Team Herald
MARGAO: One hundred and ten students of National Institute of Technology (Goa campus) were awarded BTech (69), MTech (39), and PhD (2) degrees at the fifth convocation on Saturday.
The degrees were presented to the students by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and NIT-Goa Director Gopal Mugeraya.
Despite its limited infrastructure, the institute is marching forward. It is ranked the best among the newly established eleven new NITs and has achieved 87th rank at nation-wide NIRF ranking.
The institute has started two more undergraduate departments: Civil and Mechanical.
Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, head of NIO-Goa and researcher was awarded Doctorate degree by the NIT and was felicitated at the hands of the chief minister.
In his opening address, Murgeraya said, “It is a matter of great pleasure to witness the intellectual growth of NIT in a transit campus despite limited resources and infrastructure. We have got Rs 100 crore grant from the Centre.”
He informed that the M Tech theses of three Goan students have been the best so far.
Pointing to the chief minister, Mugeraya said, “When you inaugurate the NIT-Goa campus in Cuncolim, it will put the town on the world map. Parrikar had asked me to plan for the best NIT for Goa and I want your support to make the NIT Goa the best campus to fulfill the dream of late chief minister Parrikar.”
“Why don’t you make Goa an education hub? We will have an education hub; we have big institutions and more will come. Also, we need to make Margao railway station the best in India,” the Director said.
“Solid waste management is an issue. Let us go for pollution prevention, as the cost of preventing pollution is less than the cost of control,” Mugeraya opined.
Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, head of NIO told the new graduates and doctorate awardees to start giving something to the society and start right away. “We lack innovations; we are dependent on the other countries. The country needs you and hence we need to improve the research capabilities. The economy will improve if we do that,” Dr Sunil advised.
The chief minister thanked the NIT for conferring honourary doctorate on late Parrikar. “We have given land to IIT in Sattari and its one step towards making Goa an education hub,” he said.
Praising Parrikar, Dr Sawant said, “The pioneer of this infrastructure of Goa is Parrikar and he has created grounds for infrastructure for Goa enough for 25 years. I pledge to complete all that he started by 2020.
