IITs, IIMs advised to become multi-disciplinary: Dharmendra Pradhan

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that the Centre has advised IITs and IIMs to become multi-disciplinary to venture beyond their respective areas of specialisation.

Pradhan, while speaking at the inauguration of Odisha Research Centre, said priority has been given to imparting multi-disciplinary education through the National Education Policy, 2020 and IITs and IIMs will also move in this direction.

Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, his Chhattisgarh counterpart Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Pradhan jointly inaugurated the centre here at an event.

The centre will conduct research on art, culture, archaeology, tradition and literature, sociology of Odisha, political process and political culture, agriculture, commerce, business and industry, development trends of contemporary Odisha, science and technology and healthcare, and future technology.

It will also work on smart cities, climate change, protection of the environment, sustainable development, semiconductors, rare earths and advanced minerals, the minister said.

In 2036, when Odisha will celebrate the centenary of its formation, and in 2047, when the country will celebrate the centenary of India's independence, the ORC will prepare a roadmap for the development of Odisha and Odia language, he said.

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The centre was established in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Indian Knowledge Systems Division, Ministry of Education, IIM Sambalpur, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bhubaneswar.

The objective of the Centre is the development of innovative epistemological frameworks to explore varied and nuanced dimensions of Odisha's history, culture, economy and society.