“Development of rural areas should not erode their unique identities but must fortify their spirits. The facilities in villages must resemble those of a city but the soul and the values of Indian villages, must be preserved,” the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday.
Naidu was addressing a ceremony organised by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). During the Ceremony, AICTE-ECI-ISTE Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards and AICTE- SAGY Initiative awards were presented to respective winners.
During his address, Naidu said, “The Awards would challenge young students to come up with novel ideas that have great potential to impact life in villages through technological interventions at the grass root level.”
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s statement “the future of India lies in its villages”, the Vice President said that the development of villages is an essential precondition to development of the nation.
He congratulated the All India Council for Technical Education’s endeavour to boost the efforts of rural development in association with the Engineering Council of India (ECI) and the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE).
In a suggestion to develop a new curricula under which students will spend time in rural areas, Naidu said that it will lead students to spend time in rural areas, interacting with people and understanding their problems.
During his speech, the Vice President referred India as an inspiration to the world. He said, “Steering itself towards eco-friendly industrialisation, sustainable urbanisation, and inclusion of the rural economy, India has the potential to not only become the world’s fastest growing economy, but also to serve as an inspiration, a model to the world”
Expressing disappointment that our vision for development is still largely urban centric, Naidu lamented that rural India still lagged behind urban India in terms of crucial development indicators.
Naidu said, “One size fits all approach will not ensure development in a vast and diverse country like India. Every village has its own individuality, its own industries and its own developmental needs. Our plans should capture aspirations of the people, leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses.”
Every year AICTE organises the awards aimed to motivate young individuals, inspiring leaders and institutions/organisations to raise their performance in their specific domains leading to significant contribution towards the growth and development of the nation.
Through awards, AICTE, ECI and ISTE recognise and honour innovative work of the students displaying exceptional skills by providing the innovative solution on the given theme.
