After Modi's 'Make in India', Smriti Irani pitches for 'Think in India' campaign for students

Greater Noida, Nov 20: In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, the HRD ministry is planning to come up with a 'Think in India' drive to encourage students and researchers to come up with innovations and new ideas and to keep the talent back home from leaving abroad.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani said this at an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here. She said, the campaign would aim to curb the outward flow of the country's students, who leave their homeland in search of backing for their ideas.

"We all know the prime minister has spoken about the 'Make in India' project and we in the ministry of Human Resource Development want to complement it by 'Think in India' campaign through the 'Rashtriya Avishkaar Yojana'," she said.

Irani said that through this initiative the ministry wants to encourage students to come up with new innovations and new designs. We also hope that in collaboration with the industry, the ministry can come up with ideas as to how these innovations can be rewarded and funded within our own country.

"So that our faculty and our students need not leave our shores in hunt for money to back their research with," the HRD minister said.

She also said that Prime Minister Modi had once expressed his desire to facilitate interaction with the best academicians for children who cannot go abroad overseas to get education.

"We have initiated a programme Global Initiative for Academic Networks called GIAN, where we are seeking to invite very celebrated academicians and industry experts from across the world, who will come and teach at least one semester in India at the cost of Government of India, so that our students and faculty members benefit," she said.

The HRD minister said that IITS, IIMs, Central Universities, NITs are already drawing up their wishlists. She said that in the last six months, the HRD ministry has set up committees to look at the mandate and the overall functioning of the UGC, the AICTE and also for the National Council for Teachers' Education.

PTI