E-Paper
Develop technique to forecast natural disasters: Jai Ram Thakur to IIT-Mandi researchers
CM Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday exhorted the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, researchers to work on a technique to forecast natural disasters which may help to mitigate loss of precious lives.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday exhorted the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, researchers to work on a technique to forecast natural disasters which may help to mitigate the loss of precious lives.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 6th edition of Himalayan Startup Trek 2022 - an annual start-up event of IIT Mandi. Representatives of stakeholders of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem including start-ups, investors and seasoned entrepreneurs are participating in the event.
“If a technique is developed to forecast the natural disasters like cloudbursts it will help save hundreds of human lives that are lost in monsoon season every year,” said the chief minister, who also inaugurated IIT Mandi Catalyst Co-Work space and iHub and HCI Foundation Office in the IIT Mandi Campus.
The CM said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort this year has given the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan’, underlining the importance of technology and research in the present era to make India forge ahead on the path of progress and prosperity. He also appreciated the good work being done by the IIT Mandi since its inception.
Thakur said that the Himalayan Start-up Trek was symbolic of the emerging start-up ecosystem in Himachal Pradesh with immense support from the state government over the past several years. He said that top start-ups from the event would be handpicked for incubation support by IIT Mandi catalyst.
“Several start-ups would get an opportunity to pilot their solutions with help from state departments and explore collaboration,” said Thakur.
He said the department of science and technology, ministry of electronics, has provided ₹110 crore for IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation. He said that the department of science and technology, Startup India, and the Himachal Pradesh government have also provided an amount of ₹70 crore for supporting the start-up. He said that out of this amount, over ₹10 crore has been provided to the IIT Mandi by the state government.
He said that the state government has taken various steps to create a conducive ecosystem for start-ups in the state for their growth. He said that youth from the state should capitalise on all the support programmes being initiated by the state government and create sustainable solutions that not only benefit the state but the country. He said that the state government was also seeking inputs from IIT Mandi to revise the start-up policy. He said that the objective was to make it more effective and to provide more benefits to start-ups.
He said that IIT Mandi was no doubt the best engineering institution in the state and has taken up the responsibility to seed a vibrant start-up and innovation ecosystem in the state. He said that it was a pleasure to see IIT Mandi Catalyst continuing the Himalayan Start-up Trek with more energy and enthusiasm. He said that with the technological advancements, research particularly for the welfare of the common man was far more important for the betterment of society.
The CM gave away prizes to the winners of the start-up grand challenge in three thematic areas, namely, Human-Computer Interaction, Build for the Himalayas and Environment and Sustainability.
Director, IIT Mandi, Laxmidhar Behera said PM Modi wants to flourish India in start-up and for this we need to create a perfect ecosystem. He said that agriculture must be associated and linked with technology so as to make this occupation not only economically viable but also dignified.
Faculty In-charge, Catalyst, Puran Singh said that the IIT got over 400 applications for start-ups which were shortlisted and about 45 faculty members were actively involved in this whole process.
