Mukherjee asks corporate sector to invest more in research

The corporate sector should take up the responsibility of nurturing creative and innovative minds by investing in research, former president Pranab Mukherjee has said.

Launching the Indian chapter of the UK-based nation-wide higher education rating system -- QS I-GAUGE -- here yesterday, he said for training and educating the youth in the country, the university administrators should keep in mind that quality is of primary importance.

"Our corporate sector, in particular, must emphasise on research and spending on research. Compared to any other industrialised country, investment from the corporate sector in India for research work is much less.

"We cannot be great until people have innovative and creative mind. It does not come automatically. It needs to be nurtured, and that responsibility lies with the society itself," Mukherjee said at the event.

The former president also said that if the youth of the country are not properly trained and educated then their worth in the job market would go down.

"If these huge forces can not be utilised, it will create an explosive situation in the country," he warned.

The QS I-GAUGE ratings have been modelled after the QS Stars international rating but adopted to capture the reality of the dynamic Indian higher education sector.