President Ram Nath Kovind calls for greater participation of women in science & tech

The president said more girls need to get a higher education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and that enrolment of women in engineering and technical institutions in India is abysmally low at only 20 per cent.

At a recent Google for India event, the company had announced that over 80,000 Internet Saathis have trained over 30,000,000 rural women in over 300,000 villages across India. (Google)

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday called for enhanced participation of women in the field of science and technology.

Kovind, while addressing the 18th convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela here, said, "Growth and excellence of women in the technical area will add a new dimension to our national development."

He said more girls need to get a higher education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Quoting a recent survey, he said enrolment of women in engineering and technical institutions in India is abysmally low at only 20 per cent.

"Our girls should be encouraged to pursue technical education and excel in the same manner as they do in other areas. Our daughters are outshining boys and getting more gold medals in arts and other fields," he said.

Kovind said three of the seven gold medal winners at NIT Rourkela are women and the situation is similar in other central universities.

Around 1,518 of the 7,116 students in the university are women.

He said NIT Rourkela has made a significant contribution in the field of science and technology for over six decades.

"I am pleased to know that NIT Rourkela has students from 33 states and Union territories. I am told that students from 17 countries are also enrolled in various academic disciplines," he said.

In his message to the students, the President said, "I advise you to never judge your success only in terms of material gains. You don't have to limit yourself by the pressures of conventional notions of success and societal norms. You need to figure out what you really want to do in your life."

He suggested the students choose what gives them satisfaction.

"Do what takes you closer to your aspirations. Do what makes your families proud of you. Plan for yourself a fruitful and productive path ahead," he said.

He expressed satisfaction over the institute adopting five villages as part of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan.

The President said that one of the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020 is to make India a global knowledge superpower and institutions like NIT Rourkela have a major role to play in achieving it.