Science and technology are indispensable for growth of countries, says VIT Chancellor

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Dignitaries with the winners of graVITas on VIT campus on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Science and technology are indispensable features for the growth of developing countries where the majority of the population are youngsters, said G. Viswanathan, founder and Chancellor, VIT.

In his presidential address on the concluding day of gravitas 26, a three-day techno management festival organised by VIT at its campus in Vellore, Mr. Viswanathan said that countries that excel in science and technology have become leading nations in the world.

“Of the 193 countries, only 75 are classified as developed countries, mainly due to progress in S&T by these countries for the past few centuries. It could be achieved only by providing education, especially higher studies to everyone,” he said.

The Chancellor highlighted the need to tap into the potential of a large number of young populations for the growth of the country. At present, India has more than 15 crore persons in the 18–23 age group. Despite the huge young population, around 30 percent have access to higher education.

“Access to higher education should reach the poor and middle class segment where financial contribution is mostly done by parents. In other words, around four percent of students were able to get government scholarships for higher studies,” he said.

In this context, the educationalist also noted that private companies and institutions should support students in pursuing higher studies in terms of scholarships and internships.

Gravitas 2026 recorded 39,049 registrations to participate in over 227 events that were held in VIT campus. The festival was centred on science and technology that will help budding engineers to sharpen their skills and technical expertise, he said.

Later, prizes were distributed to winners of various Gravitas competitions. A special session by Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, was also held. Atul Sahgal, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Cognizant, Hemant Sahal, a VIT alumnus and Founder and CEO of Digii, Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, vice presidents, VIT, were present.

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