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Bhubaneswar, Dec 5: “Education must be made relevant to the present needs without compromising on its ethical and moral values,” said Sanjay Das Burma, minister for food supplies and consumer welfare, technical education and training while inaugurating a national seminar on ‘Science and Technology for Human Development’ organised to mark the two-day 17th Orissa Bigyan Congress at SOA University, Friday.
“The Orissa government has been encouraging promotion of science and scientific research while endeavouring to make education relevant to market needs and economic demands,” he added.
“The state government had formulated a policy for mopping up resources for expenditure in the field of science and technology,” Das Burma said while throwing light on the role of the state government in the development of science and technology.
“The government had established a technical university while ensuring the setting up of the IIT, NISER and IIM in the state,” he stated
Prof. Trilochan Pradhan, former vice-chancellor of Utkal University, Prof. Omkar Nath Mohanty, former vice-chancellor of BPUT and Dr. SN Patro, president of Orissa Environmental Society addressed the inaugural session which was presided over by Prof. DK Roy, vice-chancellor of SOA University. Around 400 scientists attended the event.
Prof. Pradhan praised SOA University for the rapid strides it was making towards becoming a front-ranking educational institution. “I would like to specifically mention the faculty of engineering of Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) for earning a good name for its academic culture and placement,” said Prof Pradhan.
Referring to cutting edge research in the fields of energy, Pradhan said the day was not far when people would no longer need to pay their energy bills.
Prof. Mohanty underscored the need for documenting the losses incurred because of disasters and natural calamities scientifically. “Existing barriers in scientific research should be removed by encouraging inter-disciplinary research,” he said.
Six eminent scientists: Prof. Bhaskar Das (Chemistry), Prof. Bhabendra Kumar Patnaik (Zoology) Prof. Chandrasekhar Sarangi (Botany), Prof. Gokulananda Das (Mathematics), Prof. Sadananda Tarasia (Physics) and Dr. S.N.Patro (Environmental Science) were felicitated on the occasion.
The Orissa Bigyan Congress has been organised jointly by SOA University and Bhubaneswar chapter of Indian Science Congress Association in collaboration with Orissa Environmental Society.