Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday called upon young engineers to use innovation and advancement in technology for the betterment of life of the common man. He was addressing the first Convocation of National Institute of Technology, Tadepalligudem in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh on tuesday. Describing innovation as the watchword for the 21st Century, the Vice President said that institutions such as the IITs and the NITs should transform themselves into hubs of innovation. He also suggested them to evolve their curricula and teaching methods constantly to suit the times and strive to bring out the best in each student.

The Vice President said, it was time now for young engineers to come up with out-of-box solutions to various problems, including those faced by agriculturists from climate change to increasing crop productivity.  Calling for collective efforts to double farmer’s income and ensure the profitability of agriculture, the Vice President asked scientists and engineers to create better weather forecast systems and explore ways and means to make agriculture become more resilient.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s call to develop villages as self sufficient entities, Mr Naidu called for creation of facilities such as schools, hospitals, libraries and Skill Development and Skill development centers to empower rural women and youth.