By DC Correspondent
Copyright deccanchronicle
Hyderabad:India cannot hope to transform into a developed nation without major advances in science, technology and research, VIT Chancellor Dr G Viswanathan told students at the inauguration of graVITas 2025, the institute’s three-day techno-management festival.Tracing VIT’s journey from 180 students in 1984 to nearly one lakh across four campuses today, he argued that higher education in India must be scaled up to meet the demands of a population of 146 crore. Public institutions, he said, often restrict enrolments because of the cost of infrastructure and laboratories, leaving state universities with barely 1,000–2,000 students each.“Out of 14 crore Indians in the 18–23 age group, only four crore pursue higher education. The government must address the plight of the remaining ten crore,” Dr Vishwanathan said, stressing that both central and state governments must expand spending on education and healthcare.Dr Viswanathan compared India’s investment in research to developed countries, noting that while the US and others spend 2–3 per cent of GDP, India spends less than one per cent. To reach developed nation status by 2047, he said, India must raise its investment in higher education, science and technology. Drawing global comparisons, he pointed to Abu Dhabi’s prosperity with a per capita income of $75,000, compared to India’s $2,900.Majid Ali Al Mansouri, minister of the Abu Dhabi municipality, said innovation in fields like renewable energy, biotechnology and artificial intelligence was vital for global sustainability. News18’s Anand Narasimhan urged students to become inventors and entrepreneurs who create jobs.graVITas 2025 will feature 207 events, 57 workshops, 51 hackathons, robot wars and drone shows, with around 40,000 participants expected until September 28.
