The first day of the three-day Visitor’s Conference 2016 at Rashtrapati Bhavan concluded yesterday (November 16, 2016) with an interactive session between Industry and Academia and exchange of 67 MoUs between Central Institutions and industry organizations.

Speaking after the exchange of MoUs, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee said the higher education sector has a crucial role in the national developmental effort. Growth of the industrial sector depends on higher education in important ways. The quality of training provided to students employed by this sector determines the level of industrial competence, and industry provides an outlet for various research and innovations taking place at the university level. Technological developments improve efficiency of factories resulting in products of better quality at lesser cost. There is vital need for the industry and higher education to interact in a mutually beneficial framework. A strong interface between these two core sectors will have positive spin offs for the entire economy. What is taught and researched in the higher education system must find application in the industrial sector.

The President said research collaboration is an important component in the relationship between industry and academic institutions. A vast quantum of knowledge is created in the tertiary education system through research. They find application in society through industrial and other sectors. A robust industrial linkage provides an efficient mechanism for transfer of knowledge from the higher education system to the economic system.

Earlier in the day, four persons of eminence Shri K.V. Kamath, President, New Development Bank; Smt. Ela Ramesh Bhatt, Founder, SEWA; Prof. Ramachandra Guha, Historian and Shri N.R. Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys addressed the Conference.

The interactive session between Industry-Academia in collaboration with CII was addressed by Prof. Anurag Kumar, Director, IISc, Bangalore; Shri Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII; Dr. R. Brakaspathy, Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board; Shri MS Unnikrishnan, MD & CEO, Thermax Ltd; Shri Ramesh Datla, MD, Elico Ltd.; Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE; Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras; Shri D. Thyagrajan, CMD, Blue Star and Shri Ashok Sethi, CEO & ED Tata Power.