The second batch of19 NIT scholars from across the country participating in an ‘In-Residence’ programme of Rashtrapati Bhavan called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today (May 21, 2015) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion, the President quoted Swami Vivekananda and said that Expansion is life, Contraction is death. He urged the young NIT scholars to never stop and constantly move forward. He said that the common thread he noticed among the NIT scholars was that they want to be agents of change in whatever capacity they were placed in to serve the country. He said that Technology is power. He wished them a happy and prosperous career ahead.

The President said that NITs are front-ranking institutions in our country for imparting quality scientific and technical education. The growth of NITs, as a class of institution, is diverse. There are old NITs with whose origins one can draw a parallel with the genesis of modern industrial India. The fact that the growth of NITs since their inception is primarily the result of indigenous efforts, without help from foreign institutions, is truly commendable.

The President said that talking of diversity, the NIT system is marked by a unique student mix. Each NIT portrays a national character by design, making its campus a ‘mini-India’. Inter-mingling of students from different parts of India in one institute has many positive spin-offs, including the development of a pan-India vision in each one of them.

The President said that they, the students of NIT are an asset to this nation. There will therefore be hopes and expectations from them. They must understand and appreciate their responsibilities. He said that because of their education, they not only had the capacity to dream big but also to implement that vision. He urged them to go ahead and make a difference to the society in which they lived in. In whatever they did, they should always perform with the singular motivation of doing good for the society.

The NIT scholars were unanimous in saying that they would always cherish the memories of the lifetime opportunity they had received to be participants of the ‘In Residence’ Programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan. They also said that this invaluable experience had given them great confidence and reinvigorated a deep sense of patriotism in them as well as a feeling of optimism in the system of governance in the country.

The In-Residence programme for NITs was announced by the President of India at the annual Conference of Directors of NITs held in October 2014. First batch of seventeen NIT scholars took part in a similar ‘In Residence’ programme from April 11 to April 17, 2015. The second batch of NIT scholars are part of the ‘In-Residence’ programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan from May 16 to 22, 2015.Similar programmes already exist for writers, artists and grass root innovators. The same will be extended to Inspired teachers from Central Universities in the next month.

This release issued at 1700hrs.