Guwahati: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the convocation of the IIT Guwahati through video-conferencing, urged the institute to establish a Center for Disaster management and risk reduction so that it can provide expertise in dealing with the "disasters" of the region.
The Prime Minister's appeal has come in the wake of the monsoon floods that affected 57 lakh people and killed at least 113 people between May 22 and August 20 in Assam. Besides, several landslides, earthquakes, and other natural calamities have also been witnessed in the Northeast Indian region in the year 2020.
During his address at the convocation, the Prime Minister further elaborated that all knowledge, including science, is a means to solve the problems. The PM further called on the youth to be "future ready and future fit", saying its their dreams and aspirations will shape the future of the country.
Expressing his happiness at over 300 young fellows being awarded a Ph.D. at the convocation, Modi urged them to continue their research for the "betterment of the country" and encouraged them to think about how their research can be linked to the possibilities of development of the region.
Modi, during his address, said the Northeast region is the center for India's Act East Policy and gateway to India's relations with the Southeast Asian region. Stating that the mainstay of relations with these countries has been culture, commerce, connectivity, and capacity, Modi added that education is going to be another new medium and IIT Guwahati can become its major center. This will also give the North East a new identity and new opportunities will also arise here.
Prime Minister Modi further added that new opportunities are being created in the North-East as the Government is laying a lot of emphasis for the development of the infrastructure in the region --especially railways, highways, airways, and waterways.