Gandhinagar, 07 Oct 2017: The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, today dedicated IIT Gandhinagar campus to the nation. He also felicitated Trainees under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan.
The Prime Minister addressed a public meeting in Gandhinagar, which included a large number of IIT-ians. “You are IIT-ians, I was a Tea-ian when I was young (I sold tea). On this day, a few years ago, I took oath as Chief Minister for the first time. Till then, I had never even been an MLA. I had decided that whatever I will do, I will do to the best of my abilities,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr Narendra Modi said that work is underway to spread digital literacy to every part of India, among all age groups and sections of society.
In this day and age, we cannot afford to have a digital divide, he asserted, adding that a Digital India guarantees transparency, effective service delivery and good governance.
Our academics should not be exam driven; the focus should be innovation, the Prime Minister said.
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar was founded in 2008 and is located in Palaj, Gandhinagar. The campus sprawls 397 acres of land on the western banks of the river Sabarmati. The land for the permanent campus of the institute was handed over in July 2012, construction commenced in July 2013 and the institute moved into its permanent campus in July 2015, within just two years from the time of the award of the construction contracts. The striking design and weather-responsive architecture of the campus is inspired by local traditions and pols.
The Institute has won several accolades for its various innovations, including the HUDCO Design Award 2016 in the Green buildings category (awarded to the Academic Complex of IIT Gandhinagar), the HUDCO Design Awards 2015 for cost-effective rural/urban disaster-resistant housing for IIT Gandhinagar’s Confined Masonry construction and the HUDCO Award for ‘Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment 2013-14’, for IIT Gandhinagar’s construction worker’s welfare programs.
