Dharmendra Pradhan, the union education minister inaugurated various infrastructure projects in IIT Guwahati on November 21. Pradhan inaugurated Centre for Nanotechnology (CNT), Centre for Indian Knowledge System (CIKS) and new hostel rooms. The education minister of Assam, Ranoj Pegu and Minister of Parliament, Queen Oja were also present in the inaugural ceremony.
The Centre for Nanotechnology (CNT) aims to solve future challenges and create partnerships in academics in the Nanotechnology industry. The major funding for the centre has been made by the ministry of education (MoE) and electronics and information technology (MeitY), Government of India. A total of Rs 37 crore has been funded for the building. It will have 25 advanced laboratories, Class-100 clean rooms with state-of-the-art fabrication and testing laboratories.
The CNT at present has two centres for excellence with an incubator sponsored by MeitY and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The centre for Indian knowledge system (CIKS) focuses on preserving, sustaining and documenting uniqueness of India like yoga, Indian classical music, Sanskrit, ayurveda, temple architecture, ceramic tradition and the special northeastern agricultural practices, herbal plants for health food and metal work of Assam. Scholars from different backgrounds will be participating in the CIKS interdisciplinary research and education programme.
There has been an addition of 1,000 rooms in the Disang hostel while Dikhow hostel has been inaugurated for accommodation of project staff.
Pegu requested IIT Guwahati to mentor the other educational institutes in the State and training of teachers. All these infrastructures under the National Education Policy 2020. Pradhan said that Guwahati can be the educational hub by creating a cluster of institutes. According to Pradhan, the richness in biodiversity of the northeast can help by creating scope for research and benefit the entire humanity. These infrastructures will contribute towards making India self-sufficient or “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.