Resources need to grow according to magnitude of population - Prem Krishna

Belagavi: With India’s population likely to reach 1.6 billion in 20 years, resources have to grow according to the magnitude of future population in the context of the country’s low world ranking in terms of Gross Domestic Product and Human Development Index, Prem Krishna, Chairman of Research Council, Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, said.

Delivering his address at the 16th convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) here, he said government has set a target of providing housing to all by 2022 thereby providing all infrastructure required. Engineering students had wide scope in this perspective, he said, adding that in the present fast changing technology world, every engineer has to update himself every moment. India has become the third largest economy in the world only behind USA and China and the country will enjoy a unique demographic dividend as compared to several developed countries in the world, he said.

Stating that land and water are constant, he said increasing population and higher aspiration of standard of life will test these constants. Though this seems to imply a way of life against current social practices, this interpretation of Gandhian philosophy is more relevant today as compared to any other time, he said.

Karnataka Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayreddi said four lakh students are studying in 217 technical institutes and 12,000 students are pursuing master degree through Visvesvaraya Technological University. Technical education is not new to the country as it was imparted as back as 3500 years ago, the minister said. The first university was Takshashila about 2500 years ago. The state government will be starting skill university for the benefit of self employment to the youths, he said. Karnataka will also establish School of Economics in Bengaluru shortly he said.

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