Think differently for innovative ideas: AP CM to students

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today exhorted students and faculty members of higher educational institutions to think out of the box and come up with innovations for rapid progress.

Inaugurating the first ‘Andhra Pradesh Science Congress (APSC)’ here at the SV University, he said students and teachers should think and act differently to get innovative ideas.

Naidu also asked the Vice-Chancellors of universities to see that at least one incubation centre was set up immediately in their respective institutions and play a pro-active role for startup facilities in villages also.

“Integrate technology and best practices and also ensure collaboration with the best universities in the country and also abroad to impart the best education to enable the students seize the latest technologies and methods to keep them abreast,” he said.

Pointing that field study formed 40 per cent of curriculum in foreign universities, he asked the students in the country not to confine themselves to classrooms but focus on field studies.

Naidu urged the universities to include leading members of industries and eminent personalities in decision-making bodies for university-industry collaboration.

The Chief Minister also said that in line with the Centre’s Digital India programme, his government would provide net connectivity with a bandwidth of 20 MBPS to every home in villages in the state by July, 2016 at an outlay of Rs 320 crore.

This would be increased to 50 MBPS later for the meaningful implementation of e-governance.

He directed all the universities in the state to provide Wi Fi facilities in their campuses within a month.

Becoming nostalgic, he recalled his student days in the SV University and said “I have learnt all political lessons here.

“It gave me my political birth while Lord Balaji (of the famous hill shrine in Tirumala) gave me a new lease of life by saving me from the accident (bomb attack by Naxal at Alipiri near here in 2003),” he said.

It was from the universities, leaders of corporate, industries, social field, science and technology and politics emerged, he said citing many eminent personalities.