President calls upon NITs to take lead in creating capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship

President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the 13th Convocation of the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said NITs, as institutes of national importance, have to take the lead in creating capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. They must align their activities with national development goals. He called upon VNIT-Nagpur to do its utmost in this direction.

The president said technologists are problem solvers who search for quicker, better and less expensive ways of meeting tough challenges. They play a pivotal role in understanding and furthering the relationship between science, technology and society for a better tomorrow.

He called upon the students to take a pledge to make full use of technology for the benefit of mankind and to see that the use of technology spreads happiness, prosperity and general well-being amongst the people of our country.

He called upon students of VNIT-Nagpur to become entrepreneurs, who create job opportunities for people rather than merely seek job opportunities. Creating enterprises which will create wealth for the nation, society and people will be their biggest contribution to the inclusive and sustainable development of the country.

The President also paid tributes to Sir M. Visvesvaraya on the occasion and said he is happy that the Convocation of VNIT is usually organized on his birth anniversary, which is marked as Engineers Day in India.