Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman who is on a three-day visit to Nagaland, today inaugurated SAMARTH (Students Advancing Mindsets in AI, Robotics, Technology and Digital Hardware) at National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) Kohima.
Union Minister highlighted that AI is something which has to be spread to students, particularly school students, and it is important that the younger generation feels comfortable in handling AI related matters.
Sitharaman said that one can qualify further and acquire skills from specialists like the semiconductor, related skills. She announced that the Tatas came forward to set up a major state of the art production centre of ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) in Assam. She hoped that every young person to be a part of that each according to their capacity.
The Union Minister mentioned that she had requested Tatas to come to Nagaland to make links so that a central institute like NEILIT has the advantage of Tatas coming and giving skills for the semiconductor related world.
And if that is available, she noted all the trainings are open for all students and not only for engineering students.
“The world is wide open for every child, every school-going young person, and those who want to enter college or those who have just passed out of college. I think it is a brilliant opportunity. Northeast is doing really good. This is a classic example where under Prime Minister Modi Northeast gets every priority, even before any part of the country gets,” she noted .
Sitharaman added that NEILIT or institutions of this kind are established all over the country, but the partnership with private sector and the flexibility in the courses and the advantage is immediately within the northeast, you have an opportunity to go see. She added that northeast is miles ahead of rest of the country.
She further stated that youth of NE are raving for more opportunities and they have the right skill sets.
Nirmala Sitharaman on Financial importance in Women’s life
During the interactive session with beneficiaries and students, Sitharaman highlighted on financial awareness for women. She mentioned that it is not something which is new for women in India, because traditionally, whichever part of the country be it, women have been the managers of household, they kept their accounts, kept the money, knew to prioritise the meagre resources and for different things.
On financial importance, she suggested that whilst this traditional strength that women had, in between because of the different priorities all this has thinned out. However because of the awareness campaigns that Finance Ministry , Reserve so Bank of India and also the stock markets themselves are building , there is a greater awareness on how women should manage their finances far more with a sense what’s before them, what’s available before them.
She noted that the new world of opportunity opening up for earning with little savings have got better rather than the conservative risk-free environment.
She highlighted that there are many opportunities now opening up, but the embedded matter is, women and their empowerment and financial independence for women.
In today’s world she maintained that it is possible to earn your own money although being a part of the family.
“You will still know how to have your money serving for the family and serving your own personal requirements. As much as you should control money, as much as you should manage money, you should also become financially independent. Not at the detriment of the family, but to strengthen the family, for strengthening your own cause and your children and your parents’ cause,” she noted.
Government of India, she said has launched quite a few things to help women’s financial independence. She added that one is not expected to have any security when you want to borrow money from the bank. It is ensured by the Government of India. One can take that money, do business, earn profit, put that money back into savings, and that money is put back into savings, there are accounts through which one gets better rate of interest.
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She also highlighted about the availability of stock markets that are available both for men and women. She added that there are schemes which one can start for your children right from the beginning. “PM.VATSALYA” is one such a scheme, she said.
The Union Minister said that the pole is already ready with the trickles that one connect. She maintained that there are so many such schemes from Government of India, which if one is clued into one can put little money and continue to keep saving particularly women.
Northeast India as hub for innovation and trade
The Union Minister said that Northeast has been kept at the centre of policy looking at development skills investments in NE. She highlighted that there are lack of infrastructure, which was the situation for almost 40- 50 years. She maintained that capacities have been ramped up that “we bridge the fundamental requirements now we are building on the additional ones”.
However, she said that digital capabilities are speedily catching up in the Northeast. This, she said gives Northeast the advantage at connecting to the world, through the digital marketing space.
She emphasised that Northeast is being kept top of the priority and that would continue so that Northeast serve the purpose of Act East being the gateway to Southeast Asia and so on.
How can NE contribute to be a part of digital India
Replying to a question on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Fintech and robotics, how one can contribute to be a part of Digital India, the Union Minister said that this is what she looks forward to hearing from students.
“We want to be part of this. We want to participate in this. We want to contribute to this. This is the aspiration of all youth of India. They want to see a better India. They want to see a developed India. They want to see an India in which they have participated in building it,” she stated.
She added that today’s youth are the ones who have to guide the country. Encouraging the students to guide each other, she said that some students are misguided, they get into drugs and get into bad company. She said that it would be very important for all to be as a large team work together, support each other.
Digital connectivity in rural areas
Replying to a query about rural and remote areas facing connectivity and how to tackle these issues, the Union Minister said that this issue was fairly discussed and they had a lot of answering in Parliament as well. She said that the USOF Fund which is there for digital connectivity to be spread all over the country is being used rapidly so that the connectivity reaches the villages first and now it’s reaching utilities within the village.
She mentioned that the fibre network is moving everywhere under the Bharat Net program and as a result, what is expected to probably be completed in by 2029 is getting completed even earlier.
She highlighted that once the school, Panchayat offices or the hospitals get connected, the purpose of having digital connectivity for education or health or any such important community based on impacting the community itself will happen sooner.
“So we are not just looking at getting the optical fibre cables reaching all the villages and schools. But we are also looking at the spectrum sharing and usage of spectrum. Together with this the telecommunications Network, both private and public, whether it’s BSNL or private companies, are also auctioned in different parts of the country for their services to be given. They are also moving to cover difficult or far-flung parts of the country. So those are approached from various different angles, but they are all getting laid on the ground,” she noted.
Salhoutuonuo Kruse, Minister for Women Resource Development, Horticulture Department, Er Kropol Vitsu, Advisor for Prison, Printing & Stationery Department; Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, Advisor for School Education, SCERT; Prof (Dr) Madan Mohan Tripathi, Director General & Vice Chancellor, NIELIT, MeitY, Government of India, Kesonyu Yhome, IAS Finance Commissioner and Commissioner & Secretary to the Chief Minister and Works & Housing and Lotteries, Tim McIntosh, VP & Head of Manufacturing Excellence and Operations TATA Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt Ltd (TSAT) were also present during the launching event.
Earlier during the program, the Union Minister visited the exhibition of innovations and activities by startup and students. She also visited the India AI Lab and R&D Cyber Forensic Lab.
The program also witnessed the exchange of MOU between TSAT and NIELIT and award of course completion certificates to the army educational Corps Ministry of Defence . The program also witnessed the Launching of SAMART portal, followed by inaugural video, unveiling of 2 Training Kits of different categories, distribution of training kits to beneficiaries.
