ISRO chief asks NIT Karnataka graduates to respond to global challenges

Mangaluru: ISRO Chairman K Sivan called upon graduates to respond to the global challenges of climate change and natural disasters and come up with strategies that enable mankind to adapt to the unprecedented developments. Speaking during 19th convocation of NIT-Karnataka , Surathkal virtually on Saturday, he said the world is facing the challenges of climate change and natural calamities which may alter the face of earth in the future, which in turn will impact our lives.

"The future generation has a challenge to sustain ourselves in this changing scenario," he said. Stating that there are huge opportunities open for the engineering graduates to take up entrepreneurship, Sivan said that immense possibilities are opening for start-up businesses. Sivan said India is now in a start-up boom and many professionals are quitting their well-paid jobs and responding to the demands of indigenous consumers through start-ups.

The space sector has also undergone reforms under 'Atmanirbhar Bharat.' The government wants to set up a space industry ecosystem to generate more revenue through reforms in space, he said.

He called upon the graduates to choose what is close to one's heart and not to copy others. This will ensure excellence in professional life. Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan in his address said that the NIT-K has constituted a committee to implement National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and a few features of NEP are being incorporated in the curriculum during 2021-22.

He lauded the efforts of the NIT-K in developing a system to measure moisture content of cashew which is helping the cashew industries in the region and also for developing a technology to produce and preserve ready-to-cook, non-acrid edible aroids.

In his presidential address, NIT-K Director Umamaheshwar Rao urged graduates to connect with the society and own up the issues in the society and be part of the solutions for the problems faced in the society. A total of 1,681 candidates - 120 PhD, 766 post graduates and 795 B.Tech students received the degrees.

Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) was conferred on Suhas L Yathiraj, district magistrate of Gautham Buddha Nagar, UP and silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.