Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, today launched the ambitious National Knowledge Network, (NKN) through Video-Conferencing (VC) from Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Una, connecting all the Universities in the State, NIT, Central University, Tanda Medical College, Kangra and IIT Mandi, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) Shimla, with ultra high speed National Knowledge Network facility enabling students to work closely and access the best lectures from any World Class Institute in the country.
At the time of launching of NKN, Dr. R Chidambram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India (GoI) and Chairman, High Level Committee, NKN, Prof. S.P.Raghvan, Secretary, Scientific Technology, GoI, Dr. B.K. Gairola, Director General NIC, and other seniors officers of rank and file interacted simultaneously with all the participants from their respective offices at New Delhi through video-conferencing.
Chief Minister congratulated the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for their endeavour of interconnecting top educational institutions in the State through ultra high speed NKN and hoped that remaining institutions of higher learning in the State would also be connected soon and make Himachal Pradesh a ‘Knowledge Hub’ in real sense.
He said that IIT Mandi had emerged as one of the best teaching resources for utilising NKN and setting up Virtual Class Rooms and the Students at Roorkee were attending the lectures delivered at IIT Mandi.
He said that advanced information technology had emerged as the need of the hour. The NKN would play a vital role in equipping students with best of the learning skills besides providing countrywide access to the researchers, scientists and academician’s with top learning institutes and the libraries thereupon. He said that henceforth, instead of consulting books, relevant information would be available to the researchers and students on the internet through NKN.
He said that the NKN connectivity would also be extended to State Government Network, HIMSWAN, which would not only save the expenditure currently being incurred on internet access by the State but also provide a reliable medium of e- governance.
He said that ultimate objective of the electronic governance was to serve the citizens in a befitting manner. He said that the State Government was according priority to make the entire official functioning paperless and time saving where all activities of the governance would be transparent and efficient in delivering services to the people.
The video-conferencing was simultaneously attended by Chief Secretary, Ms.Harindar Hira, Shri Ajay Mittal, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. Saurabh Gupta, State Informatics Officer and other officers of the State Government at Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla,
The basic objective of NKN was building quality institutions with requisite rreserach facilities and creating a pool of highly trained professionals.
Dr. Sourabh Gupta, Director, NIC Himachal Pradesh, welcomed the Chief Minister, other dignitaries through VC and detailed of the facilities to be made available to the students and government offices through NKN in the State. P.C.Dhiman, Principal Secretary IT & Home, Government of Himachal Pradesh proposed vote of Thanks.
