreneurial professionals to develop Science and Technology in partnership with industry and develop and harness it for the nation's welfare of humanity.
IIT Roorkee has taken several measures for the proper implementation of NEP 2020. These included a multidisciplinary and holistic curriculum with a focus on flexibility, employability, conceptual understanding, ethics and constitutional values, advancement in science and technology, creative & critical thinking, internationalization, respect for diversity, societal connect, inclusive admission process, digitalization, and quality research, among others.
Later, the Hon'ble Governor of Uttarakhand addressed the gathering, after which a felicitation ceremony took place, followed by a round table discussion on "Future Growth of Uttarakhand and Role of IIT Roorkee - Opportunities and Possibilities". The program closed with the Deputy Director of IIT Roorkee offering concluding remarks and the Associate Dean of Student Welfare, Wellness delivering the vote of thanks.
IIT Roorkee has a glorious past of serving the nation for 175 years. As per the honourable PM's vision, Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council has stressed the need for the involvement of higher education institutions in research and knowledge creation by engaging with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) around IIT Roorkee and inviting children from schools to visit IIT Roorkee to enhance the exchange of knowledge and add value to the society students to experience the glory and magnificence of IIT Roorkee, the unique amalgamation of cultural heritage and future possibilities, experiencing with the fascinating facts, research culture, how the future could be, and what all can they become, the endless possibilities in life to which the students to get motivated and inspired.
Tech Sarathi Scheme focuses on industries in the 175 km radius of IIT Roorkee to help adopt technically sound solutions, gear up their growth, and realize the “local to global” objective to make Uttarakhand an Industrial Hub promoting investments. IIT Roorkee provides access to its R&D facilities and supports neighboring industries through the I-STEM portal. IIT Roorkee has successfully incubated 150+ startups. Faculty-led startups also have been thriving on campus. Industry-driven research, technology transfers, corporate alliances, patents and academic research feeding industrial problems are the core pillars of research at IIT Roorkee.
IIT Roorkee has a strong entrepreneurial culture. The Institute has many alumni who are founders of successful technological and social ventures in India and abroad. These alumni are playing an important role in maintaining IIT Roorkee’s legacy of excellence.
IIT Roorkee is continuously promoting traditional wisdom and knowledge in Rural-Technology using available human and natural resources by modifying existing mechanisms with updated and improved facilities, which improves efficiency and quality, addressing the workers' health, especially female and old age users.
Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan, IIT Roorkee continues to mentor and provide support to self-help groups of farmers, adopting villages in and around Roorkee while providing them with sustainable means of livelihood and technical know-how in a bid to improve the lives of locals residing in those villages.
The Institute has mechanisms and policies to ensure students' mental well-being and emotional wellness. Healthy faculty-student relationships lead to a healthier campus and a better place for all to live in. The Institute facilitates using its resources by locals and regional bodies to create a spirit of sharing and motivating less fortunate people to avail the best resources.
In persuasion of excellence and in developing IIT Roorkee as a resource and knowledge hub, several centers of excellence have been established recently. Centre for Sustainable Energy, Centre for Space Science and Technology, DRDO Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence, and International Centre of Excellence for Dams are some of the centres of excellence that have been established. Aligning itself with the nation's growth and development goals, IIT Roorkee strives to excel in developing path-breaking technologies, making it one of the leading institutes in science and technology and engineering.
The Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand and other dignitaries had the opportunity to visit the various departments of IIT Roorkee, including the Tech Exhibition, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Rethink! The Tinkering Lab and Archives at Mahatma Gandhi Central Library.
Prof. KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee welcomed the Honourable Governor of Uttarakhand and said: “on the occasion,” It gives me immense pride and pleasure to welcome Hon'ble Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, Governor of Uttarakhand, to IIT Roorkee. We at IIT Roorkee are humbled and privileged to have him with us here today. We have recently celebrated our glorious 175 years. As part of the 175th-year celebrations, the institute has conducted a plethora of activities in all domains and surroundings. The Institute acts as a platform of interaction between founders, students, and various private and government stakeholders, thus promoting a thriving entrepreneurial culture. Recently IIT Roorkee partnered with MSMEs and conducted a workshop on the role of MSMEs and startups in building Atmanirbhar Bharat. IIT Roorkee promises to work hand-in-hand to make Uttarakhand and India a better place for all its people”.
He further added,: “Aligning ourselves with Hon’ble Governor’s agenda, IIT Roorkee will further develop synergistic mechanisms between institutes for knowledge sharing and for creating a knowledge database for the country. Areas viz. mushroom farming, honey production, food engineering, healthcare technology, spiritual tourism, village tourism etc., to be the focused areas of the institute. Startups and technology transfer in the areas of affordable healthcare for all, “Make in India” under the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, knowledge sharing etc., to be developed. Mentoring local schools to ensure that the right kind of education with a purpose-highlighting on the quality of education to be taken up. Indian Knowledge Systems and their role in the nation’s technological progress with special emphasis on vernacular languages and their importance is one of our focus areas.”
In his statement, the Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General Shri Gurmit Singh, said, "IIT Roorkee is an example of how a 175-year-old institution can adapt and transform itself to meet the modern-day demands of the nation and the world so effortlessly. I am also very pleased to see many Centres of Excellence created at IIT Roorkee. I hope that IIT Roorkee continues to excel in its mission and that we work together on the path of progress and develop sustainable, eco-friendly technology and tools to restore the former glory of Uttarakhand and, in turn, welcome Amrit Kaal for our nation, India. I would invite IIT Roorkee to envisage projects that create tourist infrastructure, enable promotion and marketing, and capacity-building programs in and around iconic places of Uttarakhand. "
He further applauded IIT Roorkee and mentioned, “IIT Roorkee is an example of how a 175-year-old institution can adapt and transform itself to meet the modern-day demands of the nation and of the world so effortlessly. It is commendable that IIT Roorkee is also inculcating in its students traditional Indian value systems, and Indian Knowledge systems and is formulating processes to encourage the use of vernacular languages.”
