IIT Roorkee Hosts Think India National Convention 2024, Driving Vision for Bharat 4.0

IIT Roorkee successfully hosted the Think India National Convention 2024, bringing together over 300 participants from premier institutions of national importance, including IISc, IITs, NITs, IIMs, and NLUs.

IIT Roorkee Hosts Think India National Convention 2024

The Think India National Convention 2024, hosted at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, concluded with resounding success, bringing together over 300 participants from Institutes of National Importance, including IISc, IITs, NITs, IIMs, and NLUs. Centred on the theme “Bharat 4.0,” the three-day event (December 21-23) sparked transformative discussions on India's vision to emerge as a self-reliant and resilient nation by 2047, integrating technological innovation, sustainable practices, and indigenous solutions.

The convention was inaugurated virtually by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, who delivered an inspiring keynote address. Highlighting the pivotal role of sustainable infrastructure, green technologies, and digital innovation, he underscored India's vast potential to lead the global stage by harnessing its youthful and talented engineering workforce.

"The conversion of knowledge and waste into wealth is the future of India," said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways. He outlined a roadmap to align with PM Modi's vision of a $10 trillion economy by 2030, underscoring the importance of reducing imports, boosting exports, and adopting sustainable practices. He also stressed the critical role of infrastructure - encompassing water, power, transport, and communication - as the backbone of economic growth and employment generation.

Speaking at the convention, Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, expressed pride in hosting the event. He said, "It is an honour for IIT Roorkee to host the Think India National Convention 2024, a platform that embodies the spirit of collaboration and innovation. This event reflects our institute’s commitment to driving transformative discussions and fostering ground-breaking innovations that pave the way for a self-reliant and technologically advanced Bharat 4.0."

Prof. Pant commended the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at IIT Roorkee, which supports over 200 startups, urging scholars to become job creators and address the challenge of unemployment. He highlighted the transformative potential of integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning in agriculture and energy management while advocating for the fusion of ancient Indian wisdom with modern innovations to deliver sustainable global solutions.

At the conclusion of the inaugural session, Dr. Bhaveshkumar Bhalja, Professor-in-Charge of the Think India Club, IIT Roorkee, expressed his gratitude to all the guests and dignitaries for their insightful contributions, which have illuminated the path towards a self-reliant Bharat by 2047.

The Think India National Convention 2024 brought together a distinguished panel of speakers, including Ashok Shrivastav, Senior Journalist at DD News; Rashmi Samant, Author; Lokenath Chatterjee, Advocate at the High Court Kolkata; Atul Kulkarni, Member of the Board of Governors, IIM Shillong; Prof. Sachidanand Tripathi, Professor at IIT Kanpur and Infosys Awardee; and Vijayant Gaur, Director General of the Cyber Security Association of India (CSAI).

The discussions delved into India's developmental journey across four transformative phases: Bharat 1.0, the pre-independence era, which laid the foundation for the nation through revolutionary visions; Bharat 2.0, the post-independence period (1947–1991), characterized by industrialization and the establishment of a mixed economy; Bharat 3.0, the era of liberalization that steered India toward Aatma Nirbhar Bharat; and Bharat 4.0, a forward-looking vision for 2047, centred on cutting-edge innovation, renewable energy solutions, and transformative digital technologies, aimed at establishing India as a global leader.

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