HRD Minister Smriti Irani addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters in New Delhi. (Press Trust of India photo)
Exhorting IITians to take advantage of the "Start Up India, Stand Up India" scheme, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani today said qualified engineers need to take up entrepreneurship on the basis of innovative ideas acquired in the premier institute.
"I am sure that you are aware about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for Start Up India... IITs are known to encourage new ideas, innovations and converge them with good business plan," Ms Irani said at the 4th convocation ceremony of Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar held in its permanent campus at Argul.
Stating that the Centre's Mudra Bank Yojana provides funding to do business from Rs 50,000 up to Rs 10 lakh without any collateral security, the Union Human Resources Development Minister said a new business opportunity has been created in the country and IITians need to take advantage of the available opportunities.
"If there are industrious students among you, I request to start up and stand up now," Ms Irani said adding that IITs always lay emphasis on academic excellence and innovation.
Asking technical students to undertake new ventures with innovative programme, the Union Minister said they could choose their own path of dream with a little bit of imagination.
Ms Irani also lauded the students of IIT Bhubaneswar for adopting two nearby villages and enabling science to reach at the door steps of villagers.
At the 4th convocation function, Ms Irani conferred President of India's gold medal to Sushant Sachan, a mechanical engineering student of BTech, Director's gold medal to Pratik Nayak, a civil engineering student of MTech and Anudeep Nain, a student of Mathematics at the institute.
The endowment awards went to five students of different streams of the institute.