Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Less than two months before the Assam Assembly polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday gifted a National Institute of Design (NID) and an Institute of Petroleum Technology (IPT), both second in India, describing these as testimony to the UPA’s commitment to development of the Northeast.
The foundation stone for NID was laid at Jorhat, hometown of CM Tarun Gogoi, that of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology was laid in Sivasagar.
“While oil and gas will continue to provide the major portion of our energy requirements for quite some time to come, appropriate utilisation of advanced technologies in exploration and refining will continue to be of great importance. These areas will need qualified and skilled personnel in increasing numbers,” the PM said at Sivasagar.
The IPT at Sivasagar will offer certificate, diploma and degree programmes in various areas of specialisation in the petroleum sector. It will also offer certificate courses specifically designed to enable the local youth to upgrade their skills. The centre will start its first academic session from September.
Laying the foundation stone of the NID, Singh said the aim of good design should be improvement in the quality of life, through products and services which can be accessed by people in general.
“In the Indian context, design should also be a tool for inclusive development. Value addition through innovation in design can play a pivotal role in enhancing the competitiveness of both manufacturing and service industries. Specific to the Northeast, better industrial product design can contribute to the development of micro, small and medium enterprises by enhancing product utility and by helping translate new ideas into new products,” he added.
