Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today called upon J&K’s academic and technical institutions to catch up with the emerging knowledge-sharing scenario globally by forging cooperative relationship with their counterparts around the world. She said unfortunately J&K’s institutions are seen to be left out in the fast-changing academic scenario and it is time for them to pull alongside through exchange of ideas and knowledge.“Jammu and Kashmir needs more interaction with the outside world as there are lot of misconceptions about this place which have to be removed so that our enterprising young boys and girls reap the benefits of globalization and economic liberalization that swept the world when our state was embroiled in an unfortunate situation which was not of our own making,” the Chief Minister said while inaugurating International Conference on “Nanotechnology for Better Living” being organised at SKICC here jointly by National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.Around 500 scientists and academicians from within and outside the country are attending the 4-day international conference and will be presenting papers on how best to use the nanotechnology for the betterment of the humankind.
Stressing the need for improving the State’s academic connectivity with the rest of the world, Ms Mehbooba said; “We have to connect to the larger world outside through physical connectivity, economic connectivity and knowledge connectivity to explore the full potential and capabilities of our youth.”“I have always felt that institutions best leverage their strengths for larger collective good when they choose to synergise and collaborate their ideas and knowledge,” she said and added that the institutions in this day and age are constantly identifying the areas where they can mutually reinforce their cutting edge advancements with other institutes and in the process enhance their core competencies.The Chief Minister said in today’s world a researcher sitting in a university in Beijing can easily interface through online platforms with his counterparts in a university in New York on related research subjects and based on shared inputs steer the research in the direction where it throws up optimal results. “I want the academic and technical institutions of our State to become a part of this global movement of knowledge sharing,” she said.
She said the subject matter of this conference is extremely contemporary and relevant. Nanotechnology today is being increasingly seen as a silver bullet for better living, she said and added that in getting together in a collaborative spirit the entire world has come together to find solution to its varied problems.“In this backdrop, I find the initiative taken by the NIT Srinagar a welcome step,” she said.Ms Mehbooba said just as economically the world has globalized and become ‘flat or curved place’ to use the terms coined by some economists, so has in the realm of science and technology the world globalized almost without recognition. “And the benefits of this integration have been far too many,” she said.Referring to the topic of the conference, the Chief Minister said in the areas of medicine, electronics, food, fuels, space, construction etc., nanotechnology can and should be particularly leveraged to secure the maximum possible benefits for the mankind, including finding remedies or solutions to some of the unresolved mysteries of the medical world.Ms Mehbooba said a great deal of progress has been made in the areas of research, design, development, testing and commercialization of some of the nano materials all over the world. “However, significant challenges still remain to further develop and improve the properties of these materials for maximum utility and widespread use,” she maintained.
Complimenting the managements of NIT Srinagar and IIT Kanpur for organising the conference in Srinagar, the Chief Minister said such events will not only help in sharing of knowledge but would also go a long way in removing the misconceptions about Jammu and Kashmir.She urged the participants of the conference to take some time out and visit some of the picturesque places in Kashmir including Dal Lake, Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg.Renowned scientist, Padamshree Prof K L Chopra, Vice-Chancellor Central University of Kashmir, Prof Mehraj-ud-Din, Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir, Prof Khurshid Andrabi, Chairman Board of Governors, NIT Srinagar, Dr M J Zarabi, Director IIT Kanpur, Prof I Manna, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof Rajat Gupta and Chairman ICNBL, Prof Kamal K Kar also addressed the inaugural session.