Rajya Sabha member and Editor-in-Chief of The Pioneer Chandan Mitra on Friday emphasised the need of developing India into a ‘knowledge society’ and taking the research and development programmes in the country to new heights. He said the just military might of a nation could not help in getting its strength recognised but it was also the knowledge base of the country that is judged in the future course.
Speaking at the 16th Annual Day function of Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences (BCAS), Mitra said, “India needs to be developed into a knowledge society. There are plenty of opportunities for both students and teachers. They only need to step up a little more.”
Mitra exhorted teachers and the youth of the country to contribute significantly in the teaching profession, which actually shapes and moulds the future of an individual and ultimately the society as a whole. “I believe teaching is the noblest profession. Teachers, nowadays, earn better wages compared to earlier days and it will improve further. My only concern is that people have an attitude to quit the profession after achieving some goals but this stagnation is worrisome. The country that helped you earn recognition as a historian, scientist, biologist or sociologist must be returned with something at least. The knowledge given to us by the country must be passed on to the young minds,” Mitra said.
He maintained that the country needs to focus more on research and development and said the youth have every reason to work with innovation as it comes from their ancestors. “There is a variety of options available for the youngsters today. They just need to become more active and innovative to help in solving the problems of country. There was a time when parents told children to become either a doctor or an engineer but today every subject has got diversity. Students have to see the needs of the country and work towards finding a solution to them. The next war, as suggested by a few is going to be water wars across the globe. To counter such issues, we have to work collectively,” he added.
He also gave the best student award in girls’ category to Shefali Thakur of Microbiology Department while Sachin Sharma of Computer Science Department bagged the award for the best student in boys’ category.
Speaking about the achievements of college and students, Jai Prakash, the principal of the BCAS said, “We began the college with just 60 students in 1995 and today more than 1,000 students have been enrolled. Every single day, the college has been progressing and the achievements of each day have contributed in making this college a much sought-after science institute of the Delhi University,” he said. He lauded the efforts of the teachers and the students as he informed that five projects from the college were selected for funding to the tune of Rs 10 lakh each to conduct innovative research.