Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi addressed the grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon via video conferencing. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav/File)
Stating that his government aims to give “more autonomy” to the higher education sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for innovation.
“What will drive innovation is IPPP — Innovate, Patent, Produce, and Prosper. We should innovate more, patent them, make their production easier and take it to the people. This is what brings prosperity… Innovation is not merely a word. Nor is it restricted to events or occasions. Innovation is a continuous process. Questioning is an important aspect of innovation. Never shy away from questioning… The biggest assets of any nation are Shram Shakti and Iccha Shakti. Once the people decide to bring about change, everything is possible,” Modi said, addressing students during the Smart India Hackathon.
“After the Second World War, the nations that emphasised higher education witnessed greater prosperity. We want to give more autonomy to our higher education sector. Work is being done to create institutions of eminence…. Nobody is blessed with all the knowledge in the world. This applies to governments too… the biggest mistake governments make is to think they alone can bring about change. What brings about change is participative governance.”
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar at the inauguration of Smart India Hackathon 2018, in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI Photo/PIB)
During his address, the PM also highlighted the Make in India initiative. “…Four years ago there were only two manufacturing units of mobile phones in India, whereas today around 120 factories are operating in the country… More than 11,300 patents were registered this year till February, compared to 4,000 in 2013-14,” he said.
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Modi was addressing the grand finale of the event via video conferencing.
He urged participants to explore the possibility of multiple sector hackathons like health hackathon, law hackathon, architecture hackathon, agriculture hackathon and rural hackathon. “We need innovative agriculturists, engineers, architects, doctors, lawyers and managers for these hackathons. Such hackathons will provide a platform for budding talent,” Modi said.