Chennai: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Education Minister, Government of India, visited the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on September 19, 2022 during which he interacted with faculty, researchers, and students and also visited various research facilities on camps.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan also released the IIT Madras Strategic Plan 2022-27, which proposed an ambitious growth phase for the Institute, in the presence of Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Deans and other stakeholders.

The Hon’ble Minister also visited the 5G Test Bed for a demonstration, the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Development Centre, the Rocket Factory of IIT Madras-based Start-up Agnikul Cosmos, the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre and the IIT Madras Incubation Cell at the IIT Madras Research Park apart from other research facilities such as Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre and the 3D-printed house in the campus.

He also launched the ‘Kotak IITM Save Energy’ Mission, being set up with CSR funding support from Kotak to help MSMEs reduce energy consumption and felicitated the Mphasis team for supporting the growth of the Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing (CQuICC) besides flagging off other projects and initiatives of IIT Madras. He also awarded the diploma certificates to select students of the BSc program in Data Science.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Education Minister, Government of India, said, “Today the country is celebrating the 75th year of Independence. We already had a glorious history with institutions like IIT. Today, I am happy to dedicate the Strategic Plan up to 2027, inaugurate the Mphasis Centre for Quantum Science, Energy Efficiency Centre sponsored by Kotak Group and other initiatives of the Institute.”

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan added, “Today, I got the opportunity to visit the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras generously supported by IIT Madras alumnus Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan...As a public policy practitioner, how do I see this centre? This centre will address quantum data - Data is the new oil and oil decides the geopolitics and economy of the globe today. We all are believing that data is the new oil. I see a time in the near future when the entire world will come to IIT Madras to analyse their data. We have that capability.”

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, “IITs are not only educational institutions. In the post-Independence era, our leadership envisioned ‘Temples of Future,’ to create a scientific temper among the youngsters of the country and the niche community of our students. Students will study and get degrees and have their own career but IITians are not meant only for that. Society has much more expectations, since its inception days, from IITians. You all will be the torch bearers for the growth and development of this country. I congratulate the IITian community for contributing since the last few decades on this path and on this trajectory and we expect much more from you.”

“By end of 2022, with your (IIT Madras) contribution and innovation, India will be rolling out 5G Indigenous technology in all parts of the country. By end of 2023, all the six lakh villages in India will be connected with Internet through optical fibre cables.... How to use that and what is the public good? Just imagine...the countryside agriculture produce of Tamil nadu will get a market in New York. The Thanjavur paining will get a market in Paris. The special paddy of Tamil Nadu will get a market in China. It is possible within the next few years due to your innovation and this innovation is not going to be a commodity of isolation to be used only in India,” Shri Dharmendra Pradhan concluded.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, gave a presentation on the Strategic Plan 2022-2027 of the Institute. IIT Madras has always followed a planned growth approach to creating strategically important initiatives. Such an approach has yielded significant benefits to the Institute in that it has retained #1 position in NIRF ranking for six years in a row. The Institute is now embarking on the third strategic plan.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The prime reason behind IIT Madras maintaining the top #1 ranking in NIRF Ranking was the Strategic Plan, which enabled all of us – students, staff, faculty and alumni - to work in a focused manner as a single, cohesive unit. In the new Strategic Plan for 2022-27, we have now started focusing more on ‘local relevance leading to global excellence.’ We are focusing on seven verticals starting from a hybrid pedagogy to upgrading infrastructure to deep-tech start-ups to upgrading infrastructure to global standards have also identified key enablers to achieve these targets. We have set specific points for each of these verticals where we have tried to quantify our achievements. A team of more than 80 faculty, staff, students and alumni were involved in this massive exercise and I thank all of them.”

The targets envisioned in the strategic plan include creating an institute with a diversified group of faculty, students and staff, pursuing nationally relevant and internationally recognized basic and translational research.

Mphasis, a leading Information Technology (IT) solutions provider specializing in Cloud and Cognitive services, is helping establish the Quantum Research Centre through their CSR programs with a grant of Rs. 21 crore.

IIT Madras will also be the hub of ‘Kotak IITM Save Energy Mission Centre’ to establish four satellite centres for carrying out energy efficiency and performance audit and encouraging adoption of various energy conservation measures among the Indian MSME sector.

Speaking about the key outcomes envisaged from this centre, Mr. Ramanathan Srikumar, Chief Solutions Officer, Mphasis said, “Mphasis is at the forefront in using quantum computers for machine learning, optimization, and simulation problems. We envision quantum computing as a significant driver in solving future business problems. The research focus would be around the domains of information, communication, and computing. It will bring together faculty from different engineering and science disciplines and focus on enhancing industrial applications of quantum science and technologies.”

MCQuICC, the Quantum Centre of Excellence, has been set up with a vision to become a hub for Quantum Science and Technology (QuST) that produces top-quality graduates every year, and whose research in quantum science and specific quantum architectures will be recognized and have a significant societal impact.

Highlighting the impact these ‘Kotak IITM Save Energy Mission’ is poised to make, Mr Rohit Rao, Joint President and Group Chief CSR Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, said, “Kotak Mahindra Bank is committed to promoting energy conservation and Kotak IIT Save Energy Mission is a step in the direction to encourage SMEs and MSMEs to adopt environmentally-sustainable technologies and processes. The SMEs and MSMEs need support and guidance to implement environmentally responsible measures in their units. Kotak’s CSR partnership with IITM is an endeavor to help SMEs and MSMEs reduce waste, save on audit costs and implement energy-saving measures.”

Kotak IITM Save Energy Mission will conduct audits that would focus on identifying inefficiencies in energy utilization, process operations and safety-related concerns. The hub at IIT-M will monitor and implement energy assessment activities across India.

The satellite centres will identify MSMEs that qualify for Industrial Energy Assessment services and carry out audits and share with their recommendations for saving energy. Further, Kotak IITM Save Energy Mission will aid and training to MSMEs for periodic audits. Furthermore, an online platform will be developed to maintain the entire database of the energy audits conducted.

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