India should focus on innovation, not outsourcing: VK Singh

GUWAHATI: India should focus more on innovation to make it a centre of industrial activities instead of just becoming a mere destination of outsourcing, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Vijay Kumar Singh said on Sunday.

"Technology development can take place through imitation, transplantation and innovation. Becoming a mere destination for outsourcing should not be the goal of India. Ownership and pride lie not in imitation and transplantation of technology, but in innovation," Singh said at the 16th convocation the IIT-Guwahati.

The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) said the country needed to devote its energy to the manufacturing sector with efficient and robust processing techniques.

"There is an overriding priority to undertake technology development in different fields and make India a nerve centre of our industrial activities," he added.

To remain at the forefront of technological and scientific developments, research in institutions like IITs demand for international collaboration and the association with the industry, he said.

"Knowledge is recognised as a key resource for achieving economic growth and social development. The knowledge revolution has restructured manufacturing processes, redistributed markets, redefined relations among nations and refined methods of governance," the former Army chief said.

The Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT-Guwahati, RP Singh, said the institute would create a centre for art and culture soon to harness the talent of the north eastern region.

During the convocation, a total of 1,232 students were conferred degrees for successful completion of BTech, BDes, MTech, MDes, MSc, MA and PhD courses from IIT-Guwahati.

In 2013-14 financial year, the premier institute spent a total of Rs 336.17 crore compared to Rs 271.67 crore in the previous fiscal, the institute sources said.