Srinagar, Apr 01: Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Alkesh Kumar Sharma on Saturday said that their target is to make India a ‘talent nation’ in the next 5 years.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an inaugural function of Girls Hostel and Artificial Intelligence Lab at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) here, Sharma said: “India has immense talent and potential in the IT sector and our objective is to make India as talent nation in the next five years.”
He mentioned the importance of research and development to focus on the requirements of society and the government’s initiatives to boost electronic manufacturing in the country.
“As digital governance is increasing, the demand for good talent and manpower has also witnessed an upward trend,” he said.
Sharma said that institutions like NIELIT are playing a vital role and for that, the ministry is working to upgrade their infrastructure. “The inauguration of the girls’ hotel will provide accommodation to students and save their travel time. They will good extra time for studies,” he said.
Secretary MeitY said that Artificial Intelligence is an emerging subject in today’s modern world. The students of NIELET Srinagar are well equipped and they have a good understanding of the concepts, he said.
“They are the people who will make J&K and the entire nation proud, not only by their work but also by providing opportunities to local youth,” he said.
Replying to a question about teaching faculty ready to adopt subjects on Artificial Intelligence, Sharma said that on the foundational skills, most of the work was done in the 1980s and 1990s including the knowledge of basic computers.
“As India progressed, the focus was on digital technologies. Now courses of deep learning are being adopted in engineering and IT colleges. Focus is being laid on deep technologies including robotics, machine learning, semiconductors and artificial intelligence,” he said.
Sharma said that in NIELIT, the focus will be made on deep technologies rather than traditional learning.
About the decline in enrollment of students in ITIs in Jammu and Kashmir, Secretary MeitY said there is a need to work on weaker points because vocational skills are also important. “We have introduced new areas related to mobile phones, and laptop learning and they are being explored by students,” he said.
Sharma said the ministry is working on a more flexible model through which students can complete both traditional education and vocational training.
