IIT alumni donates $1m for infra design

Kharagpur, Aug 18(UNI) IIT Kharagpur Alumni Ranbir Singh Gupta has donated one million USD to the newly established school for infrastructure design and management offering masters and PhD level courses to bridge manpower deficit in the sector.

Christened as Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management, the IIT wing, which was inaugurated today, is the country's first-of-its-kind in the discipline of technical knowledge.

On the occasion of 58th foundation day, IIT Director Damodar Acharya said India was poised to attract an investment to the tune of 500 billion USD in the next five years in infrastructure sector, adding the institute would be instrumental towards catering to such ''long-felt'' need of the country.

''It will serve the purpose of a National Think Tank, apart from designing big projects related to roads and bridges, ports and airports, urban settlement power and telecommunication,'' Mr Acharya said.

The institute also offered a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) to Prof Lord Susantha Kr Bhattacharya, Director of the internationally renowned Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick.

Lord Bhattacharya, also an alumni of the institute, is currently an advisor of the Government of South Africa on Science and Technology Policy.

He also said in line with other developing countries like China, India must develop nuclear power plants for meeting the country's future energy needs.

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