1. This is my first visit to
Visakhapatnam since assuming office as the President of India. I am glad it has
brought me to this well-known and well-respected institution of higher
learning. Andhra University has a proud legacy in our country. Our second
President and my distinguished predecessor, the scholar and academic Dr S.
Radhakrishnan, was the second vice-chancellor of this University. I am also
happy to note that the alumni of Andhra University include the current
Vice-President of our country, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, as well as senior
judges, technologists and corporate leaders.
2. In coming here,
therefore, I am paying my tribute to the rich intellectual heritage of the
University and of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
3. My visit here will mark
three milestones:
I.
Opening
of the Centre for defence Studies, Andhra University
II.
Laying
of the foundation stone for the E-Classroom Complex and Incubation Centre
of the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Andhra
University College of Engineering
III.
Inauguration
of the Classroom and Laboratory Complex at the Andhra University College
of Engineering for Women
4. While these three achievements
and institutions are different, there is a common thread. The link is in Andhra
University’s commitment to cutting-edge technologies, their inclusive
availability, and their application in fields of public and strategic
importance.
5. I am happy to learn that the Andhra
University-Defence Joint education and Research Programme is a distinctive
effort for any state university in our country. I have been told that the Chief
of our Air Force visited this University recently and his visit provided a major
boost to the Andhra University-Defence Joint Education and Research Centre.
6. It is extremely satisfying that
the University, in particular its College of Engineering, is engaged in R&D
projects with defence institutions. I understand that the Centre for Defence
Studies will focus on cyberSecurity, nanoTechnology, radar and Communications,
corrosion technology, and other technologies that have strategic dimensions.
7. Professors and researchers from
this University are collaborating on specific projects with DRDO as well as with
the Naval Research Board and other institutions. Professors from Andhra
University have been used as R&D consultants for missile projects,
including in the development of the Brahmos missile. Additionally, expertise
from this University has been sought by the Eastern Naval Command, headquartered
here in Vishakhapatnam, for civil engineering structural applications and
corrosion related issues.
8. This is indeed an impressive body
of work. Research related to defence and military applications and technologies
will have multiple benefits for our country. It will provide a tonic to the
effort to Make In India and to innovate, develop and manufacture
military technology and equipment. And as experience in other countries has
shown, research in defence technologies can also lead to Innovations that have
diverse civilian applications.
9. For example, the internet,
advances in Information Technology and the development of space
technologies have changed human society. All of these have either
originated in or been accelerated by research in defence technologies. I am
confident that will be the route in India as well, and that this University
will be an important engine in this journey.
10. The Department of
Computer Science and Systems Engineering will also have a role to play in
this endeavour. I understand it is one of the largest Departments in the
University, with over 1200 students. The inauguration of the E-Classroom
Complex and Incubation Centre will enhance the Department’s capacity to
innovate and provide solutions for our country’s needs, in socio-economic development
and defence alike.
11. In fact, here I must
commend the efforts of the government of Andhra Pradesh, led by the Chief
Minister. It is promoting and using technology for the benefit of common people
– in fields as far apart as urban planning and agriculture.
Ladies
and Gentlemen
12. The overall gender imbalance in
our scientific and technological institutions continues to be a concern. In this
context, I am happy to note that 40 per cent of the students at this University
are girls. I am fully optimistic that the inauguration of the Classroom and
Laboratory Complex at the Andhra University College of Engineering for
Women will enhance our country’s capacities to produce high-quality women
engineers and technologists. A true test of India’s progress is in the access
and opportunity we provide our daughters when it comes to education.
13. I must point out here that some
of our leading defence and space scientists – who have powered our missile
programmes and our rocket launches – are women. Earlier this week, at a
university convocation in Agra, I was privileged to felicitate the senior DRDO
scientist Dr Tessy Thomas, known as the “Missile Woman of India”. Women
achievers like her are role models for our youth, particularly for our girl
students.
14. With those words, I wish Andhra
University and wish all of you the very best for the future. May the University
continue to be a Technology Hub for our country. And may its technologists,
both men and women, continue to help in the building of our defence research capabilities.
Thank you
Jai Hind!
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